By CAPT. DAVE MONTI

The New England Saltwater Fishing Show is this weekend Friday, Mar. 11 to Sunday, March 13 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. If you like to fish on the salt you are in for a big treat. The show is the largest saltwater fishing show of its type in the Northeast. The Show features tackle, rods, reels, lures, electronics, charter guides, boats, engines, accessories, clothing and much more. Over 300 fishing related manufactures are represented at the show.

“You won’t want to miss the show specials offered by exhibitors and the great ‘how to’ seminars being offered by some of our areas top fishers,” said Greg Vespe, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association, Show sponsors. “Learn strategies and tactics to target the species that we all love to catch, eat or release … striped bass, summer flounder, tautog and a host of others.”

The New England Saltwater Fishing Show will be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center on Friday, Mar. 11, from noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Mar. 12, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Mar. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Children under 12 will be admitted free and March 13 is Family Day with all women admitted free.

The show starts with a special Launch Event on Friday, Mar. 11, 11:30 a.m. adjacent to the ticket office on the second floor. The symbolic sounding of vessel horns will take place with Janet Coit, Assistant Administrator for NOAA; Terrance Gray, Director of the RI Department of Environmental Management; Greg Vespe, Executive Director and Dawn Filliatreault Wood, President of the Board, RI Saltwater Anglers Association with other Association and government leaders.

Launch Ceremony participants will sound vessel horns, one long and three short blasts, symbolic of a vessel leaving its dock. Following the Ceremony participants will take a brief Show tour.

Learning how to cast with a spinning rod and reel

Leaning how to cast a spinning rod and reel takes practice. The more you do it, the better you get. But knowing the basics can go a long way.

Capt. Ken Cooper, a fellow fishing writer and an active Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association member loves to take his grandchildren fishing. And, when it came time for them to graduate from bottom fishing for scup to casting lures for stripers and blues, he wanted to help them become proficient casters.

Capt. Cooper put together a seven count methodology for casting spin tackle that was easy for them to master and produced fine casts in fairly short order. He would practice on a quiet beach and counted out loud together at each step. Here are the steps he laid out for them:

1. Grasp the rod with your index finger ahead of the reel seat. Position the rod slightly away from your body, not tucked in tight to your body.

2. Make sure the lure is overhanging the rod tip by about two feet and that the bail is properly positioned in the vertical alignment.

3. Open the bail with your free hand,

4. Grasp the line with the index finger or your rod hand.

5. With your free hand, grasp the rod near the butt of the rod handle. Now look behind you to make sure there are no people or obstructions with which you could possibly make contact.

6. Bring the rod back over your shoulder and cast it forward using one speedy, continuous motion, back and then immediately forward, with wrist snap, releasing the line from your index finger when the rod is in about the 10 o’clock position on its forward motion. Power comes from pulling down and in rapidly with the hand that is grasping the rod butt and not from pushing forward with the hand that is grasping the rod at the reel seat.

7. Remove your free hand from the rod butt, use it to close the bail, and then begin reeling.
Capt. Ken said, “Over the years, as my grandkids’ friends or other novice children and adults came to fish with me, I found that it was often even better to start them out with just a rod, no reel, and focus mainly on the rod and hand motions described in Count 6. Once that’s mastered, we would add the reel and begin the full seven count training.”

Capt. Ken said, “The key to success seems to be breaking down the cast into its elements and counting off each step together and out loud until a fluid rhythm develops.”

Where’s the bite?

Freshwater. “We are in a slow period. Prior to trout season ending last week customers were caching trout. We weighed in a three pound fish. But now things are very slow. Some anglers targeting largemouth bass but that is about it,” said Neil Hayes of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, North Kingstown. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside, said, “Willet Avenue pond was producing for some of our younger angles fishing there on school vacation last week but things have slowed down. Some customers buying shiners are fishing in northern Massachusetts where some ponds still have safe ice.”

Cod. Party boats fishing for cod south of Cape Cod and off Rhode Island weather permitting include the Frances Fleet at www.francesfleet.com , the Seven B’s at www.sevenbs.com, and the Island Current at www.islandcurrent.com.

Dave Monti holds a captain’s master license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business focusing on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy, and fisheries related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verison.net or visit www.noflukefishing.com.