Experts weigh in on ‘How to catch bigger fluke’

It is my honor to be the guest speaker at the RI Saltwater Anglers Association seminar Monday, March 25, 7 p.m. at the West Warwick Elks, 60  Cyle Street, West Warwick. The presentation, “How to catch bigger fluke,” will feature a take-away list of top tips on how to catch bigger fluke. 

The presentation includes a series of interviews with charter captains, fishing guides and expert fluke anglers many like Greg Vespe and Jeff Sullivan who live and fish right here in the East Bay area.  Strategies and tactics for fishing summer flounder in Bays and the ocean with maps and charts will be covered as well as rigs, jigs, baits and my favorite places to catch fluke. Highlights of the presentation include Capt. Monti’s Fluke Cocktail, a rig and bait arrangement proven to catch larger fluke as well as small bait presentations and the importance of flirting with that fluke until it is enticed to strike. 

You will not want to miss this presentation as it takes the best form the best and puts it into a logical approach on planning and implementing fluke fishing trips.

Monti holds a master captain’s license and is a charter fishing captain, owns No Fluke Fishing charters.  He is a former 2nd vice president of RISAA, is active in fish policy issues and past vice chair of the RI Marine Fisheries Council, his is a founding board member of hen American Saltwater Guides Association, vice chair of the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program and a member of the RI Party & Charter Boat Association. 

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner available through the Elks Lodge with the presentation at 7 p.m.  RISAA members free, non-members are asked for a $10 donation to the RISAA scholarship fund. Have questions, call Scott Travers, Executive Director at 401.826.2121 or email him at travers@risaa.org.

Try your hand at navigating in a wind farm

Find out for yourself how hard (or easy) it is to navigate in an offshore wind farm, Thursday, March 21, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Try your hand at navigating in a wind farm through a simulator, very much like the ones that ocean captains of large ships train on except your vessel is a sport fishing boat or commercial fishing vessel.

The simulator will give you a taste of what it is like to navigate within an offshore wind farm. Feel free to come and go as you please during the open house. Open house sponsored by Ørsted’s Marine Affairs team in partnership with the United States Maritime Resource Center, 333 Aquidneck Avenue, Middletown, RI.

For information and to reserve a spot visit Offshore Wind Simulator Open House Tickets, Thu, Mar 21, 2024 at 4:00 PM | Eventbrite.

Trout Unlimited Annual Fundraiser and Banquet

The Rhode Island Trout Unlimited Chapter (TU#225) will hold its Annual Fundraising Banquet and Auction on Saturday, April 6, 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Quonset O Club, North Kingstown, RI.

This year Native Fish Coalition (NFC) Executive Director, Bob Mallard and National Chair, Emily Bastian, will be keynote speakers. Both Bob and Emily are founding members of NFC. The title of their talk is “Fly Fishing Maine, Wild Native Fish, State Heritage Fish Waters and Native Fish Coalition.” They will share their recreational and conservation accomplishments in the beautiful state of Maine.

The Banquet will feature an early evening dinner buffet with multiple entree choices, served salad and dessert. There will be numerous bucket raffles, a door prize, silent auction and live auction items.

Live auction items include a Guided Maine fishing trip with guest speaker Bob Mallard, a Half Day Charter in Watch Hill Area with Jeff Perry, a Half Day Charter Inshore or Ninigret Pond with Ray Ramos, and a Half Day wade trip – salt or fresh with Ed Lombardo. There will be three Special raffles which you do not have to be present to win.

A variety of sponsorship opportunities area available with the top package being a ten ticket, color ad in the program, name or logo on the welcoming page program for $1,000 down to a $100 package which will get you a special thanks in the program and one ticket. Please contact Susan Estabrook at susan@ysrinc.com with your choice of sponsorship. Please put in the subject of your email “TU-SS.”  Purchase dinner and/or raffle tickets online @ https://secure.etransfer.com/RICTU/Dinner.cfm.

Where’s the bite?

Freshwater fishing. Anglers are advised that the trout fishing season ended Feb. 29 in RI and reopens again on Saturday, April 13. “Anglers are catching pike, pickerel and largemouth bass in RI and MA ponds.  The largemouth prespawn bite has been very good,” said Jeff Sullivan of Luckey Bait & Tackle, Warren    It is time to renew or get freshwater fishing license and trout stamps for the new season too. For freshwater fishing information in Connecticut visit https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Fishing/Freshwater/Freshwater-Fishing; in Massachusetts visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov; and in Rhode Island www.dem.ri.gov/fishing.

Saltwater. Anglers continue to find school striped bass in estuaries. “Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown, said, “Anglers have been catching fish in the salt ponds in the upper Narrow River all winter, some as large as 25 to 36.” 

And this week we have had a couple of reports of herring in the rivers. The only other saltwater action… some anglers are fishing for Winter Flunder and the Island Current party boat has been targeting tile fish at the Canyons in 600 to 800 feet of water. They have caught fish to 30 pounds with the trips running 24 hours from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m. the next day.” 

Sullivan said, “The herring has shown up already in our Rivers and when they start coming out after the spawn fishing will be great for striped bass. I have been tarted white perch because the bite is still incredibly good.” 

If you want to try your hand at tile fishing and/or cod fishing when and if the bite improves visit www.islandcurrent.com and www.francesfleet.com