June 28th report
The great news of the week came on Tuesday evening when we discovered that the Hannah Grace has a pretty significant leak somewhere in the hull. The problem revealed itself on the trip out to Chin Reef. The bilge pump seemed to be keeping up with the inflow so we risked the 7 mile trip out. While this may not have been the best decision in the end it all worked out.
Tuesday was shaping up to be a prim day for a dive with weather conditions changing from sunny to overcast in advance of an impending storm front. I have found that the best fishing is usually during that transition period prior to a front passing through and when the barometer reads around 29.95. Of course if you can get in on those crappy days the fish are usually out having a good old time.
We made it to Chin Reef just before 5:30pm. The sea state was calm and the water looked clear from the surface. We started the hunt on the shallow end of the reef and I made my first few drops down to about 17’. The water was not as clear as it appeared from the surface but visibility was still plenty good enough to hunt in at about 6’-7’. I noticed right away that the water temperature had made a significant jump from the last time I was in and my Immersion Prowler was reading 71.1 degrease. If it had not been for the changing weather no way would I be running into bass, good bass, this shallow.
It was on my fourth dive that I followed the slope at the edge of the reef down to 20’. I settled in behind a boulder and within seconds a nice bass came charging down the side of the reef right in front of me. I took the shot and laced the fish through its skull. She made a few rather impressive runs for where I hit her but in the end the sea provided once again for the HG.
After dispatching the fish and handing it up to Capitan Bob we moved out to a deeper spot on the reef. The good Capitan suggested that we grab another quick fish and head back as the engine compartment kept filling with water. Not knowing the significance of the problem heading in sounded like a good idea.
We quickly got located at the drop 50yds from our first location and I slipped into the water. Ok, it was more like a splash into the water but non-the-less I was ready to dive.
The desired depth at spot two was going to be about 25’ and I took a few minuets to relax and breathe up. The water seemed to be getting browner by the second so I knew I would have to be on high alert once I hit the bottom. Three deep breaths and I made my dive. I landed a little higher then I wanted on top of a rock at about 22’ but with the terrible vis. I did not want to be messing around trying to feel my way around the reef. Settling myself in I raised my gun 45 degrease in front of me. I could barley make out objects 5’ away at this point but convinced myself that fish would come in. Moments later from my left a school of nice bass appeared. Remembering the Capitan’s words I lined up on the closest fish and took the shot.
Nothing……what is going on…….my shooting line is straight out, not sinking, but nothing is pulling……I can hardly see the snap swivel that connects the reel line to the shooting mono. I must have hit the fish…I heard it hit the fish……maybe I stoned him, but the line is straight out…….Slowly I began to pull the line and I can feel some weight but it is still not moving…….I pull in more of the line and I can start to make out the shape of the bass. A few more feet and I can see that I have shot the fish right through the lower lip. The fish must be in shock or something…..does it not know it is even hit?
It is important to note at this point that trying to grab a bass that is hardly wounded can go drastically wrong if you are not paying close attention to things like where your shooting line is or which direction said fish is going to bolt off in once he comes to.
I pulled the fish in even closer and decided to tap him on the tail. That’s all it took and off he went like a rocket. Not hurt a bit, this bass fought like crazy making circles around me, stripping line off the reel and shaking its head. After a good battle he began to tire and I was able to corral him and end the fight.
Knowing where the slack shooting line was in the water was a key in avoiding any entanglements which could cause a dangerous situation. While this fish was not as big as the first he was still significant and could have caused some trouble. Always remember that even small fish have the strength to pull a diver thorough the water!
Fishing Report
With the water temps warming into the 70’s in some locations finding bass in the shallow water is going to become increasingly more difficult. Look for fish below the 25’ mark and do not over look rainy days as they tend to become more aggressive in the bad weather.
Aside from the fish I found on Tuesday there were schools of bass and blue fish running between Castle Hill and the tip of Fort Adams.
Everyone I spoke with this week reported lots of 3”-5” bait which is always a good sign of things to come.
Reports of trigger fish have stated to come in along with the bluefish and scup. Look for the trigger fish in calmer shallow water. I often find them in protected areas behind rocks or other structure. Keep in mind that any trigger fish that is not dead will try and bit you so watch your fingers when handling them. Also, a lot of times once you shoot a trigger you can grab them near the gills and they will grunt. This sound will often times call any other triggers in the area to your location.
IMO, triggers are the best tasting fish we have up here and they smell almost tropical when you clean them (which is a job in and of itself).
Larger bass were few and far between this week as was evident at the weigh-in of the RI Blue Water Tournament. The winning fish was a 53lb bass taken by Andrew Ford. Second and third place fish weighed in the mid 40’s and were taken by John Warnock and Dave Hochman. There were a few fish in the 20’s weighed in along with a slew of teens but over all the number of larger fish was down.
Tautog season opens back up in RI on Thursday and from all accounts there are a lot of them around.
This week’s picture is compliments of my buddy JimT. Last week I mentioned Jim took a personal best 50+lb bass. Congratulations JT!
We are always looking for reports and pictures so shoot me an e-mail if you have anything to share.
Good Hunting,
Rob Marvelle
rob@newportfreeedive.com
www.newportfreedive.com
