Small Keepers in Rhody - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

JohnR · 05-07-2001, 10:14 PM

A suspected honey hole near Conimicut had keeper bass that I just got back from ;D . My Danny swimmer got molested twice and I would have done better had there not been so many weeds... Beautiful thing and it's a darn shame that I can't get live bucky's until Wednessday }> .... One kid was swinging and missing on drifted chunk herring... But I was only there for an hour...

Fishpart · 05-08-2001, 06:34 AM

Guess hitting it tomorrow before work is a good idea. }>

john · 05-08-2001, 08:39 AM

I am new to RI and just put my boat in a marina right near Conimicut light. Where is the honey hole? If you don't mind sharing. If not, point me somewhere close. I don't want to drive my boat to Brenton Reef.

THANKS!

Saltheart · 05-08-2001, 08:53 AM

I posted a seperate thread John. No luck though. I didn't see your reply until after we got back Friday night. Easy pickings on herring. Some oldtimer said he hadn't seen them that thick since he was a kid. I've never seen them so thick. Good to see such a big year for them. Monsters too. Very few small ones (I like the small ones for livelining). Anyway , maybe we can meet up next time John.

JohnR · 05-08-2001, 12:12 PM

That's OK Saltheart - we'll be fishing soon... I'll shoot you an e-mail... Fishpart - you too...

You could see the herring moving around and just getting whacked by keeper bass. Big smacks on the water - beautiful thing...

John - this spot is a couple small channels between sandbars, if your boat draws more than six inches, you would never make it during the dropping tide which is when you would want to be there. But if these fish were in close there might be some out front too where the ledges drop off around conimicut into deeper water... If you tried to get your boat in you would need to re-christen it as the SS Minnow.... "THE ship was a ..."

If you have a chart of that area, see where the ledges drop off but be care ful as there are many rock piles in there...

Fishpart · 05-09-2001, 07:03 AM

Well, I beat the water to a froth with noting other than a spider crab to show for my efforts. It was a beautiful morning so it was well worth the trip. Fished next to a couple of other pluggers and one of them mentioned a bump. Saw a few fly casters in different locations but no bent rods

. I did however see the remains (yuk) of someone elses successful fishing trip. If you are reading this please take your skeletons home, it gives us fishermen a bad name when somone goes to the park with their kids and they find it.

Jenn · 05-09-2001, 08:02 AM

Fishpart...I couldnt agree with you more!!! I dont even mean for the kiddies....it bothers me!! Just one of the pet peeves I guess....

Saltheart · 05-09-2001, 08:45 AM

Well....I'm not sure. Yes I agree you shouldn't just leave the rack on the beach. However , I think the best thing you can do with it (in terms of ecology) is throw it back in for the crabs to pick over. Problem is that a lot of times people just leave it there on the sand or it gets washed back in cause they didn't toss it out far enough or they tossed it on a tide flat. Eventually the seagulls and bugs get it.

Clammer · 05-09-2001, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Saltheart (05-09-2001 09:45):
Well....I'm not sure. Yes I agree you shouldn't just leave the rack on the beach. However , I think the best thing you can do with it (in terms of ecology) is throw it back in for the crabs to pick over. Problem is that a lot of times people just leave it there on the sand or it gets washed back in cause they didn't toss it out far enough or they tossed it on a tide flat. Eventually the seagulls and bugs get it.

JohnR · 05-09-2001, 10:02 AM

Only a couple bumps and a lost swimmer last night... Got down there and I put on a just out of the box Olive & Silver Mombo Minnow on the light rod 'cause I heard some bass whacking herring that were all over the place. In my rush to get out there I though "To heck with a leader, 12# test'll do". Well on the third cast, WHAMMO, line parted on a certain keeper fish... Fishpart, did you see a Mambo anywhere ;D ? Twas mine.... Just one bump in the next 1.5 hours... Need the live stuff...

The idea of getting the most out of the fish is a good one but maybe 20% of the beach filleters use that as motivation for it. The rest just want to NOT clean it at home... Besides, you can still get fined of you "mutilate" a striped bass before it reaches it's final destination. I believe the official terminology is that the fish is supposed to be "transported intact" less draining the blood.

Fishpart · 05-09-2001, 11:52 AM

Nope, didn't find any tackle this morning but I always keep a sharp lookout.

On the other extreme I was feeling a little funny with my 10 1/2 footer, I guess I was if the fish of a lifetime happened to wander up the Bay in search of buckys. Not probable, but possible.

Saltheart · 05-09-2001, 12:21 PM

That 101/2 foot 1265 should be perfect for tossing swimmers Fishpart. I wouldn't call it overkill. If there are no waves or structure to deal with you probably don't need the long length but the action on the rod is perfect for small swimmers and if you do hook into Mobey #^&#^&#^&#^& its a good rod to fight it with.

You do have a point about the fish suppose to be transported intact. However , I've always seen fish cleaned on the way in on charter boats. The racks are tossed in or saved for lobster men. I guess this is like having to throw an undersized fish back even though you know it will die do to the way it was hooked , etc. If we let common sense rule , so few people have any , that things get out of hand. Anyway , we all agree the rack shouldn't be left on the beach to attract flies.

Clammer · 05-09-2001, 05:01 PM

Sorry Saltheart, I don't know how I duped your post
Well JOhn has the fish on the east side of where we live and I have them on the West/ been out five times since Monday / 3 from boat /2 from shore/ all nice schoolies, largest 6 lbs/ teasing them up from between the rocks/where as John has this nice sandy beach with buckies all over |||
You never can completey figure them out/ I was talking to Tim S a couple of months ago and I told him what I was looking for /size an color. He told me hes never seen a fisherman with this / never mind catch something// Thats all they would hit this morning/ oh well
John, thought you wern\t going last night? TOo close!! I'll skip tonight ,the tides are getting to late for this side. I'll bet its going to be a zoo your way this weekend// L A T E R

john · 05-09-2001, 07:27 PM

I went out last night and it was a nightmare . New boat, new rods, new reels. First, the waves and wind made it too much past Conimicut, so I moved North. Found a calm beach with an estuary coming out. Dropped anchor, ruswhed my herring chunk on my rod, cast, and BBBBZZZZZZZZTTTTT....birds NEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had two other poles, so i rigged a spiinning rod and tossed a chunk out. No dice. The chunks of (un-frozen) herring went flying off on every cast. I finally threw a whole herring with a hook through its eye out, after 1.5 hours, no bites. While I waited I cut the birds nest to pieces and threw some plugs on another pole. At dark I put on my lights. Port light didn't light. (sigh) I had it. So I pulled up and headed in. Somehow, after driving 10 mintues into the cove, my engine refused to make right turns. I almost crashed, got a guy on the dock to grab a line, and we waqlked my boat over and around boats to my slip. I am miserable. DO they make a movie like ROCKY about fishing?

Clammer · 05-09-2001, 09:22 PM

Part two Ichanged my mind and went tonight on a different tide, fished only 20 minutes ,hooked up to 8-10 lb fish, wraped around a piling /snap two for the fish today /one this morning ,it wasn't big it just hit right,after dark I seem to catch one or maybe two fish ,and they spook???

JohnR · 05-09-2001, 09:36 PM

John - wasn't that movie "Grumpy Old Men III" or something?

Sorry to hear aout the boat problems. Been there & done that. Sometime I'll explain the intricacies of disassembling an i/o lower unit while still attached to the trasnsom due to a corroded (fused) gimbal bearing....

Have you worked this area during the daytime before? Mucho boulders to reach out and touch someone if you're not careful.

If the herring was frozen and then thawed, you'll get that response. Tackle goues one way and herringhte other. Sometimes, if you don't have fresh dead herring it's best to have it slightly frozen (better than fully thawed) as it tends to stay hooked longer and become a time release bait as it warms quickly under water... If you're really hurting for herring and it's extremely mushy, you may have to resort to threading the herring on. Sometimes more trouble than it's worth... If you try it again, don't overlook the dreaded trusty drifted worm...

Yeh, I just hit it for a hour or so... I've got to get a pump for the livewell and go to church ;D