The Fish Wrap Writer Blog
For more than 20 years, we have been learning from and writing about outdoorsmen and women who fish, hunt, hike, pause, and sometimes just look around. Fish Wrap has been published over 480 times. Here you will find articles, interviews, reports, laughs, a few stretched truths (that’s true), and an unfortunate number of obituaries from good folks we have lost.
Please search, enjoy, and let me know if you know someone who we should meet.
River Herring Need Your Help (and it’s easy!)
For all those interested in volunteering for our upcoming herring counts, the trainings for new volunteers (or those who would like a refresher course) are as follows: Warwick- Buckeye Brook: Thursday, March 23th, 5PM-6PM Saturday, March 25th, 10AM-11AM Training...
Carp is King With Dave Pickering
Dave Pickering took The Narragansett Surfcasters monthly meeting in a whole new direction. Dave walked members through his PowerPoint show, “Discover Carp Fishing,” a one hour pictorial of how to identify, fish for and catch some unbelievable North American carp....
How To Fish With Your Hands & Learn From The Sea
Long before inventions like propellers, power blocks or stern trawlers, men hauled heavy fishing nets by hand. Hard to believe for some perhaps, but ingenuity, grit and small boats were the common tools to catch, sort and sell a day’s catch. Photographer Markham...
Meet Captain Jerry Sparks & Me at the NE Saltwater Fishing Show
Captain Jerry Sparks and I will be at the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association's New England Saltwater Fishing Show all weekend representing Scotty Fishing & Paddlesport Products at booth 1215. Please stop by, check out the Scotty line and let me shake...
How To Tie Tail Teasers and Tell Tall Tales On A Winter’s Night
Grilling steak tips marinated the air. Allman Brothers riffs fell from ceiling speakers. Fishermen gripped tall bottles. Winter doldrums gripped us all. Outside, roads were tight with dirty snow; it felt like years since we’ve been...
Lest We Forget, Trout Waters Are Closing
The open season on all species of trout, salmon, and charr shall close annually on the last day of February at midnight and shall commence at 6:00 AM on the second Saturday in April annually. All designated trout waters shall be closed to all fishing from the last...
How To Protect Stripers & Chat With Max Appleman
Please call Max Appleman immediately. Max is the Fishery Management Plan Coordinator for the Atlantic States Marine Fishery Council and his phone number is 703.842.0740. Max is the man taking calls from people opposing or supporting a move the ASMFC is considering...
How To Go Nowhere at the D.M.V.
Trailer Trash Spoiler Alert: Nothing Happened at the DMV. This is the second installment of one man's journey to register a small boat trailer. The first piece, which is pretty important to the big picture of the problem, can be read here. A sandwich walks into a...
How To Buy Gear, Catch Carp, Shoot Clays, Roast a Pig & Fish 27 Miles
The Narragansett Surfcasters held another hugely successful Used Tackle Sale this past Saturday. Hundreds of people streamed through the Narragansett Community Center, to pour over new and used rods, reels, lures, tackle bags, needle fish and classic collectible...
Trump, Trout Unlimited & The Cape Cod Salties
With that voice, that posture, that presence behind a table, Jack Creighton didn’t need to tell me he was a retired police chief. His service was as obvious as an unmarked police car. Jack’s the President of the Cape Cod Salties fishing club and it’s pretty clear...
Summer, cooler. Winter, calendar
Winter really hasn’t taken a good grip on us yet, which surely means we’re going to pay for all this calm weather next month. In the meantime, it’s time to fill the calendar with events to remind us of all those fishing days on the other side of March. The...
Ocean State Trailer Trash
This week, we meet regular Joe's who want to register a trailer without being labeled Ocean State Trailer Trash. It's not too much to ask.
Al’s Goldfish, Coming Back To a Tackle Box Near You, Thanks To Mainer Mike Lee
Last year, I had the pleasure to meet Mike Lee, a small business owner from Maine who was promoting his fishing products at an outdoor writers meeting. He’s an engaging guy and we had much in common. A few days ago, we talked for a very long time about his...
Brother Geoff Comes Out Shooting, A Shooting Range In Progress & Cooper’s Hawks Shooting Down Pheasant Seasons
Winter’s arrival has not slowed Sven and the crew at the Peace Dale Shooting Preserve in South Kingstown. The foundation for a 16 lane indoor shooting range has been poured and is curing. This important step means construction of the facility will follow and...
An Important Correction
I need to make a correction regarding our story about Al’s Goldfish Lure Company. Founder Al Stuart passed away in 1984, not 1978. Changes in company ownership did not occur until after his passing and the new owner, Mike Lee, made a purchase offer to an owner not...
New Year*New Look*New Hope
We have a new look to the website, which I imagine you have noticed by now. Now it's 2017. A new year with all new opportunities... Thank you all for a fantastic year meeting the finest and craziest characters anywhere. And here's to an even better...
Stocking Fish, Burning Spots & Why Maine is So Awesome
A few weeks ago, RIDEM placed 2,000 brook trout into four regularly stocked ponds: Barber, Silver Spring, Meadowbrook and Wyoming. Depending on who you ask, stocking hatchery fish is contentious, necessary, a nuisance to local wild fish populations, tax funded...
Codfish, Head Boats & Maybe a Meeting or Two. That’s So Winter…
It’s cold. It’s windy. It must be time to go cod fishing. Block Island has long been a key place to start drifting given areas of hard bottom for tasty codfish. Like many New England fishing communities, the island had a history of reliance on the mighty Gadus....
Fishing For Salt Ponds and Public Access
This season, before the ice takes over, salt ponds are where it’s at. Salt ponds are teeming with ducks, geese, stripers and bait fish. Roads have cleared, parking has eased, boat ramps are open and there’s plenty of big pond-side windows with their shades drawn...
From the Point St. Bridge to Middlebridge, We Find Fish
More catch up this week. The onset of cold weather has slowed the fishing and my knack for uploading columns in a timely fashion. Then again, it's always fun to look back... Thanksgiving, come and gone, has left a bit of void on the beaches. The big charge over the...