My first slot of the year was landed yesterday. The fish was released in good shape. Note the sea lice on the fish's body.  The first slot is in the books for me as I landed a 28 to 30 inch striper yesterday along the oceanfront.  I also had several more fish that were "close" to the slot along with some smaller fish.  In addition, I have heard of other slots taken in the last two days.  It all tells me that the larger fish, those 25 to 33 inch stripers, are here.  Their numbers are not great yet, but this is still early for those slot fish to arrive. Their n ..read more

Here is one of five schoolies landed this week. The spring run of stripers has bee a trickle of fish thus far.  I fished long and hard for 5 days in a row this week.  I came away with exactly 5 fish, all under slots and mostly small. I would call the beginning spring striper run more of a trickle rather than a run. Doesn't matter where you fish.  There are a few fish all over in both the Bay and along the oceanfront, but no decent numbers anywhere that I looked, and I fished a lot of places. Here is the problem.  The early run of fish in the past has been a school ..read more

  The NLBN paddle tails were hot lures in the early going last year. For the next month it will be a waiting game until we see the first migrating stripers arrive here in RI. It's been a warm winter but that does not necessarily translate into an early season. Stripers are just like migrating birds- they come north at just about the same time every year regardless of the weather. I like that time period from April 15 to April 20 to deliver the first big wave of fish.  You might see a few early season "scouts" before then. In the past few years, here are the dates that I cau ..read more

 Every time I do a seminar, someone asks me where I buy my wooden eggs to use with the float and jig. I buy them online in a place called Craftparts. Here is the LINK. I buy the 2 1/2 inch wooden "hen" eggs. You can buy these as unpainted or painted white.  I buy mine already painted. It's a homemade project from here.  Drill the eggs out with a 1/8 inch drill bit.  You might need an oversized bit to get through them.  Run some plug wire through and put a loop on the end of the wire by twisting around a screwdriver.  Clip off the excess.  If you want, ad ..read more

  Hope to see many of you at the NE Fishing Expo this weekend! I will be at the NE Fishing Expo this weekend on Saturday and Sunday doing my latest carp and striper fishing seminars for 2024. The NE Fishing Expo is a pure fishing show that has gotten rave reviews in recent years.  This year it will move to the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, MA which is right off Rt. 495. This is a show that caters to both freshwater and saltwater fishermen with loads of vendors, tackle dealers and the latest equipment on display. Show info can be found at their website at www.nefi ..read more

  Hopkins No Equal- 3 oz. In terms of fishing lures, 2023 brought some surprises.  Normally, I stick with the same stuff year after year because it has worked.  But, in 2023 I branched out a bit and found some surprising new effective lures which I had not used much of in the past. We'll give these a worked next season. *Metal- I was out on a windy and rough northeaster in September.  I could barely cast my trusty egg/jig combo with the stiff wind in my face.  I had a big metal Hopkins lure (4H-3 oz.) in my bag that I barely used in the past.  What the h ..read more

 It's that time of year when I will be going around various big shows doing seminars. I've got a great striper fishing seminar planned for this year titled "Finesse Approach to Catching Stripers". I lived this during much of the striper season often turning to small "stuff" to fool many of my stripers from shore and kayak. Because of the abundance of small bait, a finesse approach was often needed to consistently catch stripers this year.  This seminar should be informative as well as entertaining since I have packed it with all new photos and video clips shot in the last year. I kno ..read more

Yes, it can happen in January if you are  fishing the right spot and the right time. And, you need a bit of luck!   ..read more

  This hefty schoolie was one of three that I landed today from the Yak. I'm on the board for 2024. I went out today on New Year's Day in my kayak, the first adventure of the year in the yak.  I had low expectations but was fishing a winter holdover location. I figured one striper, any size, would be an accomplishment. Well, I ended up with three of them along with another hit. They were all schoolies from 20 to 24 inches.  All were caught on NLBN paddle tails. One New Year's resolution for me is to fish more from the kayak this year.  Last year on many occasions ..read more

 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays ..read more