Big Fish at Block Island, R.I.

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Block Island is known for it's big striped bass.  This year is no different but the bass have been harder to find, and when you find them they can have lock jaw.  Local captains will tell you the numbers of fish are down but the ones that are aroud are big.  30lb fish are the norm - for the ones who can find them.  Live eels usually do the trick but soft plastic lures like sluggo's and Hurley sand eels also work.  Some Captains have been using a light leader. 15lbs, to ilicit a strike.  Smaller fish have been caught off the East beaches and the bottom of Mohegan Bluffs.  If not using lures, anglers are getting them on whole clams.
   The Coast Guard Station has also held bass from dusk till dawn - feeding on the sand eels coming through the harbor.  The limit is one per person at 28' or above.  For those grumbling over the reduction this year, all you need to do is go try to catch a few and see how hard it can be and how few there are and you may change your mind.     Block Island has long been known as striper territory, a long time hold out for big bass throughout the season.  When this hallowed ground goes sterile then what?  We encourage catch and release and only keep what you will eat, and stick to the smaller ones, 28-34" fish are the healthiest for you and the lingevity of their populations.
~ Capt Chris, B.I. Fishworks