No Fluke

Black sea bass season is open

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This year, the minimum size for black sea bass in Rhode Island is 15 inches, last year it was 14 inches. The first sub period started Friday, June 24, and runs to August 31 with a three fish/person/day limit. The second sub period runs from September 1 to December 31 with a seven fish/person/day limit.

Anglers have been catching keeper size black sea bass since early spring before the season opened while fishing for tautog and summer flounder. So this should be a good year for black sea bass. Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence said, “Right now the black sea bass bite is far more productive than the summer flounder bite off Newport and Jamestown.” Anglers have been catching black sea bass when fishing for summer flounder (fluke) in the 4 to 5-pound range. I caught several this week at Warwick Light.

Black sea bass facts

Black sea bass are primarily black (sounds odd), but they have the ability to adjust their color to blend in with the bottom with colors ranging from gray, brown and black to a deep indigo hue.

They spend most of their time around the bottom and can be found near rocky areas, jetties, rips and like a lot of bottom fish, they like structure.

Black sea bass are hermaphroditic fish… they begin life as female then turn male.

Black sea bass put up a good feisty fight but they do not grow to be large fish in the Northeast.

The largest black sea bass caught was nine pounds, eight ounces and about 19.7 inches long.

Ideal water temperature for black sea bass is 59 to 64 degrees.

10.75-pound summer flounder takes tournament

Brian Stafford took first place in the ‘Fluke Til Ya Puke’ tournament (1,212 registered participants) with a 10.75 summer flounder that netted a $5,000 cash prize and then he won $9,950 in the High Stakes Calcutta category. Angler John McCann took second place with a 10.40-pound fluke and Vinny Deledda finished third with a 10.35-pound fish.

NOAA publishes 2016 sea-day schedule

This year NOAA will be able to fund the 2016 Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology monitoring program and will use the remaining funds to offset some of the commercial fishing industry’s costs of the groundfish at-sea monitoring program.

Any sector trip beginning on or after July 1 may be eligible for reimbursement of at-sea monitoring costs through a program we are developing with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. 

Because this support is not likely to last for the entire year, this method preserves the contract relationships sectors already in place with at-sea monitor providers. 

Contact Teri Frady at NOAA with questions, 508-495-2239 or Teri.Frady@noaa.gov

Where’s the bite

Black sea bass and summer flounder (fluke) fishing improved this week with Block Island’s south side and the southern coastal shore being good spots. Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet, said, “It was a good week for fluke fishing with excellent results on sea bass when the season opened this week. Easy boat limits of big sea bass were attained with fish up to and over five pounds recorded. Solid fluke results each day but anglers often had to work for them a bit. Still a respectable amount of anglers amassed four to six keepers apiece with a couple of anglers managing a boat limit this week. The biggest fish of the week was taken by longtime regular Joe Gagne of Cumberland, who put a fine 12.3-pound slab on the deck of the Gail Frances Saturday. Joe caught this mammoth fluke on a half-ounce white Spro tipped with squid and spearing.” Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence, said “The summer flounder bite has not been great yet, but the black sea bass bite has been good off Newport and Jamestown. “We weighed in a 9.1-pound fluke from the southwest side of Block Island this week. The best bite is definitely at Block Island. And the black sea bass bite is great with some very nice fish being taken at the Hooter Buoy, off the center wall (of the Harbor of Refuge) and along the coast in the Greenhill area,” said Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown. “Fluke fishing at Warwick Light was on and off this week… one day anglers were catching them and the next day nothing,” said John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside. Capt. Rick Bellavance of Priority Too charters said, “We’re happy the fluke bite is good off Block Island as the bass bite has been off the past two weeks.”

The striped bass bite disappeared off Block Island this week. Some think it was the full noon. I think it will return by the end of the week. One customer was spotting them at the Southwest Ledge on his fish finder but they were just not biting,” said Elis Cahill of Sung Harbor Marina. Capt. Rick Bellavance said, “The bass fishing has not been good but we hear they are nailing them in states south of us and the hope is the bait and the fish will be holding on Block Island by the end of the week.” “Smaller striped bass in the 12 to 15-pound range are being caught in the Warren River with pogies (Atlantic menhaden) being the bait of choice. However, anglers are saying the Atlantic menhaden are not plentiful this year, they are very hard to come by compared to the last couple of years,” said John Littlefield of Archie’s. Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle said, “Capt. Jack Sprengel of East Coast Charters is catching striped bass in the Providence River up to 30 pounds using live and chucked Atlantic menhaden. There is also a good bass bite on the east side of Prudence Island.”

The scup bite is still good with anglers catching them all over. “Colt State Park and the Mt. Hope Bridge have been good areas to fish for scup. They have been catching large fish there in the 15 to 20-inch range.” John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “The scup bite has improved in the upper bay with anglers now starting to catch them at Sabin Point and at the Barrington Bridge.”

Offshore. “The charter boat Lady K landed a 110-pound mako shark last week. Many other smaller makos were taken by anglers too. Bluefin tuna were sited on the surface this week at Cox’s Ledge but no one has hooked-up with them yet.”

Captain Dave Monti has been fishing and shell fishing for over 40 years. He holds a captain’s master license and a charter fishing license. He is a RISAA board member, a member of the RI Party & Charter Boat Association and a member of the RI Marine Fisheries Council. Contact or forward fishing news and photos to Capt. Dave at dmontifish@verizon.net or visit his website at www.noflukefishing.com.

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