Ice Fishing Safety

A few people came through the office this week talking about going ice fishing over the long weekend. Ice fishing can be a lot of fun, but remember to always be cautious out there. If it is your first time heading out you might want to connect with someone who has some experience. Not only will it increase your success rate, but they can share with you some tips to make your time safer and more comfortable. Click here to visit MassWildlife's Ice Strength and Safety page for more information.

Tight lines!

Spencer's Tuna Trip

A few months ago, Spencer told me about a great trip he had on Riptide Charters. They had a bunch of hookups and landed several fish on top water plugs... Over vacation I just happened to follow a link to Riptide's video page on Vimeo and was surprised to a picture of Spencer holding a fish. Looks like a great trip!

Malloy from Capt. Terry Nugent (Riptide) on Vimeo.

Welcome Back!

Happy New Year and welcome back to school! Don't forget to renew those fishing licenses.

Report from the Field

Chris V. sent this photo in from Florida. He is reporting plenty of cooperative mahi mahi and sailfish. Turkey or mahi for Thanksgiving? Tough call.

SJP Wins All Scholastic Fishing Challenge

The All Scholastic Fishing Challenge took place on November 15 at the Putnamville Reservoir and the Prep's fishing club edged out Central Catholic in the final hour of competition thanks to the efforts of Derek W. and Paul C.

The two teams arrived at the reservoir under overcast conditions and calm winds. The water levels were low which allowed participants to reach structure that typically not accessible under normal conditions. Despite having promising new spots to fish, both teams struggled to catch fish for the first 1.5 hours of the competition. Central Catholic struck first with a nice pickerel. Fishing remained slow for the next two hours, until Derek W. caught a 23" pickerel which tied the score. Approximately 20 minutes later and less then an hour left in the competition, Paul C. caught another pickerel which was enough to take the lead and ultimately win the event.



At the conclusion of the tourney, both schools returned to the Prep for awards, pizza, and conversation. Even though the fish were not as cooperative as the two teams would have liked, everyone managed to have a good time on the water.

Fishing begins in the second annual tournament.

Paul's tie-breaking fish

The two teams take a break from pizza for a group photo

All Scholastic Fishing Challenge II

SJP vs. Central Catholic fishing showdown is coming quick. We are hosting this year's event at the Putnuville Reservoir on November 15. Registration materials are available and you must sign up by November 12th to participate (all students are welcome to sign up). For your entry fee of $25 you will get to fish the tourney, transportation to and from the Prep, a t-shirt, pizza (compliments of Student Activities), and the satisfaction of knowing that all proceeds raised will be supporting a local food bank.

Many of you have been asking me about the tournament format. Here is the scoop for this year's event: Each fish caught and released has a point value. panfish = 1 point; pickerel = 2 points; bass (largemouth/smallmouth) = 3 points. The school with the most points at the end of the day will take home the trophy. Awards will also be given to several students earning the greatest number of points.

There has been some strategy being discussed by a few club members. Surprisingly, most of the talk is coming from the fly rodders in the group. It sounds as though they will be targeting the panfish on small flies. We'll see how it goes!

Keep the Fishing Stoke Going!

For many of us (particularly the saltwater crowd), the fishing this fall did not go as planned. As a result, I've noticed a few SJP fishing club members not as perky as they usually are this time of year. If you thought about hanging up the rods for good, then I would strongly encourage you to click through the following two online magazines: This Is Fly, and Catch Magazine. Both publications released new editions this past week and are stocked full of great fly fishing articles, images, and interactive features. Perhaps they are not a substitute for a keeper striper on the fly, or casting to busting tuna, but it is something!