Thursday, December 8, 2011

Shifting Gears

I am now shifting gears.  I have ended my striper fishing along the south shore due to lack of fish.  However, realize there are still a few fish around, and for those who want to put in the effort, you may even catch some right up until Christmas.  I'm figuring my best bet is to now focus closer to home in the Upper Bay and the Providence River for holdover stripers.  In the past this area has been productive in December and I am hoping it's good this year.
I'm also looking forward to winter carp fishing.  As many of you know, I do fish seriously for these monsters of freshwater, and last winter I  did catch them all winter long in moving, ice free water.  I am also planning to ice fish if the ice ever comes.  In the past I have jigged extensively in many of the ponds in RI and usually catch good numbers of crappie, bass, bluegills, perch and pickerel.


Finally, what I do more than fish in the wintertime is skiing.  What many of you don't know is that I am a nationally certified ski instructor, something I have been doing in the wintertime for the last 40 years (yikes, I am getting old).  I ski 3-5 times a week, teach at Yawgoo Valley, and usually get up to Wachusett Mountain once a week. On many winter days I am skiing in the daytime and fishing for striped bass at night. You gotta love New England winters!
So, I am in the process of shifting gears and have already started looking for wintering stripers in the Upper Bay.  I haven't found any yet, but it is only a matter of time.