Block Island Report 11/1/08 - The Hull Truth

Sleeper · 11-02-2008, 07:21 AM

There are still a lot of nice bass mixed in with chopper blues at BI. I spent the day trolling tube and worms yesterday with my son and we had non stop action for six hours. Caught and released dozens of fish and took one home for dinner. We were working in 35' of water, 56 degrees on the SW boulders.

Fishing FINattic · 11-02-2008, 03:14 PM

Thanks for the report!

NewMoon · 11-08-2008, 05:52 AM

Great to see some Island fish especially into Nov.

DavidKup · 11-08-2008, 04:02 PM

Just started experimenting with tubes. Were you wire-lining? If not, how do you keep the tube along the bottom? What length tube do you find most effective?

Sleeper · 11-09-2008, 10:03 AM

Yes, I use wire exclusively and have so for about 15 years now. I make my own tubes and this trip experimented with the biggest two I have. They are very large, bigger than anything you see in tackle shops. I have them finished with 10/0 Owner swivel hooks. I have caught nice fish on just about any size tube including the little Santini Tube which you can buy on line. One of the biggest true advantages of big tubes is not so much that they catch more fish but they are easier and faster to set back if trolling two rods at 2.5mph or so. Light tubes are much harder to set back quickly without some speed on. I seldom stop to fight a fish in order to keep the other one trolling. It does make for a difficult retrieve sometimes and if it's a big fish I do go into nuetral and get the other one in to give the angler a better chance. You can almost always call it a bass or blue (I don't ever stop for blues) right away as the big bass will tend to fight down with much less jerking. The blues always come up to the top quickly and the initial hard jerking versus steady strong pull deeper gives you the clue. We released over 20 Stripers from 20-35 pounds that day, all on biggest tubes with a bunch of very large chopper blues mixed in every once in a while. Another thing I do at Block is to use multiple worms, up to 5 even. What that does is keep you in the action on a hit that just grabs the worm, typically they won't get them all and you are still in the hunt versus trolling a naked tube. That can of course get expensive, we went through a flat that day ($40) of 12 dozen worms. That money of course is small potatoes compared to my run to Block and back from Portsmouth so I never scrimp on worms out there.

DavidKup · 11-10-2008, 01:46 PM

Thanks for the feedback. I realize that wire-lining is the most productive strategy but it's not something I enjoy. I like to stand and pump the fish rather than crank it in. Maybe that's why I'm not catching fish as successfully as you. I've been using 5/8" diameter tubes in shallower water with some good results.

Sleeper · 11-11-2008, 04:48 AM

Even on wire a 40# fish is not going to let you crank it in. I have had big Stripers peel line off a wire reel and give you a nice battle. Smaller fish make for a somewhat boring fight whether you catch them on wire or leaded line. That said, you are correct in that there aren't too many fish in any given year that will give you much of a fight on a big wire set-up. Productive yes, sporting no. Due to that I fished live pogies and eels most this year but always go back to wire in certain areas. I also find wire to be a very good set-up for novice guests, I put it out (key) and there is little chance of them losing a fish after hook-up. I think that is why so many New England Striper charters use wire, even a young girl can land a nice fish with little skill. I put a gimbal belt on a 10 year old this summer and she took a nice 38 pounder. The whole key to wire in my mind is getting the depth and speed through the water right and then running the tubes by structure. Spending all day grabbing bottom is no fun and trolling the tubes too high makes for a long day of Bluefish attacks. The set-out and the boat operator who recognizes the current and adjusts speed accordingly is what catches fish. Fishing in relatively deep water at Block has it's challenges due to the strong currents there, Devil's Bridge at Gay Head is also a tough current to manage. At the same engine rpms you can see a 2 knot difference on the GPS depending on course. Set your wire at the right depth going against the current and then turn around down current and the tubes go down much deeper, it's a fine line. Every time my son was reeling in a fish, I reminded him that it was caught by the operator, that is where the skill lies in wire fishing IMO.

If you really want to learn to wire and catch big fish I would strongly recommend booking a trip on the Flashy Lady out of Menemsha. Dick Vincent will show you every detail and he catches big bass. He is the only "no bass, no pay" charter guy on the Island, his rates are good and even the experienced wire fisherman will learn a lot. He is also a lot of fun to fish with. Dick will also show you the art of jigging bucktails on the troll which he is also very good at. http://www.flashyladycharters.com/