Fishing Reports up to and including Friday, July 8, 2011
Location: Block Island

Cast a Fly Charters fly skipper, Capt. Ray Stachelek reports:

How one looks at an opportunity is reflected by the outlook of each individual. The days when it’s pouring outside, one feels like nothing good is going to happen. Others (like me) feel it’s an opportunity and challenge to do something to change the script. Time is just too important to waste, especially the older you get.

Looking over the fish reports this week from the printed media comes under a different moniker for me. Let’s just say, “Don’t pee on me and tell me it’s raining?” I’ve never seen such hog-wash reporting at Block Island; stripers are everywhere, if you can’t hook one now, you shouldn’t be fishing. This type of dribble only perpetuates false allusions and failed expectations!

Most of the fish reports I receive each week from other friends are factual and accurate depicting the good/the bad. This past week (on the water four days out of six) the results were dismal compared to last year at this time. Certainly there were some fish around but you have to be patient and log in many hours. The majority of my time on the water is basically a half hour before sunrise till 2:00 pm. We don’t fish at night or late evening during the summer months so my facts are mute during those periods.

So here are some basic observations:

Some dense fog/some bluebird days, calm seas, less current, no signs of sand eels/baitfish on electronics, not a bird flying or searching for a meal over the entire area surrounding BI, a hundred boats floating around, scattered, drifting with no visible signs of hook-ups using eels/bait, others trolling frames, snapping wire, nothing to show except for some bluefish Saturday, 4th of July Weekend.

Certainly fly fishing has limitations. We don’t expect to catch the monster size fish in deeper water. On the other hand we should catch many more of the smaller variety in the shallows. Our best day this week totaled 10 stripers for an eight hour trip. Our limited success this week can be attributed by the higher level of skill with our clients. Believe me if it wasn’t for their persistence and willingness to cast randomly hundreds of times, our success rate would be atrocious. They did find some fish and put a smile on their faces.

Captain’s Log:

Joe Herbert and Tom Gibson were on board Saturday, Fourth of July Weekend to celebrate the holidays with family. Left the dock one half hour before sunrise and reached the eastern side of Block Island in thirty minutes. We found surfacing stripers near Old Whale Rock upon our arrival. Tom had three quick releases before landing his first Block Island striper. Tom claimed, “All four counted under New Jersey guidelines.” Wasn’t going to argue! As the day progressed it was flat calm boat yard out there. The south side looked like the outside walk-up window at Iggy’s Clam Shack on a weekend.

Tom holding a holiday striper


Joe spending the holiday at Block Island


Joe Herbert was out again Tuesday morning trying to recount last year banner day of six stripers over twenty-five pounds all on flies. Just wasn’t going to happen with the present day conditions. He did catch a striper at 9:00 am, the same time his string of luck started last year.

What a difference a year makes


Wednesday’s return trip with Kevin Pinto and Joe Ginino provided some comic relief for all three of us. We had hoped the slob fishing would return this week along the south shore. It didn’t? Present conditions are so poor with the lack of baitfish around the island. The only thing plentiful was the fog, but it kept the temps from reaching the nineties. Joe caught the first scup of the year. God… that thing must have been three pounds? A record breaker! Take my word for it; Joe refused to pose for a pic. We were good Samaritans responding to a disable boat. We lucked out on the ride home and found a school of bust’ in bass. That finished the day on a high note.

Kevin had a few minutes to relax today


Joe G. styling, his new South Beach, Miami Vice make-over