Block Island 11/11-11/15 - Looking for Surfcasters!
 

Due to family obligations, a couple guys I fish with every year cant make our annual trip. I have space available for a few days from 11/11-11/15 for 2-3 people to fish Block. We stay in a very nice house (on a compound) that easily sleeps 8-10 people with beds. A few of the guys in the group have been fishing the island for 20+ years and everyone is well experienced at surfcasting. You don't need a car unless you want to bring yours. We'll have trucks on the island and you can ride with us. We'd also pick you up from the ferry and drop you off when ready to leave. You can also come for 1 night if you want. please send me a PM if interested and I'll give you more details.

I know many don't know me but if DZ is online he can attest to the accomodations and skill/personalities of the group. He's stayed with us in the past and we fish together often.

Thanks
Kevin

Wish I could - sounds like a worthy trip for those interested.

PM sent. Sounds like a great opportunity.
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Hmmmm...
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This is a good group of casters - knowlegable and hard fishing.
Nice comfy house on the crest of Corn Neck road. Jump on it.

DZ

Oh man, that's tempting.
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If i didnt have a place lined up i would jump on this.

Thought I would give you guys a report.

Spence, Bryan Oakley (RI Rockhound) and I just spent 3 days on the Island. Right now there are no fish at the Island. I mean NO fish.

We fished everywhere from SW Point, Dories, Gracies to Mansion beach to the SE Side from Old Harbor Point to Cat Cove on every combination of tides. None of us ever got a bump. Needlefish, live eels, swimmer, tins, Hogys, jigs nothing. Spoke with Chris at Fish Works and he said the only fish for over a month have been in New Harbor and they are all schoolies. They disappeared after Sandy.

I'm not trying to discourage you guy. I am just setting realistic expectations. I hope the fish show when you are out there.

The road past the Spring House is closed due to Sandy as is Corn Neck Road. Corn Neck is only closed close to Town so if you go around the back way yo can get back on around the Town Pavilion and then the road is OK all the way to Cow Cove.

We had a great time even with no fish. Good company, good food and a lot of laughs. Spence's bottle of premium bourbon didn't hurt either.:rotf2:

Paul,
Well that's an encouraging report. Going to have to depend on transient fish - call it a crapshoot at best. Oh well, will eat well and hope I'm pleasantly surprised.

DZ

DZ, sorry about the report but I thought it best that you guys knew how bad it has been. Hopefully this NE storm will more fish to you. Funny thing was the water was really clean Sat and Sun and there was no bait anywhere, not even in the pond.

I'm sure Spence was blabbing the whole time and that noise would scare off any fish that may have been around.

Nothing to be sorry about Paul - I hate sugar coating - tell it like it is. I'd rather expect slim pickings and be pleasantly surprised than expect good action and be disappointed.

DZ

Actually it was Spence's Birthday on Saturday and he never said a word. I got an email from his wife late Sat night so Sunday morning I sang him HBD.
We had a great time, made some memories that will never be forgotten and I got to spend some time with 2 great friends.

Agree, this was the first BI trip that Paulie and Bryan didn't try and throw me and my pink danny over the bluff at Black Rock :hihi:

A lot of beach erosion and debris so definitely be careful on the bluffs. There's a lot of clay (oops, sorry Bryan) a lot of mud just waiting to come crashing down. We spent the time to scout paths in advance during daylight and I'm glad we did.

Water clarity was a concern early on but it made dramatic improvements over the first 24 hours we were there. With this upcoming storm I'd expect things to deteriorate again but probably be clearing by the weekend.

While there was no bait and no fish the water is still warm and the conditions were great out of the wind. Some very fishy water, especially Saturday night which was just incredible surf. I'd think odds this weekend would be similar to the last, not great with a slim chance at epic.

Note: Just in case bring some bourbon :devil2:

-spence

Does this theory hold water (no pun intended)¿

If the water temps got uncharacteristically warm this summer, then the time it takes them to come back down in the fall would also extend out past traditional times. If the water temps are remaining warmer, longer in Northern locations, then you have a clash.

Some of these fish probably rely on the conditions to dictate their migratory patterns. (When the water gets colder, time to move south.) While others are driven by habit (doesn't matter how warm it is, October comes, I head south.)

If this time for water temps to cool off to winter temperatures is getting drawn out, then the concentration of migrating fish at any one time would take a hit. Might help explain why the fish have been around but difficult to find...

Of course there is that whole, "the fishery is dying" thing too.... I just feel like a glass half full kinda guy today.

That certainly is logical, although the one credible report we got was that fishing has been hard for a while. That on it's own, combined with our data point would suggest perhaps a change in the trend.

But there are a lot of variables at play here. How many have been fishing from shore compared to years past and how many have been talking? How many of those have been lying? How have storm patterns or cycles in bait influenced migration? If Sandy didn't strike how many more surfcasters from NY/NJ would have been working the water as well?

I don't think any credible baseline other than anecdotes exists to offer a firm opinion.

That being said, if you head out now and have a great trip does it invalidate everything? Perhaps it does for you ;)

-spence

Good stuff Spence.... or is that the bourbon talking. You almost sound like Bryan.

What did you make for dinners? The time you cooked for us was still one of my best gourmet Block meals.

DZ

Didn't think of those Spence ... great angle
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No surprise, I've had to listen to his lectures on New England glacial island formation for the past three days! :wall: :hihi:

Thank you :cheers:

I offered to cook but Paulie's wife made a massive lasagna that fed us for several days. With a heavy airport breakfast every morning there was little other need for food aside from some snacks.

-spence

Bummer that things were slower than slow. Im hoping to get out on friday or saturday and stay till tuesday afternoon. Even if things are dead slow its still the most majestic place to surfcast. The BS sessions on the porch after a 8 hour shift with a good bottle of scotch just cap the nights off so perfectly.

If I could I'd do it. We went just after the storm knowing it was a crap shoot. If we could have all stayed Sunday night we probably would have. There are certainly still good fish on the move and logic dictates they have to stop somewhere.

-spence

Logic also dictates that when im on the island fishing will be good on the mainland :)

No, that's Murphy's Law :fishin:

-spence

Agreed. We had a great time even with no fish. The Block has a mystique all its own. Wild and untamed even when you are on the "easy side" (Mansion Beach, Scotch, Crescent).

If I were you guys, I'd go just for the memories. Who know? This storm may move fish.

I did get a report while on the Block and again yesterday from 2 different sources that there was a good move of fish in the Canal and also some decent fish around New Bedford/Westport.

This was true after I saw you at QL :fishin:

Block had it's day and now things are different. It's sad but the drinking is better than the fishing.

Good. Maybe the price of real estate out there will become realistic. 3 bedroom Cape $1.6M. It's not Rhode Islanders or MA or CT or NJ. I must have seen 20 NY license plates. Not that I have anything against NY, it's the fact that I'm jealous I can't afford an outhouse on the Block.