High winds rock opening day of trout season
The wind did not keep anglers away on opening day of trout season Saturday, April 11, but it did keep the fish away on some waterways.
Richard Pacifico of Warwick said, “I fished Lake Tiogue, Coventry, and no one was catching fish. The wind was blowing so hard there that I thought I would try Gorton’s Pond in Warwick. But the same thing happened. High winds and no fish.”
“I fished with my kayak when I first arrived, and it was really blowing. Thought I had a couple of bumps but could not hook up. I then tried fishing from shore and once again, no fish,” said Delaney Dee, also of Warwick.
But that was not the case everywhere. At Silver Spring Lake in North Kingstown, John Roderick of Coventry said, “We got here about an hour and a half ago and now have two nice rainbow trout and two golden trout. The fishing is good. Fishing night crawlers off the bottom seem to be working very well for us.”
Just as John finished his comment, his fishing partner Justin Kozel of Warwick reeled in a fiesty golden trout that was about 20 inches.
For freshwater fishing information, trout stocking status, and licenses in Massachusetts, visit Freshwater Fishing | Mass.gov; and in Rhode Island www.dem.ri.gov/fishing.
Waterways fully stocked in Rhode Island and Massachusetts make catching trout easy this time of year and the bite should continue for several weeks. So get out and fish and take a family member or friend with you.
Energy, Environment and Oceans Leaders Day
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s 16th annual Energy, Environment and Oceans (EEO) Leaders Day was a big hit once again this year, with about 250 invited guests attending the April 8 event at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Warwick.
Offshore wind was a hot topic at the workshop. “Five lawsuits were filed against the Trump Administration wind farm shutdowns and five were won. And, not one appeal was filed,” said Sen. Whitehouse. That would indicate that the administration knew they did not have much to justify the shutdowns.
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha and Sen. Whitehouse talked about the lawsuits Rhode Island and Connecticut filed against the administration to keep wind farm construction going at Revolution wind farm. “We need more clean energy that is stable and reliable for our power grid and not less (eluding to the present unstable price of oil today),” said Neronha.
Sen. Whitehouse said, “To counter Trump Administration claims about offshore wind energy being more expensive than fossil fuels, Attorney General Neronha, you testified in court under oath along with the Attorney General of Connecticut about energy costs at the Revolution wind farm costing far less than fossil fuels. Energy at the Revolution wind farm is nine cents per kilowatt hour, and energy generated by fossil fuels is actually eighteen cents per kilowatt hour.”
Other topics during breakout group sessions included a “Lessons Learned from the Block Island Wind Farm” session. Highlights included that fish abundance was greater in the Block Island Wind Farm than in control areas outside the wind farm, according to a seven-year trawl survey, including cod and black sea bass.
Greater fish abundance was attributed to the reef effect taking place at Block Island as well as at South Fork and the Revolution wind farms. Algae and mussel growth on pylons has created new habitat for smaller fish to feed on, with larger fish visiting the pylons to feed on the smaller fish.
The Block Island wind farm area consistently has four to six times the number of anglers fishing there (some weekends 120 boats), versus the 25 or so that fished there before construction. And the Revolution wind farm was one of the best places to catch bluefin tuna this year, as well as large black sea bass and a host of other species.
The Block Island economy was also a topic at the session. “Tourism and real estate were a concern, so we helped facilitate a tourism study that identified the wind farm as a big asset for tourism with businesses cropping up, both vessels and helicopter tours of the wind farm,” said Judith Gray, vice chair of the Block Island Coastal Resilience Committee. “A real estate study was done and showed that the wind farm had no negative impacts on rentals or real estate sales. Some liked the idea of living in a community that supported green energy.”
Insurance rates throughout the nation on the rise due to climate change impacts was also a big topic at the workshop. States with high rates of coastal flooding, high winds, and wildfires in particular are in an insurance crisis. Many homeowners have seen their insurance rates quadruple, with some not able to get insurance, thus creating a banking and real estate crisis, too.
Hats off to Sen. Whitehouse and his staff for another great Energy, Environment, and Oceans Leaders Day.
Lucky Bait & Tackle closed
Lucky Bait & Tackle, Warren, has not opened for the season. Shop owner Laurane Danti suddenly passed last year. Jeff Sullivan, expert angler and fishing writer, formerly of Lucky Bait, is now working at Sam’s Bait & Tackle, Middletown.
Where’s the bite?
Freshwater fishing. The largemouth bass bite has been outstanding, with a good trout bite in stocked ponds. Until May 4, anglers in Rhode Island can email a photo of their Golden Trout and file an application to receive a special Golden Trout pin. Visit Fishing Award Programs | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
David Danis of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle said, “We fished Barber Pond from the water opening day and limited out on trout. I fished from shore the following day and did not do nearly as well.”
Saltwater
Fishing for holdover striped bass in our estuaries is continuing to improve as water warms. Tautog fishing season opened April 1 to May 31, with a three fish/person/day limit, a ten fish/vessel limit and a 16” minimum size. Only one fish may be greater than 21”.
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 .
