Still time to register for the Block Island Tournament

There is still time to register for the Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament which takes place this weekend within the three mile limit around Block Island. The Tournament starts Saturday, July 22, 5:30 a.m. and ends Sunday, July 23, 12 noon.  There will be an “After Party” at Capt. Nick’s Rock & Roll Bar, Block Island on Sunday, July 23 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Limited dockage may be available after the tournament for four to five hours in Old Harbor at the Town Dock. Contact the Dockmaster on Ch12. 

“This is a length only Tournament. When anglers want to make a Tournament entry, they take a photo of their catch with the tournament smartphone app against the tournament supplied ruler and send their entry in electronically,” said tournament sponsor Capt. Chris Willi of Block Island Fish Works.  “So, it is not necessary to attend the ‘After Party’ to receive your Tournament prize. However, those attending the ‘after party’ will get a chance to win one of twenty-five $100 tackle shop gift cards.”

Capt. Willi said, “Thanks to the Block Island Wind Farm/Orsted and Whalers Brewing Company of Rhode Island, we can donate 100 percent of Tournament entry fees to the Block Island Fire Department and Rescue. And, we have over $10,000 in gift cards, swag and prizes with fluke, black sea bass, striped bass and bluefish categories with shore, fly fishing, youth, team and photo divisions.

Anglers can pick up participant bags at one of six locations including Block Island Fish Works, Block Island; Ocean State Tackle, Providence; The Saltwater Edge, Middletown; Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown; Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown; and Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly.

Register online at BI Inshore Tourney | bi-FishWorks (sandualypointco.com) or call 401-742-3992.

Shellfish areas close due to heavy rain

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced that several shellfish areas are closed due to excessive rain. Lower Providence River conditional area E, Upper Narragansett Bay areas A and B, Greenwich Bay, Mount Hope Bay, the Kickemuit River, and Point Judith Pond conditional areas all are closed to shellfish harvest and scheduled to reopen at sunrise on Monday, July 24.

For information on emergency and conditional area water quality related shellfish closures, call DEM’s 24-hour shell fishing hotline at 401-222-2900 or visit www.dem.ri.gov/shellfish.

Where’s the bite?

Tuna. With warming water and continued enhanced bait profiles we have a strong tuna bite. Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence, said, “Anglers are catching yellowfin and bluefin school tuna as well as giant bluefin. Both trolling and jigging with six to eight once jigs are working for customers.” 

“The tuna bite has improved offshore but reports of an inshore bite with fish between Block Island and Pt. Judith started to surface this weekend,” said Ben Dickinson of The Saltwater Edge, Middletown.

Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown, said, “Offshore, the tuna bite has been heating up with reports of bluefin and a few yellowfin being caught from areas south of Montauk and Block Island.”

Summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass and scup. O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, said, “Fluke fishing continues to produce well for boats drifting along the beaches and out at Block Island. There are a lot of short fluke around with a decent number of keepers mixed in. Fluke are primarily feeding on squid and sand eels. There are tons of scup being caught with a decent number of keeper black sea bass being caught too.” 

Capt. Mike Littlefield of ArchAngel Charters, Newport, said, “Last week we caught some very large fish. Paul Philips of North Kingstown boated a 9-pound fluke and Duke Pasyanos Sr. off Portsmouth a 12-pound fluke. Most of our larger fish came from 100 to 120 feet of water off Newport.” “Customers are catching some very large fluke along the beaches and at Block Island. Some fluke have also been caught from Dutch Island to Austin Hollow in the lower West Passage. The scup bite is both on and off, they are in the Bay and offshore, you just have to find them and black sea bass fishing is improving with keepers being caught more often.” said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle.

“Striped bass fishing in Providence River is pretty much just a nighttime bite at this point. But large fish are still being taken off Newport and large bluefish are still being caught as the pop up in both the East and West Passage of the Bay,” said Henault of Ocean State Tackle.

Very large fish are still being caught at Block Island and just North of the Newport Bridge area at Coddington Cove angler Greg Vespe (former executive director of RISAA) and I hooked into eight school bass and bluefish. O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, said, “The breachways and shore spots have been producing some fish, but boaters have a bit of an edge fishing live eels out on deeper structure and out at Block Island. There is a better shore bite early or late in the day. Bass and blues have been seen blitzing on sand eels along the beaches and in the salt ponds.” 

“The bass bite for larger fish is in deeper water at Brenton Reef, Newport with smaller fish feeding on sand ells in lower water,” said Dickinson of The Saltwater Edge.

“Freshwater fishing for largemouth bass continues to be good early morning and at dusk when things cool off or when angers target shaded areas under trees. Shiners see to be the bait of choice with even some trout being caught at Lincoln Woods which is uncharacteristic for this tome of year.” said Dave Henault at Ocean State Tackle.

Dave Monti holds a captain’s master license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business focusing on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verison.net or visit www.noflukefishing.com.