First Slot! Larger Fish Slowing Arriving

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 numbers should swell in the coming days and weeks once some warmer weather arrives. 

By the way, that slot that I landed fell for a 4 inch Cocahoe minnow threaded onto a 3/4 oz. jighead.  I was fishing it slowly, right along the bottom.

Off to a Very SLOW Start

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 schoolie game. And, loads of them.  We all know that the small fish are in very short supply. With few around, the early spring fishing is bound to be slow. The larger fish, near slots, slots and over slots, don't tend to arrive till late April and early May. I think that is when the fishing should perk up.

In addition, the weather has been all over the place this week.  Cold, warm, north winds, southwest winds, dry, rain.  But, I've seen weather all over the place in the past and it still was good because there were lots of schoolies around.

And, finally, I've seen a lot of guys around who just have no idea how to fish for these early run schoolies. I've seen fishermen with 12 foot surf rods casting 7 inch swimmers.  Come on man! It's very simple at this time of year- light tackle and jigs rule the surf.  Small bucktail jigs, Cocahoes and three inch NLBN paddle tails will catch the majority of the early season fish.

First Migrating Fish!

 Right on schedule, I landed my first migrating striper of the year along the oceanfront today. I knew it was a new fish because of the sea lice on its body.  The fish was just shy of a slot.  It hit a 4-inch Cocahoe minnow fished off a one ounce jighead. I had one other hit. I fished multiple spots and made a lot of casts but it was just this one fish. I tried in the Bay yesterday and blanked.

So, the season has started, and will only get better from here.

Its the first migrating striper of the year for me.  Look closely
and you will see sea lice on the back half of the fish.

Just Can't Let Winter Go!

 I haven't been fishing this much this winter,  but I have sure been enjoying my skiing. I'm up to about 60 visits to the mountains.  In recent weeks it has been good as ever with tons of snow north of us. I've especially enjoyed skiing with 2 of my grandkids who, like their father and grandfather, are addicted to it. I've also been doing some hiking with the grandkids in Vermont in the mountains. It's been so good, I can't just let it go.

Skiing with 2 of my grandkids in Killington, Vt.

My wife and I hiking with the grandkids in Vermont. Even the baby
joined us in a backpack!

On top of the world in Gunstock, NH today.
Free tickets for those over 70!

The Waiting Game

 

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 caught my first stripers along the south shore of RI: April 19, 2021, April 15, 2022 and April 18, 2023.  Note that I tried several times with no success before catching my first ones each year.

Usually, small fish, schoolies, make up the bulk of the fish in April. However, we all know there is a shortage of small ones around, and I suspect that we are going to see good numbers of decent fish, slots, in the early going. Last year, my first 5 fish of the new year were all slots.  That could very well happen again this year.

In general, Narragansett Bay tends to produce about a week after the first fish are landed along the oceanfront.  I will hit my bay spots beginning at the end of April. Surprisingly, there are years in which we see more stripers in the Bay during the first month of fishing than along the oceanfront. That's because the Bay waters heat up much faster and they attract more early season bait.

The start is often a simple affair in terms of lures.  Pack a lot of jigs- bucktails, plastic bodies with jigheads and even floats and jigs. Last year I landed many early season keepers on bucktail jigs.  I also did real well in the early going on white NLBN paddle tails.

Next Stop.....Springfield Sportsmen's Show

 My next stop on my winter seminar tour is the Springfield Sportsmen's Show on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Big E in Springfield, MA. I will be doing seminars at 1:00 and 4:00. 

For anyone who has never been to this popular show, it is a mix of everything outdoorsy. There's hunting and fishing stuff, camping stuff, outfitters, charter boat captains, tackle shops, boats, kayaks, etc., all in a massive venue. It also features an all star line-up of seminar speakers.

I will be doing my striper and carp fishing shows. My striper fishing show is called Finesse Fishing for Stripers. This show is loaded with info on using a finesse approach to catching stripers from shore and kayak when the bait is small (which it was most of the time last year). The show is filled with tackle and plugging ideas. Some terrific video footage and photos from last year's fishing are in the narrated presentation.

My carp fishing show is titled Carp Fishing Strategies.  This show focuses on different approaches to catching carp. also nicknamed "freshwater tuna"! These monsters of freshwater can be difficult to catch on rod and reel, and I'll offer many suggestions on how to do it that should appeal to beginners as well as seasoned pros. I've got some serious photos in the show that include multiple potential state records.

My striper seminar will take place at 1:00 while the carp fishing seminar will take place at 4:00.

Hope to see many of my loyal readers at the show! Form more info, check out the show information at  www.osegsportsmens.com

Where do I get my wooden eggs for the egg float?

 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, add a nail to the side of the float as a holder.

Some guys make this even easier by simply putting screw eyes in through the top and bottom. Note that the through wiring is much more durable.