The Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament ended Sunday with a winning striped bass measuring 51 inches caught by team “Frayed Knot” led by Capt. Richard Lipsitz of North Kingstown.
Over 90 anglers participated in the two-day event. “We doubled the number of anglers we had last year, and with a matching grant for Capt. Nick’s Rock & Roll Bar, we were able to make a $4,350 contribution to the Block Island Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department,” said Capt. Chris Willi of Block Island Fishworks, the tournament host.
Over $10,000 in prizes, gift cards and tournament swag were awarded at the “Afterparty,” which took place at Capt. Nick’s Rock & Roll Bar on Block Island.
There was a three-way tie for first place team among teams Frayed Knot, Green Mountain Boys and Grateful 5.
The tournament included shore, fly fishing, youth and boat divisions. Striped bass and bluefish for all divisions plus black sea bass and fluke for boat and youth divisions. There was also a team prize, with photo division prizes taken with the Block Island Wind Farm in background awarded for best fish, best scenic and best team photos.
Here are the tournament results.
Boat Division winners: Striped Bass — Frayed Knot — 51 inches; Bluefish — Frayed Knot — 37 inches; Fluke — Green Mountain Boys — 24.5 inches; and BSB — Green Mountain Boys — 23 inches.
Winners of the Youth the Division: Bluefish — Ashley Kalus — 23 inches; Fluke — Grateful 5 — Hayes Jansen — 18 inches; and Black Sea Bass Violet Snow – 20inches.
Shore Division winners: Striped Bass — Max Eicoff — 26 inches; Bluefish — Sean Hughes — 32 inches.
There was one Fly Fishing Division winner: Striped Bass — Arek Zenel Walasek — 26.5 inches.
The Team category had a three-way tie among Grateful 5, Green Mountain Boys and Frayed Knot. Each team won two categories.
The photo contest winners: best scenic photo, Dariusz Kolodziejczak; best team photo, Grateful 5; and best fish photo, Wendy Northup.
Where’s the bite?
Striped bass and bluefish: Elisa Cahill of Snug Harbor Marina in South Kingstown said, “The striped bass bite at Block Island and along the southern coastal shore is very good. Anglers are catching large bass above the slot size (28 to less than 35 inches). Eels, jigging with wire on the troll, and trolling tube & worm and umbrella rigs are all working”. Mike Wade of Watch Hill Outfitters said, “The reefs off Westerly are loaded with large bass. Anglers are continuing to catch fish of all sizes using eels.” “Customers continue to catch large bass at Block Island with eels, particularly at night,” said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box in Warwick. East End Eddie Doherty said, “Bluefish invaded the Cape Cod Canal and were being caught everywhere for a couple of days (this week) from the railroad bridge to the herring run and all the way to the east end … Some slot-sized striped bass and larger are being caught periodically by soaking pogies and other old-school enticements, as some anglers are having more success chunking than throwing lures.”
Summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass and scup: The fluke bite off Block Island was not great this weekend, as anglers fishing the Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament had difficulty hooking up with keeper summer flounder. The first-place tournament fluke was a 24.5-inch summer flounder caught by the Green Mountain Boys team who also took the first-place team prize, tied with two others. “The scup bite in the Bay for 13- to 18-inch fish is outstanding,” Giddings said. “Anglers are hooking up at Conimicut Point and the Rocky Point Fishing Pier. Summer flounder is being caught at the Newport and Jamestown bridges and off Newport, where a 14-pound and a 16-pound fish were caught last week.” Cahill noted, “Fluke fishing is actually much better along the coastal shore than out at Block Island. For the time being, I would suggest fishing closer to shore.” Giddings said, “Freshwater largemouth bass fishing is now down deep due to warm water with angles using drop shot to get down. If I had the time, I would be surface fishing at night because these fish have surface to eat.”
