Rhode Island: The Striped Bass Are Blowing Up, Literally!

by | Salt Water

Striper Explosion Video

I have a confession. All my life I’ve lived to paddle, fish, and explore rivers and streams in the States and abroad, and I never thought anything could draw me away from this passion. Until a recent phone call drew me away from my typical summer fly fishing haunts a put me face to face with the most explosive fly fishing my eyes have seen. Just off a two week trip to Finland I spent the next two days on the phone non stop catching up on business and closing on a home and blah, blah, blah, when the call came in from Jeremy. ”Dude, you gotta get down here now!” The tone of his voice was different then our typical casual “how’s the fishing been” conversations, and I knew it was time to roll. Within an hour I was bombing down I-95 with his last words echoing in my head…”it’s blowing up!” I’ve heard the phrase “blowing up” before, and have even used it a time or myself, but nothing I was envisioning in my head could prepare me for the events I would soon witness. Dawn came and Jeremy put the hammer down as we came around the break wall and into the morning chop, I quickly wore my coffee but had no need for it any longer as I was wide awake, and surrounded by clear blue seas. Moments into the day we saw our first pod of fish the size of a semi truck on top, eating krill. I was blown away…this is it I thought as I fired a cast and hooked into a nice striper. Then things really got interesting as Jeremy pointed towards a reef and said “get ready bro” As we drew closer to the reef my jaw dropped. Before me was an enormous school of fish on top the size of two football fields end to end. I stood on deck and got ready to cast, legs shaking from the anticipation. “Not yet” Jeremy said “let’s get one clean shot” He positioned the boat perfectly as the school turned and was heading right at us. “Go!” I fired my clouser into the pod and by the time I got control of my line it was tight. A ten minute battle ensued and I brought my first ever Bluefish to hand. I must have got lucky landing him as I didn’t have a wire leader. What a fight. It really takes teamwork to be successful and by days end I was amazed at how efficient we’d become and timing the shots and making them count. Jeremy definitely knows these waters well and how to position the boat in these tricky currents which was a huge part of the day’s success. I was constantly reminded of the treacherous nature of these waters as we passed a few shipwrecked boats. The daylight grew dim as we made our way back towards harbor as I gazed toward the setting sun with a satisfied grin. ”It isn’t over yet!” I heard Jeremy howl as we motored towards a jagged shoal covered with a dark grey mass of fish chowing down on krill. “Get ready to cast!” The boat swung wide as I feverishly stripped line from the reel “There moving left” he said “Get ready!” The boat slowed, the pod turned, face to face now. “Go!” I threw long again and went tight immediately. The fish I’d hooked slapped its tail and sent the entire school into a panic! The water literally blew up before my eyes, my jaw dropped as I reeled in the last fish of an unforgettable day fly fishing.

11 Comments

  1. jeremy on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    boz .. that was freaking awesome! so glad we had the camera running and the boat and you positioned the way it was when that pod “blew up” … i know what ya mean, from now on when i hear people saying “dude, they were blowing up” … i’ll have a tough time believing that they are “blowing up” more than that …. that was nuts … i was trying to explain it to people and the only analogy i could come up with was, “dude, imagine throwing a stick of dynamite in the water .. that’s what it looked like” …. can’t wait to hit the salt with you again i had allot of fun fishing with you … we have good karma together .. tarpon this spring, 30 inch togue and big salmon on foot etc… good things happen when we fish together .. and always a ton of laughs …

  2. waterwhippa on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    What a high energy environment! The salt is a whole different ball game, teeming with life. Glad you guys were able to capitalize on the cards you were handed. So many variables involved, the most pronounced of which is the weather….it’s always a gamble and on mother natures terms. Those fish freaking out is a prime example of survival of the fittest….everything is bait out there. Excellent

  3. Fisherboy on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Boz…that is a day of a lifetime. I am sure you were amazed when you saw all of the stripers and bluefish feeding ever so gently on the top. That is an awsome bluefish and footage of the blow-up too! Must of thought you were a shark or somthing…

  4. Shaq on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Wow, that was awesome. Such a sight. Very cool. Can’t wait to get on the salt again.

  5. Marcel_Karssies on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Very inspiring to say the least, the only time I have ever seen fish exploding was when a large Tarpon hit a school of mullet from below.

  6. ChrisR on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Nice work boz. Looks like it didn’t take long for you to adapt to the salt dude. Both fish are beauties. RI sure has it’s share of monster blues. Can’t wait to see the hard tail post. They’re moving in. I’m sure Jeremy will be dialed in to the when and where to get you on some bones and fat alberts.

  7. MarshallD on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    “The Call”….. I know. You HAVE to go when you get the “blowup call”!

    Kind of like fire works on Fourth of July or Midnight on New Years Eve….a major fly fishing event that just happens around a certain time; like huge Hex hatches, blitz Striper-Bluefish frenzies, Tarpon migrations in May, ….they all occur or don’t occur when they’re supposed to….but you and jer being there when it this one happened is the best. I hope your forarm hurts like hell!

  8. Boz on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Thanks for all the good comments.
    That my first time fishing the salt in NE from a boat, and a day I will never forget for sure. Thanks Jeremy.

    Whip- “everything is bait in the ocean”
    so true…there is always a bigger fish out there.

  9. jeremy on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    ya exactly … and if not careful … it could be very very easy to become the bait .. the ocean is a very powerful force … things can change in the blink of an eye .. and things can go bad quick …. as my grandmother always told me .. “you have to respect the ocean” …. whenever i find myself getting too comfortable, i just think of things like “the perfect storm”. the titanic or the story of the indianapolis during world war II … very real, very scary and as soon as your feet leave land and you head out on the ocean, you really are at the mercy of the ocean …. i always am very cognicent of wind and weather forecasts and tides and moon phases whether i am on a boat or on foot .. because a nice calm day of fishing can very quickly turn into a nightmare due an almost limitless number of things that could go wrong that you didn’t plan on .. fog, wind, big tides, high surf, etc….

  10. ChaChing on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    That is just insane. Awesome Job!!!!!

  11. kal9wt on November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    just plain silly. great shot.