I have been there a couple of times. As far as I am concerned when we were there the 2 past Octobers there were no fish where we were.
The first trip I got 7 fish in 3 days and worked for every last one of them, all on artificials.
Last year we drove all over the island and I managed 1 in 3 days fishing. Not exactly smoking them. None were keepers.
What would you consider a "good 3 day trip" numbers wise and keeper wise?
Seems to me like you sacrafice numbers for the hog of a lifetime on that place.

John,

That's fishing! :)

My first BI trip I had a keeper the first morning and took fish every time I went out. Bait (local squid) was the ticket most of the time. On my last year's BI trip I didn't get my first fish until day 3 and nothing keeper size until day 4. And artificials (mostly flies) did much better than bait.

It seems BI is a hit or miss place. If you hit it right it's heaven. If not, that's why it's called fishing. But I still love the place and feel my best chance at a trophy fish from the shore is there in the fall.

I'll be back again this year too!

I agree with you Jaiem, it is totally hit or miss.
I have had a ball fishing there, always good company.
Just wish we could hit the mother load when we go.
Just once I want to hammer em! Seems like SW in a boat would be fun :) but that might be considered cheating from the surf club.
Give me a couple of BIG Bites or give me lots of mediums. The squid deal there is pretty cool. I should just probably sit my butt down and chunk one of them babies, but thats not my style. I should try it just for a change of pace. I am used to throwing my arm out :)

There other problem is there is soooooo much great water to fish sometimes I get paralized with indecision trying to choose where to go! :D

Your right to much Island to fish! We are always like "where we going, whats the wind doing, whats the tide, is there going to be cloud cover to hide the moon" on and on. Who knows but that place should give up some big fish just by looking at all the white water and rock piles. I can dream.....about it anyways. Looks like a great place to have a big goo goo eyes get crushed. Seems like most luck is with smaller baits though.
I would imagine a 15 fish night would be pretty damn good from the shore.

I'd be happy with one really good fish for the night. ;)

It can be fustrating. Two years ago I was fishing Black Rock in the wee morning hours. I had a few fish, nothing special, all on local squid. There was a guy fishing the bowl to the left/east of the point. All pre-dawn I saw him going back and forth between the water line and I guess he's bait bucket (saw his light that is). When the sun came up I saw he was really into fish! Maybe it was his bait (he was using mac chunks) or he was just in the honey hole that morning. I couldn't see any specific structure that would hold fish there and not at the point. But that's fishing!

ps- Every try up North around Settler's Rock or Mansion Beach? (the Maze is way too hairy to get into at night!)

My first time at Block was an eye opener. I'm fishing with a 10' glass crappola rod and a 8500SS next to Bill and my eel is landing 15 feet short of his. He had a few less than 2 dozen fish, I had 0. Couple bumps but that was all...

Next time it was a different story and it's been at least good since. One time I was getting pretty discouraged as we hit 4 spots with maybe 1 fish between 4 of us and then we finally got some on a last ditch effort at Gracies (I had a 34" bass, Schoolie Monster was sleeping, Joe and Bill had a respectable night by the end)...

My best time and most frustrating was last year (at a non-disclosable, highly secret, won't give Gusto the time of day spot (just kiddin' pal ;P )) when we could actually see 30 to maybe 50 pound bass rolling all around us slaping at our eels, picking and immediately dropping, time after time after time but wouldn't touch a plug. I was low man of the evening with a mere 3 fish landed between 13 and 28 pounds (must have had 20 hits and a dozen pick ups and drops - quick sets did not help at all), Joe had 3 from about 15 pounds to one in the high 30s, maybe fourty and Bill had 15-18 fish to 35 pounds or so.... Amazing night...

This was in the end of July when the fishing from shore was DEAD ALL OVER. Man I love that place...

The best time I've heard of over there was in the mid-eighties in DECEMBER. Many guys (from NPSFA members to a couple well known writers) had 50 and 60 pounders from the surf during heavy snow storms just cranking big bass after big bass until their bodies refused to listen to the brain...

MAN - I love that place ( I had to say it again)

As much as I like plugging, don't skip using eels over there - they truly find the big fish from shore....

Have I said how I love that place ?? ;D

John thats the kind of night I hope for. That is excellent fishing anywhere. Next time I guess I should focus on live eels. Its hard to get out of plug throwing mode.
A couple of 40# fish would do the trick!

Definitely give the eels a whirl. Also, if you are going to plug, make sure you use a sand eel imitating fly teaser or Red Gill. LOTS of sand eels over there...

When the big bass are grabbing and dropping eels like that , you need the secret weapon......rigged eels!! :) they might be able to get away with playing with a live eel with a single head hook by grabbing the bass from the side but they will get stuck good if they try that with a rigged eel. Thats RI rigged eels , just the 2 hooks , no squid. We used to go out to montauk. Its the same trip as Block Island. You spend pretty good money getting to and from on the ferry. You are committed once there. using rigged eels , you get as many fish foul hooked as you do hooked in the mouth. Them bass can't play Roly Poly with a rigged eel.

Someday we should have an eel rigging party. Bring your barf bag , its gross work! :)

Sorry , didn't answere the question. My opinion is that on every outing , you shouldn't be disappoined if you get even just your one fish. To me , no matter where I fish , its that first fish that gives you a good feeling. Sure I like lots of fish but at least one per outing is essential to avoid disappointment.

Then we may need to try that out, the 'Ole Rhody Rig, eh? Too bad it's not wise to run an external stinger hook on the side of a live one...

That's an interesting thing too John. Ever see the external eel rack thingies? They make a thing that clamps onto the outside of a live eel. It keeps the first 5 inches or so of the eel from being able to bend and therefore the eel can't tangle himself on the line or extra external hook which is part of the device. I don't like them at all but they are out there and with them , you can get that extra hook on the outside of the eel. they are nowhere near effective as a properly rigged eel cause they aren't whippy. One thing that happens with a rigged eel is you break all the vertebrae joints so its limp and wiggly. When a bass whacks it , the tails end whips around and the tail hook often gets the bass on the outside aside or below the mouth. Since the rack keeps the front part of the eel ridged , you don't get the foul hooks do to the whipping like you would with a rigged one. The racks are less time consuming (takes about a minute to hook an eel to the rack but about 15 -20 minutes to rig an eel) but not in the same league for effectiveness as a rigged eel.

I've been going to BI in the late fall but it seems you guys go up during the summer as well.

Think I should reschedule my annual trip for earlier in the season?

Jaiem, why stop with just one? Keep your annual trip and also schedule a mini-trip in mid-summer. I'm assuming that when Montauk is hot, so's Block. Several times when the Rhody and Mass shores were quiet we'd hear that the boater's off Montauk were hammering fish. People would BS that all the fish were way out. Went to Block and found fish. Granted only noticed this a few times but I see the early beginnings of a trend ;D

Not a bad idea John. Just that in the summer we'd have to deal with the summer trippers. Late off season fishers have the island mostly to ourselves. Also get a better price for lodging off season.

You mean you bring the wife? Just kidding... I usually only head over for one night so a little sleep in the truck is OK. There were several people last year that stayed on island for weeks at a time just living out of a car or truck - purely just to fish... ;D ??? :o We would hear stories (paraphrasing here) "Is whatshisname still over there?" "yep" 3 weeks now, took the ferry back slept for a couple days, showered, had a decent meal and went back"...

Well if you really want to know my idea of a good three day trip to Block is: Day 1 get into some 20 pounders then land a 30 something. Day 2 land a 40 something. Day 3 the holy grail - a FIFTY :D

Eat sleep fish

of course this is just a dream since I have yet to go there, soon though.

BI is a bit of a hike for me for just a day or two. A week does it well.

Yes, Lisa comes with me. She likes it. I'm out fishing and leave her alone. ;) Though she does come squid fishing with me and insists we have dinner one night at Eli's.