Good News For Fishermen, Bad for Black Sea Bass

My cousin, Matthew, who likes little better than fishing with his father and cousin on the El Sid summer weekends, asked me what the fishing was like in winter. So, by way of research, I asked the woman who poked her head out of the shop next door to Paulie's this morning if the tackle shop was open in winter. "Sometimes," she said. Which about sums up the state of things off season out here.

There is, for example, a sign in the window of Pamela's New Beginnings, a nail salon, that indicates that the shop is closed on Mondays. When I stopped by on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, however, Pamela was a no show, which I guess is why she also has a large "closed" sign next to the hours sign. I guess Pamela, like Paulie, is open sometimes. But I digress. This is a post about fishing, not fingernails.

Three jolly fishermen who caught these fish in summer

In winter, Paulie's Tackle Shop is open sometimes...

Johnny's, never

According to my husband, a veteran surfcaster, no one fishes off the beach in winter. I'm inclined to take his word for it, because, a/ he knows this stuff, and b/ it is too cold to go down to the beach at the Point to investigate.

The docks are almost as quiet as the beach, but if you're bound and determined to catch fish, there are a few party and charter boat companies out here that will be happy to oblige. Especially this winter, since the Governor extended the season for black sea bass from January 1st through February 26th to help offset some of the economic losses suffered by the fishing industry at the hand of Hurricane Sandy. This, of course, was good news for the fishermen, bad news for the black sea bass.

The Viking Fleet, for example, has a trip every Friday, Saturday and Sunday to Block Island that leaves at 3 a.m. and returns at 3 p.m. For $120, you can cast your rod and catch, as they did last weekend, cod, black sea bass, red and silver hake and "tons of big silver eels." Or, for $160, you can catch their 40-60 Mile Wreck Trip (it goes to the site of old shipwrecks; doesn't become one), this Saturday and Sunday, which departs at 3 a.m. and returns at 6 p.m. Need I say, dress warm.

It's pretty quiet at the docks in winter....

...but Viking  knows where to find the fish.