The bluefin tuna bite has been so good in wind farm areas that it has attracted quite a tuna fleet.  Anglers and mariners should monitor Channel 16 as the US Coast Guard has established temporary safety zones during the construction of wind farm facilities. These safety zones have a 500-meter radius around each facility to ensure safety of life, property, and the environment.

Wind farm areas where the tuna bite is good include South Fork Wind Farm (completed) and the Revolution wind farm (under construction), as well as south of the Block Island Wind Farm.

Here are two bluefin tuna fishing stories logged in wind farm areas last week.

Angler Greg Spier of Portsmouth, RI fished with friends and tuna fishing guide and charter captain Rob Taylor last week. Greg said, “I was first on deck and caught a 42” BFT at 10 a.m. Fought the tuna for about 1/2 hour on a Penn 30 with a green spreader. Found out it was tail wrapped and tough to get in. The Capt. said the bite has been late starting around 10 a.m., we were right on time. Ended up catching two more larger BFT, 48” and 52” but released both of them, due to bleeding out the first one. We tried jigging starting at 1 p.m. with no bites. Fog was rolling in and out and water temp was 71 degrees. Surprised to see huge windmills there and construction of more happening.”

Angler Richad Pastore said Saturday, “Started SE of the Block Island wind mills about three miles. Trolled towards the Gully. Whales, thousands of dolphins, shear waters, set out purple/black 36” side tracker and green machine 36” side tracker around 7 a.m., about 8 a.m. purple bar hooks up with a 42” BFT. Boated fish and continued to troll towards tuna ridge. Started jigging at tuna ridge, nothing. Moved to the offshore wind farm on Cox Ledge and found small mahi and blue runners under a weather buoy.”

Fishing brings great joy

No one catches a fish and is sad. As a charter captain and avid angler for over 50 years, this is the single most important finding I can share.  

Whether you are seven years old or seventy years old, catching fish brings great joy. Here’s why fishing brings me (and others) great joy:  

It brings me joy when I cast my lure and a large striped bass hits it with all the force of nature.

Fishing brings me joy when I am trolling and I hear the rapid click, click, click of my reel and know a fish is on.

When I see the water, when I step on a dock or on my vessel, my heart is filled with joy.

When I fillet my catch, I am filled with respect for nature and the fish I caught. I am thankful to God for the food he has brought my way to nourish me and filled with joy that I am going home with fish in the cooler.

When I take pictures of people who have caught fish on my boat they are always smiling. This brings me great joy. My office walls are filled with these trophies.

I am an advocate for the fish, oceans, and fishing for a very selfish reason.  I do not want anyone to steal my joy. 

Where’s the bite?

Striped bass, bluefish and false albacore. Mike Wade of Wach Hill Outfitters, Westerly, said Wednesday, “The striped bass fishing is very good along the coastal shore, beaches and on reefs from boats. There is not much bunker (Atlantic menhaden) in the water as forage but we do have a lot of mackerel. So, baits the look like mackerel like pencil lures, larger soft plastics are working well. Bait mimicking squid are working well too.”  

Dave Henault of Ocean State Tackle, Providence, said, “We fished the upper and mid Bay areas this past weekend and there was very little activity. Limited bait and no stiped bass or bluefish to speak of.”  

“Live scup or mackerel has been working for anglers as bait. The salt ponds are warming up, and the fish are starting to prefer feeding on the incoming tide. There are plenty of silversides, bay anchovies, and sand eels around. There are still a few bluefish around, especially near Block Island,” said Declan O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, Charlestown.  

Summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass and squeteague. “Anglers are hooking up with fluke at the Newport and Jamestown Bridges (down to Dutch Island) in deeper water with a very good squeteague bite around Warwick Neck,” said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box. 

O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle, said, “Reports were a bit better this week, with more keepers being brought in, though there are still a lot of shorts. Look for them in deeper water around 50’ locally and 70’ around Block Island. The fluke bite remains consistent in the salt pond. We’ve seen bigger black sea bass getting caught this week.”  

Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters, said, “The fluke bite as slowed down along the southern coastal shore.”  

The summer flounder and black sea bass bite is still good for anglers fishing off the Sakonnet River over humps and bumps.  

Bluefin/yellowfin tuna, false albacore. Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina, said, “The bluefin tuna bite exploded this week with anglers hooking up with bluefin in the Cox Ledge area.”  

“The yellowfin, bluefin tuna and false albacore bite has been very, very good. However, we had difficulty hooking up with mahi-mahi this week during our Tuesday offshore trip,” said Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters. 

O’Donnell of Breachway Bait & Tackle said, “Reports are still good, with fish scattered in multiple areas. Trolling still seems to be the most effective method, but there’s an increasing bite from jigging and casting.”

Freshwater. Giddings of the Tackle Box, said, “The largemouth bite is outstanding in just about every pond or lake that traditionally produces fish. Bait is working well with drop shots good in the day and topwater lures working well at night.”  

“We still have customers fishing for trout and doing well.  The largemouth bass bite continues to be good,” said Henault of Ocean State Tackle.

Dave Monti holds a captain’s master 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. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verizon.net, visit www.noflukefishing.blogspot.com or www.noflukefishing.com