Summer is full on, waters are warm, September is here, fishing is hot and there are plenty of spots with lots of fish to keep you cool under the collar. NOAA has determined that July was the hottest month ever recorded.
According to their scientists, “The average global temperature in July was 1.71 degrees F above the 20th-century average of 60.4 degrees, making it the hottest July in the 140-year record.” You can say what you want about the cause but, man, it’s getting hotter around here. All that warm air and water has made for some excellent top water bass and blues action from Galilee’s center wall west to Watch Hill, depending on tides. SlugGo’s in white and pink have been a go-to plastic along with old school classics like jointed Rapala’s. It’s always handy to have hard options that don’t get bit off just behind the hook every other cast. All that action makes for some really fun days and fading sunsets with hundreds of schoolie sized fish finning then exploding on piles of squid, silversides or sand eels.
Fishing is always fickle but lately, there’s been lots of fish to catch all along that south shore. Southwest Ledge seems to have cooled a bit, possibly on account of the joint agency patrols of the three mile limit which establishes the Exclusive Economic Zone, where striper fishing is not allowed. Some whispered reports were about big, big bass followed by reports about how awful the fishing has been. You know, the “Worst fishing in ten plus years” kind of thing. You never know if the bite has soured or if the angler hasn’t really fished much over those years. Nonetheless, we’re on the heels of September and her bass migrations so there’s always hope for a big Fall bite.
On the freshwater side, RI Kayak Bassin’s, RJ “Unleashed” Alves, helped host another successful tournament stop, this time on Charlestown’s Watchaug Pond. At 573 acres, it proved to be a big body of hot water and fishing was tough. Joshua Cabral won his first RIKB tournament with a total of 51.25” of largemouth, all of which was released, of course. Joe Brancato took second place with 49.5” and interestingly, tied with Josh with a first fish at 18.25”. Third place went to Chris Gomes with 21.25”.
- Bob Buscher is a fishing machine
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