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Fish Focus: Change Course

I am not a fifth-generation fisherman. I have never warped planks to replace the rub rail on a 60-foot wooden dragger. And while I can disassemble just about any ma- rine propulsion system, I’m not aware of a single engine I could put back together in anything close to working order. Hell, when I started out on deck in the mid 1990s, I was a googan’s googan—a guy with all the seafaring aptitude of a three-legged Clydesdale. I mention this because, if I oc- casionally write something that sounds pretty sharp in the nautical department, it reflects something I learned the hard way—something I fought every grain of my personal inclinations to eventually understand.Jan 1st, 2014

RI Fishing Report: Dec 13 2013

Cod Futures Up; Fluke, Sea Bass Troubles on 2014 Horizon Here in the second week of December, the Rhode Island … Dec 13th, 2013

RI Fishing Report: Dec 6 2013

In this, the first week of the winter format for these Friday-morning entries, I had planned to take a preliminary look at the winter cod fishing south and east of Block Island.Dec 6th, 2013

Winter Plans: New Take On Friday Reports

One cruel paradox we fishwriters have learned to accept is that, at least here on the New England tundra, fishermen tend to do the bulk of their most focused and sustained annual reading during the stretch of calendar when there are virtually zero fish in our collective fore. Absent the cast of seasonal migrants that occupy the balance of our living hours not chewed up by work or other obligations such as eating, shaving, collecting toenail clippings, and bathing every other week whether we need it or not, we pursue any and all avenues of recreation we think might help ease the intensifying fish withdrawal symptoms. Among other activities, we use our Dark Months free time to catch up on the fishing magazines that drifted like so many four-square-foot, 50-page newsprint snowflakes where wall meets floor tiles in the bathroom from roughly May through the bitter end of November.Dec 1st, 2013

To Our Readers

As we go to press it’s a beautiful day with temps in the 50’s and smooth seas. We are headed out for what may be the last trip for tautog before we pull the boat. While November delivered the ‘tog, we are moving toward the inevitable - when cod is the order of the day. Unlike so many of our charter captain friends who are making plans to take their businesses south for the winter, we are hunkering down.Dec 1st, 2013

The Feast of the Seven Fishes

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is celebrated with various and varying seafood dishes. The number of courses can also vary--from the original seven for the seven days of creation in the Bible or the seven sacraments in Roman Catholicism, to sometimes even 13 courses for the 12 apostles and Christ.Dec 1st, 2013

Bracing For Impact: Striper Management Has Jumped the Tracks

Jeff Nichol’s book, entitled Caught: One Man’s Maniacal Pursuit of a Sixty-Pound Striped Bass and His Experiences with the Black Market Fishing Industry, published in late September, 2013, is an insightful and often hilarious look at the trial-by-fire all serious stripermen endure as we attempt to navigate the perils of weekend warriorhood on our life-long steam toward striped bass enlightenment. Along the way, you’ll find a steady dose of fishing and life wisdom, a solid helping of sound big-bass technique, and some time-tempered perspective on the past, present and uncertain future of our beloved striped bass resource.Dec 1st, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

As the weather continues to deteriorate, and we head ever closer to the hard-wired biological kill-switch for fishing in RI waters, we are in the process of overhauling the way we handle our weekly columns with an eye on the winter months.Nov 25th, 2013

Rhode Island Fishing Report: 11/8

Mike Wade at Watch Hill Outfitters was winding down after a couple of very long days down at Hal Brown, one of the region’s primary fishing tackle wholesalers, whose fall show at their CT headquarters serves as a first look for many of the local shops at what gear will be lining the peg boards next season. Nov 8th, 2013

Sea to Table: Ocean State Tautog

With chowder, beer seems to be a natural. And for all things seafood, you can’t go wrong with the Narragansett Lager. The malty smoothness and crisp refreshment of the lager pairs well with most fish dishes, and is even used in a lot of fish preparations, such as in making batters and in cooking mussels. The Narragansett Lager is also the “Official Beer of the Clam,” but maybe it can be the beer of the tog as well!Nov 1st, 2013