Yesterday's closure of the area resulted from a failure of the chlorination system at the Narragansett Bay Commission's Fields Point Wastewater Treatment Facility Monday night when the plant discharged of over 500,000 gallons of treated sewage that was inadequately disinfected.

DEM maintains a 24-hour shellfishing hotline with recorded updated information on shellfish closure areas. That number is 222-2900.

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"The 80-degree days and 50-degree nights have given the fish lockjaw," he reports. "Small finesse baits are the way to go -- for me at least. Fished very slowly using light weights has worked OK. This forces you to go slower than normal. The deeper water has definitely been the best. Keep an eye on your fish finder and look for drop offs.

"Gorton Pond in Warwick has cooled off considerably. The fish are schooling a bit more which is a sign of an early fall pattern.

"Mashapaug Pond in Cranston was touch and go as well.

"Out of all the spots we hit this week, Twin Rivers in Lincoln was about the best, but the bite didn't start until almost dark and lasted for about an hour.

"It should begin to pick up a bit with the fall on it's way."

Bonito are appearing to the east, he said, but bass and bluefish are relatively scarce.

The bluefish bite is better in the Bay, he reports.

A dearth of bait is holding fishing in the doldrums, but cooler air may move the fish.

Peter and the store's staff have been busy with the move, but they have more retail space to display tackle, and they plan to add an eel tank soon, he said.

Valley Road (Rte.214) runs between Rte. 114 and Rte. 138.

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Charley Cinto's experience and expertise pays off again Charley Soares photo

Charley Soares, pictured at right, says, "I'm sending you these photos not to boast but to show you how good the fishing has been."

Charley generally fishes the Elizabeth Islands off New Bedford.

"We can't predict what we might find on any day," He says, "but the fishing has been pretty consistent. Although I anger wannabes who catch one large fish and consider it a ticket to fame, I believe the size of the fish is luck.

"It's consistency that makes the difference and Charlie Cinto is a prime example of that."

He add a post-script: "I don't chunk or anchor and wait for fish. We hunt them using plugs, eels and live baits."

The name of the image showing Charley Soares is "Hogy Paddle Tail Jumbo." That's what the lure in the striper's mouth looks like.

Bob Oberg caught this 30-pounder off Narragansett yestreday and returned this morning for more. Brad Speck photo

Warwick kayak angler Bob Oberg is sold on trolling a tube-and-worm rig.

At 3:55 this morening, he wrote:

"I am just returning from another trip on the water. Caught and released another striper the same length as the one pictured -- 41 inches -- as well as two other keepers. I think tube-and-worm trolling is a very underrated technique for night fishing, at least in a kayak, where you can slow the presentation way down and control for depth with the precision needed to stay below the bluefish. You can consistently catch stripers on this rig at night, and you can catch big stripers when they are around."

There's a lot of great information about kayak fishing, with local news and advice at Ultimate Kayak Fishing, created by Nils Christensen, a hardcore angler who fishes the waters of Rhode Island, nearby Connecticut and Fishers Island, N.Y.

At the mouth of the Connecticut River, Pat Abate of Rivers End Tackle said, "We're seeing more baitfish such as butterfish and silversides on the nearshore reefs and beaches. Bunker are still around and we're seeing more hickory shad at the river mouths. We haven't seen a big increase in bass but Long Sand Shoal has been on the upswing, Bartletts Reef has some more surface action and there are a few more schoolies along the beaches.News from the RI shore is a few schoolies along the beaches on night tides.

"Good to very good bluefish action continues at the Race, Plum Gut and Pigeon Rip with medium sized blues. Long Sand Shoal and Southwest Reef has a mixture of sizes with a few fish in the double digit range. Some smaller blues have been on the surface on the shoreline on either side of the Connecticut River.

"Reports of false albacore and bonito are still coming from the Watch Hill area and spreading east along the beaches."

"Top-water plugs and white Deceivers are consistent winners," he says in an e-mail.

"Fluking also has been good with an unusual amount of 8-pound-plus big boys.

"I returned offshore on the Island Lady on Wednesday/Thursday. Little action or life in the 75-degree water out there. We saw more life 50 miles from the island than we did 90 miles away. Managed to get a small yellowfin, a blue marlin, and a mess of mahi up to 15 pounds.

"Thursday morning was decent on the south side with plenty of 28- to 36-inch fish for the inshore anglers.

The Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament is scheduled for Sept. 19-21 and benefits the National Children's Cancer Society. We are always looking for sponsors and participants!"

Visit the website tournament page by clicking here.

Rick Rivers of Coventry fishes near the Providence Street bridge over the Pawtuxet River in West Warwick on a historic day when the river was stocked with trout for the first time in many years. Photo by John Freidah

"The upper reaches of the north and south branches of the Pawtuxet River hold bass, carp, pickerel, pike, trout, and crayfish," said David Henault of Ocean State Tackle, "and it's a totally under-fished resource."

The north branch of the river rises at the Scituate Reservoir, and the south branch flows from the Flat River Reservoir, also called Johnson's Pond, in Coventry. The north and south branches meet at Riverpoint in West Warwick, and the river flows 11.7 miles to Pawtuxet Cove on Narragansett Bay.

Since the late 18th century, factory owners had dammed the river for power and dumped their waste into it, often with the permission of the state. Towns dumped so much waste into the river, that The Providence Journal in 1981 reported "that on some late-summer days, half of the lower river is sewage."

The river had become so foul and fetid, that "many people had given it up for dead," said Robert Nero, chairman of the Pawtuxet River Authority. "No one thought the river would come back."

In 1972, Congress approved the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and the Pawtuxet River Authority was established. States received more power to stop polluters in 1977 when amendments strengthened the 1972 law that would become known as the Clean Water Act.

The Pawtuxet River Authority's goal, said Nero, was to make the river clean enough for fishing and swimming.

The river has arrived. It is so clean that the state Division of Fish and Wildlife stocked trout in the West Warwick stretch this spring.

Fishermen can launch a canoe or kayak on the North Branch at the Hope Dam Fishing Area on Rte. 116 in the illage of Hope.

There are several places to launch on the South Branch. One of the easiest spots for a stretch of great fishing is on Sandy Bottom Road in Coventry.

Fluke are still biting in the waters off South County's beaches, reports Ray Thimas from the party boat Seven Bs V. With the photo, Ray writes, "Paul Stucker of the Westbay Anglers, a volunteer for the Takes A Kid Fishing Program, presents Conor Keelty the trophy for catching the biggset fish aboard the Seven Bs V. His fluke weighed over 7 pounds."

Kyle Willard caught more keepers than anyone on this trip

"We have been out fishing every day," reports Peter Beuth, first mate aboard the charter boat C Devil II, "and striper fishing is as solid as it ever is, provided you can get down below the bluefish -- which we have been able to do by jigging parachute jigs. Umbrella rigs will keep you loaded up on bluefish for hours non-stop if that is your goal. Here, Kyle Willard of Massachusetts holds up his 22.5-pound bass that he caught on a parachute jig off Block Island yesterday. He also caught three other keepers, more than any of the other adults on the trip.

"We have been able to find at least one bluefin tuna in all but one trip when going offshore. We've been trolling for an hour or two and then going sharking because although there are a few tuna well off Block Island, there aren't enough to make a whole day of tuna fishing out of it.".

"Capt. Keith crushed both the bluefish and stripers Saturday night on the 7 p.m. bluefish trip ensuring an action packed evening for his customers," Frank writes. "In addition to all the bluefish one wanted on both rails, anglers boated over 20 stripers, most of which were just undersize and gently released to fight again another day, but put several good ones to 25 pounds into the box. Capt. Keith tried some new grounds and the move paid off tremendously...

"Capt. Ray reported a slow night of striper fishing with the biggest bass in the 25-pound range and some good action with the bluefish...

"Capt. Mike reported a slow [bite] last night. An incredibly fast drift for anglers but a few good size fluke were boated along with some shorts and the usual array of scup and sea bass of various sizes.

"Capt. Don reported a solid morning with a mix of keepers and short fluke and some scup and sea bass plus a bunch of sea robins to keep things interesting."

Turner, who represents the TBF's Eastern division, won the 11 to 14 age bracket with one bass weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces.

"I am totally shocked right now," Turner said. "I only had one bite all day and that was the fifth cast I made this morning. It just happened to be huge. This was by far the biggest fish that I have ever caught."

Turner caught his big bass on a Strike King Red Eye in Sexy Shad color. He fished with National Guard pro Ramie Colson from Cadiz, Ky.

"Ramie taught me key spots where to fish and how to present a bait," Turner said. "I really learned a lot through out this whole experience."

Raymer, from The Bass Federation's Southern division, won the 15 to 18 age group with three bass weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces. He fished Saturday with Team National Guard pro Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla.

"This is a dream come true," Raymer said. "It's just an awesome feeling. I thought I had a chance to win but I wasn't sure. You never know what's going to happen in any given tournament."

The first-place finishers in each age bracket received a $5,000 scholarship in addition to a sponsor merchandise package.

The man is so enthusiatic about fishing in Louisiana, he could go to work for the state's tourism office.

"I understand your blog's focus is on the Rhode Island fishing scene, but would love to find a way to highlight the great fishing Louisiana has to offer," he writes in an e-mail.

"While nearly three years have passed since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, the recovery still has a long way to go. Louisiana's great, year-round fishing is not only a form of outdoor therapy for locals who are rebuilding their homes and lives, but a relatively inexpensive and action-packed trip for Rhode Island anglers.

"If you know anyone considering a fishing vacation, please tell them about Louisiana. From inshore trips targeting speckled trout and redfish to quick offshore runs for tuna, marlin, wahoo, and mahi, Louisiana has it all (not to mention New Orleans' great food). Please do not hesitate to pass along my phone number or e-mail address to anyone with questions.

"The fish in these pictures were caught approximately 30 miles out of Venice, La. in the Gulf of Mexico. The first is a mako shark (released at the boat). The second is of yellowfin tuna and red snapper (released at the grill). The third is also of yellowfin tuna."

In the third photo, Paul is the angler in the center.

His e-mail address is: paul.jeffrey.hendrick@gmail.com

Two weeks ago, Mouchon said, it was easy to catch a limit of 30-pound fish in about an hour. Now the bass are smaller, but Oscar and Henry Ernst, visiting from Europe, each managed to take a good-size bass this week.

The first cobia of the season was taken in the waters off Narragansett today, and Steve Travisono, skipper of the charter boat Sea Dog, had a good day of fluke fishing. He caught a lot of fishing including seven keepers east of Point Judith.
The largest fish weighed 7.5 pounds, he said.

Eleven-tear-old angler Peter Durkin caught a 7-foot-long blue marlin at Tuna Ridge this week, according to Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina.

There's more news about Narragansett Bay and freshwater fishing in the Fishing Report.

Fishing for fluke and striped bass has been excellent aboard Point Judith's party boats.

The Seven Bs had just stopped on the fishing grounds when Chris Lambert landed the 31-pound striper in the top photo, reports Ray Thimas.

Then young Kenny Queada of Providence hooked the 29-pounder in the lower photo. The boat was fishing off Block Island, and the bass nailed eels, Ray reports.

Yesterday, Frank Blount, owners of the Frances Fleet reported:

"Despite the torrential downpours and wild weather to start the day, once the rain abated the fish turned on and the customers aboard managed to put over 90 good size fluke and sea bass in the boat. Some anglers limited and others were close to it. Even tough weather cannot seem to hold this blazing fishery down!<

"Capt. Don reported yesterday morning's half-day trip went quite well despite some awful weather. Anglers had some nice size fluke and a few sea bass plus a bunch of shorts.

"Capt. Rich reported a great day of fluking on the fluke-sea bass trip today. A modest group of anglers brought at least 80 nice fluke to the nets today. Very few sea bass today. Biggest fish was around 9 pounds."