5 A.M Charlestown Charter

It's four oclock in the morning on Friday May 31st and I hear my alarm ringing off the hook.  After four hours of restless sleep I find myself fully awake with butterflies in my stomach and my mind racing with excitement.  This was the morning of the charter!  After a quick bagel and shot of orange juice for breakfast we were off and driving to Breachway Bait and Tackle.  Captain Mouchon was going to take my grandfather and me out on a fishing charter out of Charlestown Breachway.  We were finally going to learn some of his favorite spots and techniques which have brought in countless numbers of large striped bass!

By 4:50 a.m we were at the shop and Captain Mouchon was hurrying us along to go and get out on the water in order to catch shad which would be our bait for the day.  Shad are known as an excellent game fish which are known to swim at the bottom of the ocean.  They are smaller fish and the striped bass love to eat them for food and striped bass are usually found on the bottom of the ocean in rocky areas and reefs.  Shad on the other hand are found near the shoreline and are mostly caught right at sunrise.  By 5:15 we were on the boat and making our way through the pond and out of the breachway.  At sunrise we had reached our first spot to catch shad east of the breachway.  Just as the sun was rising we were casting our rods which had several fly lures tied to the line to create maximum catching.  Shad have very thin mouths so it is important to never try and 'set the hook' by jerking the reel too much and instead just continuously reel.  At the first spot we were unlucky and watched as two other boats brought in shad on almost every cast.  Pretty quickly we decided to try the second spot which was further east and and maybe just fifty yards from the shore.  Here we started to catch!  Pop and I were reeling in a shad on every cast or troll and the live well in the boat was soon filled with shad.  On my last cast I managed to reel in three shad at the same time because of the multiple lures and hooks on the line!

Below is a picture of some shad that we landed in the boat!  The live well was eventually full with about ten total bait fish!

With enough bait and our spirits high we decided to go try the first spot which was in depths of about 20 or 30 feet and pretty far off shore.  This was a specific reef where many big striped bass supposedly hang out.  In order to fish for the stripers it is important to keep the shad alive and swimming at the bottom of the ocean so the stripers think that it is just a normal bait fish.  In order to do this the shad are hooked right through their nose.  This keeps the shad alive and the hook is not as noticeable as the fish appears to swim normally.  The shad is hooked then let into the water and line is let out as the shad race to the bottom.  Once on the bottom the bail of the reel is still not closed and the reels clicker is turned on.  This gives the line enough tension where the shad itself wont pull out any more line but if a bigger fish hits the shad then line can be let out.  This is very important to allow the big fish to believe that this shad is not attached to anything such as a line and if there was too much tension the fish would spit it up immediately.  The technique is therefore to let the line run a little bit and once you hear that clicker ticking very fast you can try to set the hook by flipping up the bail and pulling up on the rod.  At this point hopefully the hook is set and you can start reeling in the fish!  Below is a video of myself reeling in the first and only fish of the day! This fish hit after only fifteen minutes of being out there on the spot!

This fish was the biggest fish I had ever caught!  It's estimated wait from Captain Mouchon was about twenty-five pounds which is pretty large! Below there is a picture of myself finishing up the reeling of the fish.  At this point the fish is swimming right alongside the boat.  There is also a picture of myself holding the fish inside the boat.  In order to get the fish inside the boat one of those hooks is used to grab the fish right below it's chin and up through the mouth.

As you can see below he fish was longer than half my body length!  There are distinct regulations for fishing that say a striped bass has to be greater than twenty-eight inches in order to be considered a keeper.  There was no doubt that this fish met all of the standards!

Unfortunately this was the only fish we caught the rest of the day.  There were several more hits and bumps but this was the only one we were able to bring in.  Yet, it was definitely worth getting up at four in the morning for!  I had never caught anything like this before and it was an unbelievable experience fighting to bring this fish into the boat!  Something I will never forget.  We continued to fish though until about ten o'clock with shad as well as eels and chunk bait (cut up shad) with no more luck.  We kept this one fish and brought it back to the bait and tackle shop but not before I cleaned off the boat at the dock with water and soap as seen in the picture below.

Below are just a couple more picture of the fish and myself standing in front of the Breachway Bait & Tackle store sign.  All in all it was an excellent day and I want to just thank Captain Mouchon as well as my Pop for bringing me out and helping me catch the biggest fish I have ever caught before.  This fish we kept and then it was donated to the food bank in Charlestown.

The Moon's Wrath

Ocean tides are constantly changing and ever since I was a little kid I have enjoyed that change.  At low tide I could hunt for crabs and enjoy myself in a protected cove of rocks while at high tide I was learning to skimboard and diving for footballs into the waves.  While tides are important for fun ocean activities they are extremely important when it comes to fishing.  As I have mentioned before an outgoing tide is ideal when fishing off of the breachway.  However, if the fish are biting then the fish are biting and fish can be caught during any tide.  The tide changes are very noticeable in Quonochontaug and an experience fishing off of the breachway over the course of six hours can change drastically as well.  Below is a panorama view of the beach in front of my grandparents beach house.  I have never seen the tide so low before or such a large sand bar in the cove as pictured in the center. At high tide the cove is filled with water and the waves are crashing over the rocks.  Furthermore, recently since Hurricane Sandy the water has been coming all the way up to the wall at high tide pictured at the bottom of the photo.  Hurricane Sandy as well as other storms can easily transform the beach by brining in or taking out more sand.  This happens not only on the beach but also in the breachway which can affect the way fish move in and out of the pond.

Tides are controlled by the moon which I believe most of us know.  Yet how many of you actually know how the moon controls the tides?  Ok yes gravity is the answer but what about gravity?  First of all, the Moon and the Earth are constantly moving through space. The Earth spins on its own axis and the ocean water is kept balanced on all sides of the planet through centrifugal force (which I learned about in Physics with Dr. Moss last year!). The Moon's gravitational forces are strong enough to disrupt this balance however by moving the water towards the Moon. This concept is known as 'bulge'. The Earth's rotation causes a bulge on the opposite side of the planet as well even though the moon is not on that side physically.  That is why there are two high tides and two low tides approximately each day.  Where the bulging occurs the coast line experiences a high tide, and the others are subject to a low tide. However, the Moon's movement around the Earth means that the effects of its forces are in motion as well, and as it encircles our planet, this bulge moves with it.

The moon however is not always the same distance away from earth.  Perigee is when the moon is closest to Earth and as you may have guessed there is the highest tide and lowest tides during perigee.  The gravitational pull during this is the greatest creating extremely low and high tides.  The first panorama picture was actually take during perigee.  Apogee is the opposite when the moon is furthest away from the earth and the tides have a much smaller change between them.  Furthermore, the tide will be extremely high or low during full moons or new moons when the sun, moon, and earth are in a line.  at this point the sun and moon have a combined gravitational pull which pulls the tides to extremes. This is called a 'spring tide'

When fishing it is important to check the tides as well as the weather to ensure the best fishing.  When fishing in a boat you want both the tide and the wind to be going in the same direction for maximum catching.  Furthermore, it is just important to know which way you will be drifting if you are in the boat especially if you are fishing at night.  You don't want to find yourself crashed into a rock in the middle of the night in the dark!!  Furthermore, if the tide is coming in and you are fishing off of the breachway you know which way the fish will mostly be coming. In!! And vice versa if the tide is going out.  Also, if the tide is running fast it can lend a lot of information on which lure or what size lure one should use. If it is really running a heavier lure will be needed to ensure the lure is down near where the fish are and not just at the top of the water.  Below is a picture of the Quonochontaug Breachway from an above view.  You cna easily see the different amount of sand in certain areas as well as different rock deposits which may be showing or not showing depending on the tides.

Hooks On Hooks On Hooks

On Friday May 24 I took a drive down early to the bait shop to work for a few hours.  One of the first jobs I did was sort new fluke hooks into bags and put the barcodes on the baggies.  Hooks are an extremely important part to fishing.  If the hook is too small, too large, too bent, not barbed you might lose the fish!  It really depends on what type of fish you are fishing for and what size when it comes to hooks.  Usually right on the bags it will say which type of fish it is used for.  For instance in the picture below, the bags give the size of the hook, quantity, and specifically says 'fluke' hooks.  On these hooks one would place the bait such as squid.

Salt water fishing lures usually have the hooks already attached to them.  These hooks are not usually singular hooks like the fluke ones but instead have three hooks in one as seen below as well.  Furthermore, there can be multiple hooks on each lure to increases the chances of hooking a fish and keeping it there!  Furthermore, one of the most important aspects of a fishing hook is the barbed end which ensures once the hook is set in the mouth of the fish that the hook will stay there and not be ripped out by the fish's jerking and swimming.  However, the barbed hooks can be dangerous at times.  if for some reason you get hooked with a barbed hook in your hand or anywhere else there is no easy way to get it out!  When trying to unhook the fish people often hook themselves if the fish jerks or tries to free itself.  The only way is to continue pushing the hook through the hand until the entire barbed end is sticking out somewhere else.  At this point you can cut off the barbed end and bring out the rest of the hook the same way it went in!  It happens to even the best of fishermen!

Circle hooks are most widely used when fishing for striped bass.  Circle hooks have become extremely popular in salt water fishing recently because of their high effectiveness of bringing in the fish!  This type of hook is designed to catch the fishes lip avoiding false hooks which could potentially hurt the fish and would be hard to get out.  It is important when fishing with these lures to make sure the bait is in the fishes mouth before setting the hook.  When you feel a hit give it a second before you yank the line.  This ensures you will hook the fish where you want to and won't lose the fish!  Furthermore, it is necessary that the hook is showing or protruding from the lure.  The barbed end of the hook is important as it will hook the lip of the striper and ensure the catch.  Below is a picture of a circle hook which comes in many different sizes as well as colors.

Wishful Wednesday

Two days ago on Wednesday May 22nd I drove down to the beach in hopes of catching some stripers off of the breachway.  It was very cloudy with some fog and a cool sea breeze.  Good weather for some fishing!  Yet, as we walked down to the end of the breachway the water was somewhat calm and seemed lower than normal even though the tide was going out.  As I've stated earlier when fishing from the breachway an outgoing tide is perfect for sending a top water lure out and letting it drift in the rip current.  We tried that for about a half hour without even the slightest hit!   Cast after cast I was bringing new weeds of all colors and sizes onto the rocks.

One thing that my grandfather always says is "if you are not getting any hits after 10 or 20 minutes time to change it up!"  Instead of changing just the lure on my line I had already brought a different rod with me which had a bubblegum Ron-Z lure tied to it.  I started casting this directly into the breachway where within three or four casts I had my first fish on!  It whacked the lure and I knew I would be able to reel this one all the way in.  I wasn't about to lose the only fish I had on all day!  Once you catch that first fish the urge to keep fishing is unbelievable.  You just want to keep catching!

This ended up unfortunately being the only fish of the day!  We continued to fish for a while switching back and forth between the Ron-Z and top water lures.  Not even another hit!  Casting is another major aspect of fishing.  The best fishermen can place their lure exactly where they want to in the water.  It has taken me a long time to learn how to perfectly place my casts and I still have not perfected it.  The breachway is only so wide and it would be somewhat easy to throw your lure onto the other side and get caught in the rocks.  Yet, you want to get as close to the other side as possible to have the longest time in the water.  A combination of flicking the wrists and arm speed is the best way to cast.  In tight quarters such as a boat a flick of the wrists may be the only option.  You always want to look back too! Be careful to not hook anybody behind you.  My dad always tells the story of when one of his ears was hooked when fishing with his brothers.  Classic.

Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association

A few nights ago on Monday May 20th my grandfather and I attended a Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) meeting at West Valley Inn in West Warwick.  RISAA is an organization dedicated to saltwater fishing in the ocean state. I took the following statement off of their website (www.risaa.org).

"The Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association is a non-profit organization, created to provide a forum for recreational saltwater anglers; to provide education to members concerning fishing techniques, improved catches, and overall enjoyment of fishing; to foster sportsmanship; to support marine conservation and sound management of fisheries resources; and provide a unified voice to preserve and protect the rights, traditions and the future of recreational fishing in Rhode Island."

RISAA has monthly meetings at West Valley Inn where there are usually seminars and speakers talking about their fishing experiences as well as giving helpful tips and information about fishing around Rhode Island.  When I went on Monday night there was a seminar on fluke fishing where three expert fluke fishermen from RI explained all of the techniques they use to fish for fluke.  According to them it is best to fish for fluke, a flat fish found on sandy bottoms, when both the tide and wind are in line.  When fishing for fluke one wants to get their bait down on the bottom of the ocean and let it drift along on the bottom.  In order to do this one needs to have a heavy fluke lure which can sink to the bottom.  If not a weight is needed to bring the bait and hook down.  Fluke feed by looking into the tide and waiting for food to pass by.  That is why drifting is extremely important as the tide and wind need to be in the same direction so that the boat can drift towards where the fluke are waiting.

Squid is most definitely the bait of choice when fishing for fluke.  The fluke love squid and when cut into strips and placed on the lure's hook it really attracts the fish.  Fluking is one of my favorite ways to fish as you can feel the ocean's bottom as you are fishing and when the fish hits the lure theres no other feeling like it.  As soon as you feel a fish take the bait you want to "pull the fishes head off" as Mr. Darigan says.  A good yank on the rod will ensure the hook is set and you will get the fish onto the boat.  A bucktail is usually the lure of choice and there is also a 'teaser' which is a lure that will sit maybe a foot and half above the bucktail. 

Overall, the seminar on fluke fishing was very informative and I think my grandfather and I learned a lot that we didn't know about fishing for fluke as well as fishing in Narragansett Bay where these fishermen were fishing mostly.  As the meeting came to an end a raffle was conducted from everyone who was there.  I am only a junior member of RISAA and I won the raffle for the junior members!  Below is a picture of myself holding the fluke fishing rod and reel that was given to me at the meeting.  I can't wait to try it out!

Skunked on Saturday

After an eventful morning at the bait shop on Saturday the 18th I drove an extra 5 minutes down to my grandparents beach house where we decided we would take my grandfather's boat out into Quonochontaug Pond.  So my grandfather (Pop), Stephen Jordan, Mr. Bob Darigan, another expert fisherman from Quonochontaug, and I trailered the boat and moved it into the pond only a half mile away.  We were excited to go out fishing in the boat as it was my first time in the boat this year.  We decided that we would first 'tube and worm' in the pond in some of Mr. Darigan's and Pop's secret spots where they caught a lot of fish last year.  Tubing and worming is exactly as it sounds.  There is a long red tube which looks like an eel or a big worm and we attach live sand worms to the hooks.  This bait is then dropped off of the side of the boat and about thirty yards of line is let out of the reel and at that point the bail is hit and the bait is simply dragged along behind the boat.  An optimal speed for tubing and worming is between 2 and 2.2 mph as the bait will be dragging close to the bottom of the pond at that speed where most of the striped bass are found.  Below is a picture of a tube and worm rig.

However, we caught no luck with that and decided after about 45 minutes to just cast off of the boat around rocky islands and the shore.  Striped bass are sometimes called rock fish because they are so often found near rocks and the shore.  We fished around all of the best spots in the pond and I didn't even catch one fish!  My grandfather only caught one small striper and thats all we caught all day!  But as they say, 'a bad day fishing beats a good day working'!

Below is a picture of myself fishing off of the front of the boat.  Usually there is enough room for at least three people to be casting at the same time on a boat one in the front, middle, and back. However, space is definitely a limited resource and a major difference between fishing on land vs. on a boat.  Yet, fishing on a boat also allows you to get to places where only a boat can take you.  you can only cast so far off of land or the breachway while the boat leaves you with endless possibilities on where to fish.

Some Big Fish and Fishing Line

After I left the beach house on Friday the 17th I stopped at Breachway Bait and Tackle where I talked to Captain Mouchon and let him know I would be stopping by for a while the following morning.  He then proceeded to show me a cooler where the two fish below were being stored.  Both of those had been caught that morning, one by him and the other by one of his customers.  These striped bass are huge and bigger than anything I have ever caught.  He claims that one of them weighed in about 34 pounds and the other close to 50 pounds.

The next morning I raced down to Breachway Bait and Tackle for about 8:30 am on Saturday the 18th.  I spent about three or four hours there with Captain Mouchon and his customers.  On this day he showed me how to take line off and put new line on to a reel.  There is a special machine in which you use your foot on a pedal to create a speed at which the line will spin.  Then you balance the line and the reel in your fingers and either help to place the line on or take the old line off of the reel.  Unfortunately I do not have a picture of myself using the machine but below is a picture of the same machine that I used.

Line is extremely important when it comes to fishing.  Depending on which type of fish you are fishing for it is important to have enough line as well as strong enough line to reel in the fish.  Certain lines are only meant to hold a certain amount of weight and if a big fish is on the end of a weak line that line has a much greater chance of breaking.  There are two main types of fishing line known as monofilament and braided.  Braided is a newer type of fishing line and there is a huge debate that is ongoing about which line is better.  There are several pros and cons to both such as braided allows you to feel every little bump in the water and there is no 'memory' in the line meaning that there are less potential knots when reeling it in.  However, people have used monofilament line forever and have always caught fish without a problem.  Monofilament is cheaper as well and people say if something is working why change it?!  Furthermore, at the end of the line you should tie a piece of leader line which is what connects your line to your lure and hopefully to your fish.  This leader is usually very hard and will not break easily.  If a blue fish comes along with sharp teeth or any other fish with sharp teeth hopefully this leader will not break as easily as if the lure was simply tied directly to the line.

Below is a picture of myself tying a new lure onto my line.  it may be difficult to see but there is a clear difference between the leader and the line.  Knots are very important when it comes to fishing as well.  You do not want to have any knot come loose and have that be the reason you lose the fish!  The knot I am tying below is a classic fisherman's knot which will not come undone.  You first wrap the line three times around itself then put the end into the hole that forms and then finally put the end into the next hole that forms.  You then pull tight on the lure and leader and the knot will fasten itself right close to the lure.  It is also important to cut any stray ends of line which could be a dead give away to the fish.  Some old toenail clippers work great!

First Day Fishing

Friday May 17 was the first day this year I casted my lure out into the ocean.

I drove down to my grandparents beach house in Quonochontaug, Rhode Island along with my cousin Jake.  As soon as we got there my grandfather said "let's go".  So we got the rods and reels out along with the several bags filled with lures, lines, pliers and countless other fishing accessories which could be needed out on the breachway.  We walked a short distance down to the breachway where two other men were already casting and catching stripers!  We quickly set down our bags and cast into the breachway.

On my first cast of the year I caught a small striped bass!  The tide was going out so I had casted slightly right so the lure would go with the tide and once I had reeled the lure about half way across the breachway the fish hit the lure!  I immediately set the hook in the fishes mouth with a quick jerk of the rod and proceeded to easily reel the fish up onto the rocks we were fishing off of.  Even though the fish was small I was ecstatic and thought to myself wow this is going to be a great day.  Below are pictures of myself holding the fish as well as the lure I caught it on.  This lure is called a Bubble Gum Ron-Z.  The tequnique of reeeling this lure is to reel it in at a moderate pace with a constant jig every time the reel spins around.  This means that I would reel in the lure and then jerk the entire rod each time I reeled around once to simulate a real bait fish in the water.

After that first catch we continued to fish off of the breachway for a couple more hours only catching two more fish!  I caught one more and my grandfather caught one.  Jake got skunked! Even though there were not too many fish caught it was still an excellent day out on the breach way and a great way to start off my fishing this year.

Below is a picture of the second fish that I caught with a different lure.  This lure is reeled in a similar manner and jigging is definitely a key aspect of fishing with this lure.  As you can see I am holding this fish from the bottom of its mouth.  When holding a striped bass this is the safest way for you and the fish.  One does not want to hold the fish from its gills as they are easily damaged and when letting the fish go the fish could become injured.  Furthermore, stripers do not have teeth that are going to bite down on your fingers so your fingers will stay safe!

Below we also have a picture of expert fisherman Stephen Jordan.  He is holding a small striper which was one of only three caught this day. 

Here is also a picture of my cousin Jake as well with perfect form casting from the breachway.  A true rookie of a fisherman he is learning the trade well and knows exactly how to pose for the camera.

First Day On The Job

May 11 was my first day on the job down at Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown.

Even though this was a week before senior projects were even supposed to start I figured I would get a head start and follow Captain Mouchon on a Saturday afternoon.  I arrived at 10:30 am and had only planned on staying for an hour or so but didn't end up leaving until past 2:30.  Captain Mouchon was extremely welcoming and let me help him out when fixating headlights onto his charter boat as well as help out customers in the Bait Shop.  Below is a picture of Captain Mouchon and me on his boat The Baitrunner.  He uses this boat throughout the spring and summer to commercial fish for striped bass as well as bring people on chartered tours fishing for striped bass, fluke, or whatever else is hitting at that time of the year.

There were many different customers that day, each one was a character in himself.  The Captain had great relationships with all of them and it was easy to tell these were not only his customers at the shop but also his good friends.  Captain Mouchon will be out working on his boat and the a customer would come and we would talk with that customer for an easy twenty minutes and help him out inside of the store before we would get back to work on the boat.  When I first walked into the shop he was down in the basement working on fixing some fishing rods preparing them for the upcoming season.  Below is a  picture of Captain Mouchon working on these rods.

Fishing in itself builds friendships.  Everybody that fishes has an immediate common interest and everyone that fishes also loves to fish.  Fishing is a camaraderie and no matter how much fishermen bust each other up they are always bound together for their love to fish.  However, fishing can also be extremely competitive as I learned from some of Captain Mouchon's customers who told me stories of encounters they have had fishing on the Charlestown Breachway.  There are certain rules and guidelines at each fishing spot such as the breachway and when someone new comes along and breaks those rules it can immediately bring hostility to the group.  However, everyone who is out there just wants to catch fish and at the end of the day there is nothing better than the feeling when a striped bass whacks your lure and you have a fish on!!

Here is a final picture of Captain Ron Mouchon and me in Breachway Bait and Tackle.

Hello All

Hello,

My name is Mitchell Maloof and I am currently a senior at Moses Brown School.  For my final senior project I have decided I will go fishing with my grandfather, Stephen Jordan, learning all of the different techniques and strategies of fishing for striped bass, whether it is out in the boat or simply off the Quonochontaug breachway.  Mr. Jordan is an expert fisherman who has fished a countless number of places around the world and has been fishing in Rhode Island for over thirty-five years.  He and I will be mostly fishing for striped bass, focusing on when, where, and why they are caught the most.  Different tides, times of the day, seasons, lures, water temperatures, and location all impact where a fish will most likely be found.  We may also fish for fluke, black sea bass, and bluefish.

During this project I will also be shadowing as well as fishing with Captain Ron Mouchon.  He is the owner of Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown, Rhode Island.  He is a commercial fisherman who has been fishing in Rhode Island for all of his life.  I will be working at the bait shop, learning from everything that Captain Mouchon has to offer.  He is an extremely knowledgable fisherman and I hope to learn the maximum I can from Captain Mouchon and my Grandfather about striped bass fishing in Rhode Island.

Here is just an image from last year that I will leave you with.  It is a picture from the fourth of July when I was fishing with my grandfather off of the Quonochontaug breachway.  The fish is a striped bass and was caught on a topwater jigging lure.  There was a rough outgoing tide and the water was leaving the pond and flowing out into the ocean.  I made the cast directly into the rip current and let the lure float out further into the rip.  As soon as I started reeling in the fish whacked the lure and I reeled in this striper for about five or ten minutes.  One could easily visibly see the fish jumping out of the water this day in the rip current where they come to feed on the bait coming out of the pond.