Projo Fishing: HotBytes

Fluke fishing is hot in Narragansett Bay, according to David Henault of Ocean State Tackle. He said that Jim White, skipper of the charter boat, White Ghost, has seen some of the largest fluke of the season this week. (In an earlier post, Jim reported that his grandson was taking big fluke.)

David recommends fishing the waters near the Newport and Jamestown bridges, Austin Hollow, and off Newport in deep water.

Scup have been biting among the boulders at the southern end of Colt State Park and near the Mount Hope Bridge, David said.

He also reported that Chris Leahy has been catching "a mess of yellowfin at the Fish Tails."

Brian Garula caught this 9-pounder aboard the Seven Bs V.

Brian Garula won the Third Annual 2008 RPE Waste Services Fluke Tournament with a 9-pound fish aboard the party boat Seven Bs V over the weekend.

"The day was full of fog, and the water was rough, but they put fluke afer fluke in the board." writes Ray Thimas. "Hope Varane, the only women in the competion, came in second with a real nice fluke that weighed in over 8 pounds. She was last year's winner."

Peter Vican and his 75-pounder

East Greenwich angler Peter Vican landed a 75.4-pound striped bass, a new state record, pending approval by the state Division of Fish and Wildlife.

A tournament-winning angler, Peter weighed the fish at Snug Harbor Marina, said Elisa Jackman.

Peter told her he caught the fish on an eel. He usually fishes around Block Island, Elisa said.

The current record is a 70-pound striper, caught by Joe Szabo in 1984 at Block Island.

This has been a season of extraordinary fishing for stripers and fluke.

Brian Sherman weighed a 14.75-pound fluke at Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle yesterday. He caught the fish near Dutch Island on a ThomCat Glow Daddy with a strip of bluefish, according to Thom Pelletier.

Thom made the rig and weighed the fluke.

Roxanne Perra with her trophy-winning fluke

Even little children are catching big fluke.

Roxanne Perra of Pawtucket won this week's RI Take A Kid Fishing trophy when she caught a 4.7-pound fluke aboard the Seven Bs V.

The program is sponsored by West Bay Anglers with Russ Benn's party boatm Seven Bs. Ray Thimas says, "We take 50 city kids fishing on Tuesday afternoons from the beginning of July through August. We feed them lunch, send them to fish school, and at the end of the day, whoever catches the biggest fluke is presented with a trophy."

On the Bay, Jim White, skipper of the charter boat White Ghost reports, "I took my grandson DJ flukin' this morning and he landed a 6-1/2-pound fluke along with a 4-pound sea bass. We only fished two and a half hours."

"Colin Kennelly caught this 7.5-pound fluke yesterday," writes Ray Thimes. "He was aboard the Seven B'S V in the waters off Green Hill."

"Fluke fishing just gets better and better," says Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina. "I have never seen so many big fluke." Fishing with his son, Matt, Conti has been catching huge fluke in 50 to 70 feet of water off South Kingstown.

Thom Pelletier, skipper of the charter boat Thomcat, agrees. "Fluke fishing remains phenomenal," he writes. "Yesterday's first fish of the day weighed in at 7.6 pounds. As I was bleeding that one, the rod went off again. I set the hook and knew right away it was a corker. When I finally go him up and was sliding the net under the fish it shook its head and put the hook into the net at the frame. Couldn't get him in and the next time he shook the hook came out...I can't say how big but it was easily the biggest fluke I've ever had a hook into...Continued a steady pick all morning, mostly south of the Nebraska Shoals."

Bass fishing has been holding up on the reefs off South Kingstown, particularly off the Five Cottages and Green Hill, says Conti.

Tautog fishing is also good. Shore fishermen have been catching blackfish at Deep Hole and in front of the Ocean Mist in Matunuck.

David Porecca of River & Riptide Anglers reports:

"During River & Riptide Anglers Monday-night fishing get-together, we found bait from the mouth of Narrow River all the way to the Sprague Bridge. Sand eels were predominant throughout the river. There were small pods of peanut bunker as well. Heavy surf kept us off the beach, shifting our focus to the river shallows. A few stripers were taken around 8 p.m. on gray-and-white Clouser Minnows. As the incoming tide turned, around 9 p.m, larger fish were cruising the flats just out of fly-rod distance. As the influx of peanut bunker get pushed into the shore the mouth of Narrow River grows increasingly productive."

On the freshwater front, he said:

"The Hexagenia limbata mayfly continues to bring up the majority of fish late evenings on the Wood River. If it is daytime, focus on Caddis and terrestrials. Use them as the lead fly with a subsurface nymph tied 18 to 24 inches off the bend. As evening approaches, Rusty Spinners and Dun Variants are excellent patterns to mimick the Gray Drake spinners that have been extremely prolific this season. I fish this technique from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., and then I switch the big Hex flies and hang on tight for fast and furious action."

Bill Nolan caught these bass fishing the lower Bay today

"The fishing in the southern end of the Bay is really holding up well," writes Bill "Eelman" Nolan. "Of course you have to fight your way past bluefish. There are still plenty of bunker to be had also.The bite is occuring early, however, and most of my fish are coming before daybreak. These two were caught this morning!"