Projo Fishing: HotBytes

Steve Travisono of Breachway Bait & Tackle said a shore fisherman did well catching blackfish along the Charlestown Breachway this morning.

Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina said shore fishermen peobably will do better than boaters now. Divers are seeing blackfish tight against the rocks along the Harbor of Refuge walls.

John Littlefield of Archie's Bait & Tackle recommend fishing for tautog near the Wharf Tavern.

The current size limit is 16 inches and the possession limit is three fish daily, according to DEM's website chart.

Keith Stockley with a 49-pounder taken aboard Played For It, just off the southern side of Jamestown, according to Will Barbeau of East Bay Anglers.

"This has probably been the worst weather on record for June," writes Chris Willi, "but the fishing has been great nonetheless."

The owner of Block Island Fishworks continues: "Steve Colton and his brave crew hit the beaches on Fathers Day night, fly fishing. They reported a spectacular time despite the insane wind.

"A couple of days of northerly wind and we finally got out on the South Side and did OK Friday and fantastic Saturday. Dogfish are still everywhere making a mess of things for the flukers who after sifting through the dogfish are still finding it hard to find keepers.

"The first Block Island Shark Tourney is this weekend hosted by JB Tackle. Hope to have some good pictures."

Kevin Vargas caught a 50-pound striper aboard Neal Vitullo's charter boat Played For It yesterday, according to David Henault of Ocean State Tackle.

Young Neal was drifting eels near Brenton Reef, David said.

Today, bass in the 30-pound class were biting were taking eels and chunks of menhaden in the same area, David reported.

Russell Bates caught and released several 30-pound bass while trolling umbrella rigs off Point Judith, and surf caster Blaine Toedt has been doing well there, throwing two-ounce, white poppers parallel to the shore.

Bluefin tuna, in the 20- to 25-pound class, have been feeding on sand eels off the southwest side of the island this week, said Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina. One angler got the little tuna to hit a tin lure.

This morning, Johnny Martini weighed a 50-pound bass he caught near Southwest Ledge, said Conti. Glen Corsetti landed fish in the 40-pound class last night, and he said some bigger bass broke off.

There are lots of smaller bass off the northern end of the island, but dogfish are a nuisance, Conti said. The bite is better at the peak of the tide when the dogfish disburse.

Mark Landry caught and released more than 50 bass at the island this week. The first two fish he caught were 30-pounders, according to Zack Fisher of Wayne's Place.

"Fish Hard Live Long" decals and shirts are spreading along the striper coast from Maine to Virginia.

"It's becoming a life-style brand for surfcasters," says Joe Lyons, the man behind Surfcasting Rhode Island, and the creator of the trademark brand.

Formerly a pre-press technician, Joe created the brand after hearing some fishermen using the words about five years ago. His friend, Laurie Reilly, designed the image.

A destination's initials appear over a striped bass in an oval. The slogan, "Fish Hard Live Long," also appears in the oval. The design us especially popular on Block Island, Joe says.

On the mainland, the shirts and decals are available in several locations, including Softouch in Galilee. Recently, some West Marine stores started to stock them.

Joe has plans to broaden the line to other regions with other fish depicted.

Millie Arzuaga had a good day fluke fishing aboard the part boat Seven Bs south of Block Island.

Frank Blount owner of the Frances Fleet, also reported a good bite during the first week of fluke fishing season. Anglers have been catching a lot of fish in the 5- to 8-pound range, he said.

Sea bass are also biting for party-boat fishermen aboard the Seven Bs and the Frances Fleet.

Fly fishermen Joe Rovinski and Dave Bachand fished the waters off Watch Hill yesterday, and found bass between 23 and 28 inches nailing sand eels on the surface.

"We had no problem taking fish on sand eel imitiations until the sun broke around 7:30 a.m.," Joe writes.

"After motoring over to the neighboring reefs, the fog rolled in again.Once the tide was half way turning low, Catumb Reef got explosive with surface feeding activity. After only catching a brief glimpse of the bait of choice, both Dave and I were stymied. My best guess is that a school of butterfish moved in, causing a major commotion. A specially tied Clowser Minnow by Steve DiNofa, noted fly tyer and fisherman, subdued these fish quite well. Dave also hooked a very large bluefish, which put on quite a display before cutting the leader.

"Chasing the rips, we made our way back to Watch Hill, where we took bass well into the afternoon, all on the surface. Overall, over two dozen stripers, all in the same size class, and all on the top."