eelman
01-25-2001, 09:11 AM
For those with cabin fever I just wanted to let you know that here in rhode island The fishing season is sooner than you think.
I was reading thru my logs of the past years(something I always do around this time of the year) There seems to always be a small run of fish at the west wall around the week of St.Patricks day in march , which is only six or so weeks away.Myself along with others,feel these fish are not migrants but rather fish which have wintered over in the the nearby saltponds in gallilie and elseware.These fish like to flex there muscles a little in mid to late march.If you time it right,The fishing can be quite good.In 1995 I had a 17 fish day on march 18th,for the next week we had good fishing with the little schoolies.
The only problem is that it also ends fast and without warning,sometimes the fish would not show again until mid to late april.At that time(mid april) is when you will start to see the migrants mix in with the local bass and this can make for some blitz filled afternoons.
The early march fish patrols can end fast but at least you get some action before most people have there rods out of the dustballs.Its cold down there and downrite nasty sometimes when the wind kicks up but,Its worth it because,come april.You will need to buy a ticket to fish the west wall!!
As for me I will make the annuall west wall trip in march this year once again but,I plan on fishing the bay alot more this spring,Last year it was fantastic in the bay in spring and the elbow room was fantastic!! Not to mention the fact that the fish were litterally in my backyard.
The bay (as far as im concerned) is a goldmine for spring fishing.The west wall and points south are good spring spots but, they are also sporadic.One afternoon you may get 30 fish and then you might go fishless for the next week!! Why? Because those fish are moving past and right into the bay.The reason for this is that the bay temps are much warmer than the ocean temps and therefore more suitable to the little bass,with better feeding opurtunities.
The west wall is fickle and totally dependent on winds and conditions,Its almost imperitive that you have a wind out of the south or southwest to help "push" migrating bass in for a looksee! On days when the winds are light and the water is glass calm,stay home! or, head to the bay because those bass are heading right up there.
A spot that I have always liked much better than the west wall is matunuck beach.The best spot there is on the inside edge of carpenters bar on A high dumping tide with a southeast wind and lots of whitewater.The fish that gather here are usually better size than what you find at the west wall and there is a little more albow room.This spot always starts two weeks after the west wall for some reason.
A good start time for the bay is the end of april,this is a good time to start casting around,The fish will not be far off the shoreline because of the water temps.May is red hot! With action all day long.You have bass inhailing herring and chasing jigs all day long.Dont concern yourself to much with conditions,in the bay they really are not that important.The only exeption I found is a good nor'easter on the west side of the bay seemed to produce some fantastic fishing last spring.
The live bucky fishing was as good as it gets in the bay and we never used a boat.
As for spring lures? As far as im concerned,there is only one lure you need from march until june! And that a half ounce all white upperman jig with a white or chartrusse curl tail grub on the back.Thats the only lure you need!!
Around mid may is when I begin to leave the school bass alone and start to fish at night with whatelse? Live eels.Last year I had my first bass of around 20lbs on a live eel on may 18th.From there on out I did not see daylight fishing until the late fall.
Have a good season!! Its not that far off now!!
I was reading thru my logs of the past years(something I always do around this time of the year) There seems to always be a small run of fish at the west wall around the week of St.Patricks day in march , which is only six or so weeks away.Myself along with others,feel these fish are not migrants but rather fish which have wintered over in the the nearby saltponds in gallilie and elseware.These fish like to flex there muscles a little in mid to late march.If you time it right,The fishing can be quite good.In 1995 I had a 17 fish day on march 18th,for the next week we had good fishing with the little schoolies.
The only problem is that it also ends fast and without warning,sometimes the fish would not show again until mid to late april.At that time(mid april) is when you will start to see the migrants mix in with the local bass and this can make for some blitz filled afternoons.
The early march fish patrols can end fast but at least you get some action before most people have there rods out of the dustballs.Its cold down there and downrite nasty sometimes when the wind kicks up but,Its worth it because,come april.You will need to buy a ticket to fish the west wall!!
As for me I will make the annuall west wall trip in march this year once again but,I plan on fishing the bay alot more this spring,Last year it was fantastic in the bay in spring and the elbow room was fantastic!! Not to mention the fact that the fish were litterally in my backyard.
The bay (as far as im concerned) is a goldmine for spring fishing.The west wall and points south are good spring spots but, they are also sporadic.One afternoon you may get 30 fish and then you might go fishless for the next week!! Why? Because those fish are moving past and right into the bay.The reason for this is that the bay temps are much warmer than the ocean temps and therefore more suitable to the little bass,with better feeding opurtunities.
The west wall is fickle and totally dependent on winds and conditions,Its almost imperitive that you have a wind out of the south or southwest to help "push" migrating bass in for a looksee! On days when the winds are light and the water is glass calm,stay home! or, head to the bay because those bass are heading right up there.
A spot that I have always liked much better than the west wall is matunuck beach.The best spot there is on the inside edge of carpenters bar on A high dumping tide with a southeast wind and lots of whitewater.The fish that gather here are usually better size than what you find at the west wall and there is a little more albow room.This spot always starts two weeks after the west wall for some reason.
A good start time for the bay is the end of april,this is a good time to start casting around,The fish will not be far off the shoreline because of the water temps.May is red hot! With action all day long.You have bass inhailing herring and chasing jigs all day long.Dont concern yourself to much with conditions,in the bay they really are not that important.The only exeption I found is a good nor'easter on the west side of the bay seemed to produce some fantastic fishing last spring.
The live bucky fishing was as good as it gets in the bay and we never used a boat.
As for spring lures? As far as im concerned,there is only one lure you need from march until june! And that a half ounce all white upperman jig with a white or chartrusse curl tail grub on the back.Thats the only lure you need!!
Around mid may is when I begin to leave the school bass alone and start to fish at night with whatelse? Live eels.Last year I had my first bass of around 20lbs on a live eel on may 18th.From there on out I did not see daylight fishing until the late fall.
Have a good season!! Its not that far off now!!