Fishing Report: NOAA Fisheries needs input from anglers
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries is asking the recreational fishing community for its guidance as it prepares to revise the 2015 National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy for the period of Aug. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022. With the perspectives shared during the 2022 National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Summit, NOAA Fisheries requests input on revising the policy.
The agency plans to announce informational webinars and input meetings but anglers also may make comments online. Visit their website to provide feedback on any changes or updates you would like to suggest for the policy. The address is fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/noaa-fisheries-invites-comments-update-recreational-fisheries-policy .
The purpose of the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy is to provide guidance for agency consideration in its deliberations pertaining to development and maintenance of enduring and sustainable high-quality, saltwater recreational fisheries. This policy identifies goals and guiding principles to be integrated into NOAA Fisheries’ planning, budgeting, decision-making and activities, and includes examples of implementation concepts and strategies supported by NOAA Fisheries.
With climate impacts on fishing, stock movement, multi-use of our oceans (fishing, aquaculture, offshore wind energy), the new policy is timely. The policy will guide NOAA Fisheries through important climate-ready fisheries decisions.
The new policy provides a great opportunity for the recreational fishing community to weigh in on important issues that will directly affect their fishing today and in the future, particularly making recreational fishing climate-ready.
Watch the policy website for webinar and meeting dates and this column for important issues being discussed by anglers.
Fishing Report: Getting the drop on the stripers
Where’s the bite?
Striped bass and bluefish. “The striped bass bite from Westerly to Narrow River seems to be on sand eels with peanut bunker being the bait of choice west of that, said Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle in Providence. "Customers are catching nice size slot fish [28 inches to less than 35 inches].” Jeff Sullivan of Lucky Bait & Tackle in Warren reported: “The bluefish bite had been off a bit with the big blow we had but things improved once again this weekend. The striped bass bite continues to be the best I have seen in 20 years. Newport, Charlestown, Point Judith, coastal areas and Block Island are hot.”
Paul Smalec of Portsmouth said: “Fred DeFinis and I continue to catch nice slot-sized fish in the Bay live-lining Atlantic menhaden.”
John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle in Riverside reported: “We saw a decline in bluefish in the Bay but things are starting to pick up with customers catching some nice fish in Bristol Harbor this weekend. Skipjacks are starting to come around in our coves and harbors, too.”
"East End" Eddie Doherty said: “Small stripers were riding a west tide while chasing whiting near the Sagamore Bridge and the power plant at the Cape Cod Canal in the early afternoon. Some fish measuring slot-plus were caught on white poppers in the east end during a top-water bite. The railroad bridge neighborhood gave up some nice fish, a 30-pounder in the heart of the Combat Zone and another the same size at the first cement block, all on mackerel chunks at midafternoon during the west tide.”
Fishing Report: Summit sets table for strategic plan
Summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass and scup. “The black sea bass bite is off with anglers working a bit to catch nice keepers," Sullivan said. "If you want to catch large fluke, consider making the trip to Block Island. The East Fishing Grounds [3 miles east of Block Island] have been yielding some nice fish.” Henault said: “The scup bite has been good at Save the Bay, Sabin Point and Rocky Point in the upper Bay." Littlefield said: “Customers fishing the Jamestown [west] side of the Newport Bridge have been doing well with black sea bass, even blue fish, drifting in 60 feet of water. The fluke bite there is slow.” I fished off Newport last week and the weekend for about five days. The black sea bass bite there was excellent with anglers limiting out on nice-size fish. The fluke bite was just OK with us returning with three to four fish per trip.
Bluefin and yellowfin tuna, chub mackerel, wahoo and bonito. “The first bonito have arrived and there are plenty of chub mackerel surfacing, too, for anglers to cast to,” Henault said. Sullivan reported: “The tuna bite is on south of Block Island [about 10 miles out] with some giants mixed in with mahi in the area, too. The Cox Ledge area has been producing, too.”
Anglers Paul Boutiette and Curt Shumway fished The Dump (south of Martha’s Vineyard) Sunday for bluefin tuna. No tuna but they hooked up with a 36-inch wahoo. “We trolled for mile after mile, when midway in The Dump, my pole suddenly lit up screaming line out," Boutiette said. "I was on, and line kept stripping off the reel. Curt was clutch to pull in the idle lines on the outriggers. I did not want to tighten the drag too much for fear of breaking the line or pulling the hook.”
Freshwater fishing has been slowed by warm water and the availability of large shiners. “Al White, a customer, fished a night with night crawlers for largemouth at Waterman Lake as shiners were not available and he caught a few nice largemouth," Henault said. "The thing is, with these dry conditions, not much is washing into our lakes and ponds, so the fish are eating just about anything.”
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 that focuses on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy and fisheries-related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verizon.net or visit noflukefishing.com.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI Fishing Report: NOAA Fisheries seeks input from fishing community
