July 10 2015 Newport RI Spearfishing Report - Rob Marvelle

Report Contributor : MARES Team Diver Rob Marvelle

Report Date: July 10, 2015:
Area: Newport - RI

Date: July 10, 2015

Time: 8am - 2pm

Location: Newport - from Third Beach to Jamestown

Tide: Incoming (low was 8:45am)

Surface State: Choppy, 2-3’ sea in most areas, calm when we were out of the wind

Wind Direction: NE 10-15 turning S @ 5mph

Water Temp: 67

Visibility: 3-5 towards the beach / 10-15 everywhere else

Barometric Pressure: 29.95

Atmospheric Condition: Overcast and breezy turning sunny and calm towards the end of the day

Fish Taken: (1) Bass @ 27lbs

Notable Equipment: MARES Viper Pro 75cm Speargun / MARES Smart Apnea Free Dive computer

Notes: We left out of Ft.Adams on the f/v ScottyB and headed towards 3rd beach to hunt some rock piles.  Vis was pretty poor over there in most spots but managed some pockets of 3-5 in the deeper water. Got into a school of fish at about 22’ and passed an easy shot on a 30lb fish.

From the beach we headed towards Ocean drive and made a stop near Lands End to look at a rock I found a few years back.  Vis was really nice but nothing on the bass front. 

We debated a bit about our final spot but decided to make a run west to check out the Rocky Cliffs of Jamestown.  Vis was again really good with the incoming tide.  On several drops I had smaller fish 30-34” come by along with a few schools of small blue fish.  Towards the end of my swim I had a small bass swim underneath me along the 15’ kelp covered bottom.  It was near the end of my surface interval so after a short breath up I made the drop to the shallow bottom and set up in the direction the fish was swimming (facing up a gradual slope).  The low kelp provided good cover and within 30 seconds a school of bass surrounded me.  Most of the fish appeared to be 15-20lbs with a slightly larger one just on the outside of the group.  I made the decision to take a mid body shot (given the distance) and the viper struck with lethal precision.  The fish bolted for deeper water and assuming I had put a solid shot on the fish I wrapped up on the line and went for a nice ride through the water.  It was a good way to end a fun day on the water with friends.