Still time to register for the Block Island tournament

There is still time to register for the Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament, which now takes place from Rhode Island beaches, areas south of the Newport and Jamestown bridges to 15 miles south of Block Island.

“We made online registration easy, and shore anglers who fish Rhode Island beaches are now registering, too. The tournament starts Saturday, July 25, at 5:30 a.m., and ends Sunday, July 26, at 12 noon,” said Capt. Chris Willi of Block Island Fish Works, tournament host. There will be an After Party at Capt. Nick’s Rock & Roll Bar, Block Island, on Sunday, July 27, from 2 to 4 p.m.

“This is a length-only tournament. When anglers want to make a tournament entry, they take a photo of their catch with the tournament GotOne smartphone app against the tournament supplied ruler and send their entry in electronically,” said Chris Willi. “So, it is not necessary to attend the After Party to receive your tournament prize. They are all posted on the website. However, those attending the ‘after party’ will get a chance to win one of 30 $100 tackle shop gift cards from participating co-sponsor tackle shops.”

Capt. Willi said, “Thanks to the National Wildlife Federation, the Block Island Wind Farm/Ørsted and seven tackle shop co-sponsors, we can donate 100% of tournament entry fees to the Block Island Fire Department and Rescue. And, we have over $13,000 in gift cards, swag and prizes.”

With an expanded list of species, the tournament now includes summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass, striped bass, bluefish, bluefin tuna, yellow fin tuna, mahi-mahi, bonito and false albacore. The top fish in each species category will win $500 gift cards. There are also shore, youth, team and photo divisions that awards prizes to the best team photo, best fish photo and best scenic photo taken in a wind farm area.

Anglers can pick up participant bags at one of seven locations, including Block Island Fish Works, Block Island; Ocean State Tackle, Providence; the Tackle Box, Warwick; Sam’s Bait & Tackle, Middletown; Snug Harbor Marina, South Kingstown; Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown; and Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly.

Registration online is easy at BI Inshore Tourney | bi-FishWorks (sandualypointco.com) or call 401-742-3992. Entry fees are $35 for shore anglers, and $150 for boats with up to six anglers.

Where’s the bite?

Freshwater: “Some remarkable largemouth bass continue to be caught by customers using top water lures,” said Samuel Costa of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown.

Striped bass and bluefish

Samuel Costa of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle said, “There is still a lot of mackerel all around Block Island, creating a great striped bass and bluefish bite, particularly at the North Rip.”

Ryan Turner of Watch Hill Outfitters, Westerly, said, “With the water warning striped bass are moving to deeper water with a strong bite on the backside of Fishers Island. The bite at the Southwest Ledge at Block Island is still good, too.”

“The bass bite remains solid along the South Shore, Block Island, and local reefs. Live eels, mackerel, and scup continue to be favorite live baits, while trolling, jigging, and casting are all producing fish. We’re beginning to see larger schools of smaller bass entering the bay, which is a great sign for the rest of the summer,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown.

East End Eddie Doherty, Cape Cod Canal fishing expert and author, said, “Surfcasting has slowed down considerably on the Canal, but there is still a ton of rain bait, silversides, mackerel and even some bunker. There were squid swimming close to the edge in front of me shooting water out of their siphons, so hopefully the striped bass find out! A few guys scored last week, like Bob Kane, who could see stripers feeding on mackerel just below the surface during an incoming east tide. It quickly became a topwater bite, with Bob’s green mack popper bringing a 40-inch fighter to the rocks.”

Summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass and scup

Bottom fishing has been mixed, with a good scup bite in most places. “Most of the quality fluke are coming from 30 to 55 feet, although there are still fish being caught shallower. Plenty of shorts continue to keep rods bent, but more and more anglers are finding fish in the 22–23 inch range,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle.

“The larger black sea bass continue to stack up around rock piles, wrecks, and the wind turbines. Smaller fish are beginning to fill in the gaps, which is typical for this time of year as water temperatures continue to rise,” said O’Donnell.  Charlie Prisco of Warwick, said, “Last week my fishing partner Peter and I fished Austin Hollow off Jamestown. We were using the jigs I made last winter with gulp, squid strip and minnow on ball jig hook and a pink squid teaser with squid and minnow. I caught a 25.5-inch fish in 28 feet of water, and Peter boated a 20-inch fish there. Lots of shorts.”

Samuel Costa of Quaker Lane Bai & Tackle, said, “Anglers continue to hook up with nice keeper black sea bass, however fluke fishing in the West Passages has been slow with a lot of shorts being caught.”

Tuna

“Tuna fishing for yellow fin and big eye has been very good, however the bluefin tuna bite slowed this weekend,” said Ryan Turner of Watch Hill Outfitters.

Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, said, “Once warmer, cleaner blue water slides back onto the grounds, expect the bite to turn right back on. Sand eels remain abundant, and all the ingredients are there for another excellent week offshore. Remember to keep a spinning rod rigged and ready. When tuna erupt on top, they usually don't stay there long.”

“We continue to have a great giant bluefin tuna bite, however things are just starting to heat up with school bluefin tuna for anglers,” said Samuel Cost of Quaker Lane.

Dave Monti holds a master captain’s license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business focusing on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verizon.net  or visit www.noflukefishing.com