Schoolies were around in good numbers for shore fishermen in 2013, but keepers were on the decline.

RI Fishing Outlook: What to Expect in 2014

1/8/2014 - Our past year, 2013, was not a good year if you were a shore fisherman looking for keeper bass, blues and albies. In fact, we could call it a year of decline. That sets up all kinds of question marks for 2014. Here is a summary of what to look… SEE MORE
This is one of many stripers landed last week by just a few hardy fishermen.

Top Lures for Catching Winter Holdover Stripers

12/3/2013 - The water temperature along the oceanfront has dipped into the mid-forties. That spells the end. However, lots of stripers that winter over are now in those backwater places where they will stay throughout the winter. It's tough fishing. You'll find few guys willing to go out on a cold, below-freezing… SEE MORE
Gloucester Dories are still a staple of the waterfront in this lively, unique harbor. For boaters, it's a great stopover.

Gloucester, the Original Working Waterfront

11/4/2013 - “It’s pronounced ‘GLOSS-tah’, not,…’gl-OW-stir’”, our friend Julia corrected as she swiped through my iPad and reviewed my destinations, including Gloucester, on Cape Ann just north of Boston. Like a second daughter to us, Julia is from nearby Scituate (pronounced, “SIT-chew-it”), and joined us for a few days of sailing on… SEE MORE
A big bucktail jig spiced with pork rind scored this keeper.

3 Secrets for Landing Keeper Stripers This Year

11/3/2013 - I said a couple of posts back that this dismal fall season could do a turn-around. Well, hopefully, last week was the week of the turn around. It was a very good week that saw lots of stripers of all sizes hit the shore. There were loads of schoolies, as… SEE MORE
This schoolie hit a black Deceiver fly used as a teaser.

Nighttime Rules for Late Season Striped Bass

10/29/2013 - My youngest son, Jon, turns twenty years old soon. For his birthday my wife and I got him a new surf-fishing outfit which consisted of a 9-foot St Croix Mojo spinning rod along with an Okuma Trio 55 reel. We gave it to him about a week ago as an… SEE MORE
Bait, birds and stripers still all seem to be all hanging way out and well out of range of surfcasters — except at night!

At Night, Shore Fishermen Stand a Chance for Stripers

10/4/2013 - Thursday, October 3, was a weird day from shore. I got down to the oceanfront in late afternoon. In the first spot I stopped at there were several big schools of stripers way out and well out of casting range. For two hours these fish were on the surface eating… SEE MORE
Two keepers from a haul of 80 stripers in an afternoon/evening  of fishing along the RI mainland shore.

At Last, a Phenomenal Day of Striper Fishing

9/30/2013 - After a serious striper drought recently, we finally hit an incredible day of striper fishing on September 29 from the boat. I have said all along this fall that the bait and the fish seem to be hanging way out away from surfcasters. It was proven today as we fished… SEE MORE