I've seen a big uptick in fishing from my kayak during this Memorial Day Weekend. This decent size striper hit a weightless Finesse Fish twitched on top. Weightless plastics fished on top have been hot.

Here's a serious fish landed last evening from the Yak using a my finesse approach. I was back in the kayak last evening and I decided to make some changes to my fishing approach. I made some changes that hopefully would add more effectiveness to my finesse game.  I have been dealing with fussy fish lately that woud follow and whirl but not real...

I landed this decent one a couple of nights ago in a backwater location.  Overall there are a lot less stripers around this year but there are some quality fish. As we head into Memorial Day weekend the key word to describe the striper fishing here in RI is MEDIOCRE. Spring fishing should be peaking right now but it isn't. It's easy to blame the...

Back in the kayak and catching!  I took the kayak out in 'Gansett Bay several times in the last week. I was mostly fishing skinny backwaters and taking a finesse approach when doing it. While I did better than I have been doing from shore it was still mediocre fishing compared to past years.  I put 7 fish in the yak but none were slots or overs. A...

The Albie Snax mounted on a BKK Titan Rider hook was a hot lure last evening. My son Jon and I went out last evening in an off the beaten path location in Narragansett Bay.  This was a quiet skinny water cove where we have had success in the past with decent sized stripers. This is one of those spots where big plugs have little to no chance of s...

Jon Pickering holds a slot fish that was taken from shore.  These larger fish have been hanging around places that have schools of menhaden. The fish was released in good shape.  By now the striper fishing should be humming here in RI.  It's not.  In a few words to sum it up we are in the midst of a mediocre spring that has been very inconsisten...

I landed this hefty overslot last  evening in the Bay. Here's the scoop on the latest striper fishing.  It's been good but not great. The fish are now spread out along the oceanfront and throughout the Bay.  There are good numbers of all sizes.  Schoolies seem to dominate along the oceanfront while the Bay has some hefty slots and even over slots....

Surprise surprise! I landed my first bluefish of the year this evening along the oceanfront.  The fish about 6 lbs. hit a NLBN paddle tail that was intended for a striper.  This is very early for a blue along the oceanfront.  With everyone complaining that the water is so cold it was even more unusual for this blue to be around.  We'll find out i...

Got my first keeper of the year.  Yup it's early but they are around! This one fell for a Slug-go and hit right at dark.  And surprise it was caught in the Bay!

I landed decent numbers of schoolies that had lice on them tonight. The migration has arrived.  I landed one lone fish a scout about a week ago along the oceanfront.  In my mind the season kicks off when I can land more than one fish in an outing.  Well tonight that happened as I landed good numbers of schoolies that had lice on them a sure sign t...

It's the first one from the oceanfront for me this year. Expect good numbers of them in the coming week. I landed my first striper of the year from the oceanfront today a fish I would call a scout.  In striper fishing lingo a scout is one of the early arrivals that makes it's way ahead of the main body of fish.  I suspect this was a scout becaus...

Not hearing much from the area's waters but the bait is beginning to show. The ospreys are arriving too. These are the beginning signs of...

They should be here within a couple of weeks!  A new season is almost here.  Within a couple of weeks migrating stripers will hit the oceanfront and that will commence the spring runs. Here is a timetable of what I think will happen based over 50 years of keeping fishing logs. Middle of April - First stripers of the season these fish that will hav...

Here's a big pickerel I jigged up through the ice a few weeks ago. It's been the best ice fishing year in over a decade! I'm sure many of you are sick of winter at this point and looking forward to spring.  But I just love winter and the snowier and colder the better.  I have really enjoyed this winter.  I did a lot of skiing.  It's not over yet...

The next big show where I will be doing carp and striper fishing seminars is the Springfield Sportsmen's Show. This big outdoor show will be held at the Big E in Springfield from Friday Feb. 21 to Sunday Feb. 23. This show has everything for the outdoor enthusiast.  It has freshwater fishing saltwater fishing hunting outfitters tackle shops. boa...

Ben Pickering holds a good size  largemouth that was landed on a small Kastmaster with an artificial maggot attached. We are on a roll with the ice fishing as my sons and I have been jigging multiple ponds in both MA and RI and catching. And the results have been the same with big numbers of crappie yellow perch bass and pickerel. We've also had s...

Here's a real prize that Jon jigged up.  I fished this weekend with my two youngest sons Ben and Jon. We went jigging through the ice something we used to do a lot when they were young. Back then we would hit the local ponds after school before supper.  They loved doing it then and still like to do it. As you know we have had very little ice the l...

I will be at the New England Fishing Expo this weekend (Feb. 1 and Feb. 2) doing a striper fishing seminar and a carp fishing seminar.  This big outdoor fishing show will take place at the Best Western Royal Plaza Trade Center which is right off Rt. 495 in Marlborough MA. It is one of the largest fishing shows in New England and features a lot o...

My winter seminar adventures start at the New England Fishing Expo on the weekend of Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.  This big show will be held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough MA which is right off Rt. 495. I've been doing this popular winter show for many years now.  It is one of the best pure fishing shows around. It's a mix of...

For years I had used a St. Croix Mojo Surf rod and I have a number of different models.  The Mojo rod was always rated a good buy for the money and a real solid rod.  My 10 1/2 footer was getting old and the reel seat was moving so I decided to change rods and purchase a replacement. With the Mojo out of production I decided to try a St. Croix Av...

Striper fishing has been super for me from the kayak. There are lots of hefty schoolies along  with some good size slots and overs.  If you are a saltwater fisherman you realize that Labor Day is usually the turning point when fishing goes from bad to better. Well it's happened earlier this year.  I'm guessing the cooler weather has had a big effe...

Matt with a big albie on his 39th birthday! Today was my son Matt's 39th birthday. He took a vacation day from work and wanted to know if I wanted to join him and my 4 year old grandson Troy on a fishing expedition to Vineyard Sound in his boat. I was all in! We went there in the hopes of landing a birthday bonito as we heard there were some hit...