September 19 2015 - Narragansett Bay Spearfishing Report

Report Contributor - Mike Chace / New England Freedive Spearfishing Co

Event: 1'st Annual Tristate Skindivers Polespear Meet

Conditions: flat seas, 79 degrees

Visibility: 3 -5 feet

Notable Gear: Crist Spears Phoenix Polespear, Mares Razor Carbon Fins, Mares Smart Apnea Freediving Wrist Computer

Diving Location: East Passage of Narragansett Bay

Water temp: 70 degrees surface

Morning started out with a good game plan and weather looking like conditions would cooperate, Hoping the fish were still where left them when scouting last week. The last two weeks has seen the fall influx of bait everywhere in the lower and upper bay so we planned on diving inside and trying to use the calmer conditions and bait to our advantage. An early start from Bristol boat ramp had us fogged in thick with less than 60 foot visibility and glass sea. Putting out at head speed to the east passage took an hour plus longer than the 30 minute usual trip with all the boats traffic in the fog.

First stop was large pier structure with 17-25 ft depth below pier dropping off to 30 + along the sides. Right off the back grabbed a tourny size tautog missed a beautiful fluke about 22 inches and lost a larger maybe 24 inches in the murk as it tried to keep up with it in the short visibility. Had to leave to pick up another diver at rendezvous point across the bay. Upon returning to same spot 3 of us were getting in all using Crist Phoenix Polespears. The Crist Phoenix polespear has a 6 1/2 ft long shaft with an 18 inch flopper head making it the ideal size for our dirty New England waters and plenty of backbone to punch a decent bass. I was the first over the side and kicked up to the edge of the  structure and dropped to find a 29 inch bass sitting behind the first pole waiting to burst on the pods of  peanut bunker and took him with shot through the gill plate. I swam over and handed the bass over the side and our poor captain grabbed it and had a couple of dorsal fin spines pierce his hand during the deck melee. My bad for not pithing the fish first, I felt terrible.

The next hour produced a couple of tautog and my bud picked a nice black sea bass under the pylons. Maneuvering polespears through the dock structure proved tricky so I began to approach the fish from the outside working in to fire into the holes int he structure where the fish would run to hide when you dropped on them. My captain approached me to tell me had just had a big black sea bass spine him through his dive glove and under his thumb nail while trying to get a handle on it after spearing it. He was heading back to the boat to check it out.

12:30 we picked up and headed to spot two. Spot two is another long cement dock structure with 50 foot depths underneath. Decent bass were ambushing bait as we threw the hook and set the boat. First diver in yelled over to "get our asses in the water, bass everywhere". Visibility in this spot was about the same 3-5 when down at least 20 feet. Almost every drop you would find yourself amid schools of borderline legal size bass. When i was separate from my dive buddies by 30 yards or so I dropped into a school of all 40 inch plus size fish, but having already secured my bass for the day surfaced and called them over to have at them . Other than recording your depth logs and monitoring surface intervals, a good freediving wrist computer (mine is the Mares Smart Apnea) also proves most useful in circumstances like these, to be able to tell others what depth your spotting good fish at. In this case yesterday, at 25 - 30  feet you could stop and hang out alongside the pillars and then the bass that scattered on your approach would come back in to shooting distance. Water temp as this depth was 65 degrees. Drops deeper produced no sign, they had there happy spot in the water column feeding. My captain was heading back to the boat with his hand in pain so we followed. Upon getting aboard he determined that the black sea bass spine had broken off deep under his thumb nail. Time to get off the water and get our captain some med attention. He was clearly in major discomfort and had ll he could do to handle bringing the boat back to dock and getting it on the trailer. Great friends needing med help trump weigh-ins, so there is always next year. Looked like the Tristate Skindivers had a great turnout and some excellent polespear fish weighed in. Thanks for a great day on the water with two great guys. Fall diving in the bay should only be getting better the next few weeks, get at it !

August 22 2015 - North Atlantic Junior Spearfishing Championship

Date: August 22, 2015
Location: Sachuest Point - Middletown, RI
Event: North Atlantic Junior Spearfishing Championship

New England Freedive Spearfishing Co had the pleasure to be a sponsor the 2015 North Atlantic Junior Spearfishing Championship at held at Sachuest Point this past Saturday. This event is hosted by the Mass Freedivers Spearfishing Club. The tradition of this meet goes back to Mass Freedivers Club founder Phil Stevenson who wanted to organize and host an event to help introduce freedive spearfishing to the next generation. Most of the young competing are usually doing so with limited gear and the great sponsors who have been involved with the Mass Freedivers Club supporting this event over the years have made it possible to help outfit the young competitors with a wide variety of gear to help get them going, or help further their development as they progress in the sport. My children have competed in this event the past couple of years and I have seen how they have directly benefited by the generosity of the sponsors and the efforts of the Mass Freedivers Club. It was an honor this year to do my part to sponsor this great event and get to spend the day with such a great group of kids, families and friends.

I was diving with my 10 year old son Ethan that day and planned to join our dive with friend Teddy O'Rourke and his son Patrick. My boys and Patrick have become good friends form attending this event the last couple of years so the boys were stoked to be able to dive together, overseen by the safe presence of their dads. The wind and water cooperated offering flat seas for the kids and safe conditions. A short walk out on the point to the spot we had picked out and in few minutes we were slipping into the warm water to find mother ocean was going to give the kids some decent visibility for the day.

For the next couple of hours the kids were gifted with a chance to see some of the visiting tropical fish to the area which had us parents yelling back and forth, "hey do you see this", "we've got a couple of ---- over here" . I think we were just as stoked as the boys as this was a treat for us too. Finally I glanced over a ledge on my left side and saw a harvesting size tautog lying hiding in the crack between the ledge. As i tapped my son Ethan on the shoulders and pointed to my left and said "good fish .... you can shoot him". Not occurring to me that i was directly between my son and the fish he tried to swim around me and the rock to get an angle on the fish. But with the added commotion of two people gawking at him, the fish was only going to stick around so long..... gone. Outside of quick trigger fish coming off a shelf a few minutes before that, that was the only legal size fish we saw on our dive.

But the tropical fish, big schools of peanut bunker and bay anchovies were remarkable view for the boys to take in. When it was time to get out the boys met on the rocks on shore and were exchanging their stories about all the sea life they had seen, and each had the infamous "one that got away" story. Man they sounded just like their two dads I thought to myself, that's exactly how Teddy and I end each dive together... sitting on the gunnel of the boat or rock on the shore exchanging stories.  Each day we are gifted to spend in mother ocean should be cherished and hopefully enjoyed with a dive buddy who feels the same. Along with all the safety protocols of freedive spearfishing, this "experience" is what I hope my boys gather from each of these trips and it will help build a love for the sport and respect for the ocean and friends.

Back at the weigh in, it was great to see new comer Sam Anderson had harvested a nice blackfish and was going to place first in the tournament along with winning the largest fish category. He was extremely grateful to his cousin Mike who has taken the time to get him interested in the sport, bring him to the event and be his adult dive buddy for the day.

The Mass Freedivers Club awarded prizes to all the young competitors, who went away from the tournament with some great new gear to help them progress in their sport. A sincere thank you to the Mass Freedivers Club for continuing this tradition. My day ended when I tucked my little guy into bed and he hugged me and told me "Dad this was best day ever ! We are going next year again right?". Me... "Of course we are, and it was my best day ever too buddy". He threw me a shaka sign as I left the room and well, that just hit home.


Anyone who has an interest in sponsoring the next 2016 North Atlantic Junior Spearfishing Championship, please contact the Mass Freedivers Club for information. Getting involved is easy and very rewarding.

See you and your juniors at the 2016 North Atlantic Junior Spearfishing Championship !

August 8 2015 Moriches Inlet New York Spearfishing Report - Rob Navratil

Report Contributor : Rob Navratil

Report Date: August 8 2015:

Area: Moriches Inlet - NY

Visibility - Great

I did a last minute unplanned dive in Moriches on Saturday. The vis was awesome 15' + and clean on the top of incoming- beginning of outgoing. Lots of bait in the water and tons of life along the rock jetty. The inlet has been loaded with juvenile seabass all summer and this is the first year in 10+years of diving that inlet that I've seen scup around. I hit my secret fluke spots in 6ft of water and managed to get my 5 fish limit with the biggest fluke 23". The trigger fish seemed to be educated this late in the season and they bail out into the closest cave once they spot a diver. I got one trigger and also found a nice fat seabass. Once the tide picked up I checked out the normal bass spot and had a good school of solid fish hanging outside of the current. I got a good shot on a 34 pound bass which is a trophy for Moriches and especially for in August. Shore diving along the jetty in  Moriches has been very productive this season. I can't wait until tog season opens up, there are some giant white chins that like to taunt me where I go near their rocks.

August 5 - 6 2015 Montauk New York Spearfishing Report - Rob Navratil

Report Contributor : Rob Navratil

Report Date: August 5 - 6 2015:

Area: Montauk - NY

Visibility - Fair

 I had to chance to get out to Montauk diving on the Bass Bandit with Scott Troise. Had a good group of guys Wednsday and Thursday. The conditions for incoming tide was very tough. Wensday we had some pretty horrible visability the best being around 6ft. We got into the resident school of big bass a few times. I took the biggest bass of the day at 38 pounds the rest all being in the high 20's and low 30's. We had a few scup and some seabass in the mix.

The vis was a little bit better on Thursday but only around 8ft in some spots but most around 3ft of murky water. Passed on some mid 20-30 pound fish earlier in the day and hit a good school of big fish once on each drift. Only one bass was shot out of 6 guys. Had some big sea bass, few scup , and the even an elusive Montauk fluke to bring back to the cutting board.

July 24 2015 Bluewater Spearfishing Trip, Spearfishing a 90 lb Wahoo off the Rhode Island Coast - Chris Rowbottom & Mike Chace

Report Contributor: Mike Chace of New England Freedive Spearfishing Co and Chris Rowbottom

Report Date: Friday July 24, 2015

Area: Canyons / Offshore

Conditions; Perfect ! Sunny, 84 degrees, blue water.

Visibility: 60 - 70 + feet

Spearfishing a 90 lb Wahoo off of the RI Coast 

Mike Chace / NEF:

Notable Gear:
SpearMaster 3 ATM Spearfishing Float
Rob Allen Tuna 120 cm Speargun
Mares Razor Carbon Fins

Since winter we have been trying to get some trips scheduled with Captain Louis Defusco and Jack Sprengel at Hot-Reels Sportfishing Charters with the hopes of  getting offshore and seeing what our local offshore fishery could offer. Hot-Reels has been putting both rod and reelers and spearfisherman on some amazing fish. Their reputation as the monster offshore captains in the area is unsurpassed, so getting the trip day going completed the first part of the equation "being on the right boat with the right Captains. This trip came together on very short notice and I was stoked to have Chris Rowbottom on board from the start. I met up with Chris at Snug Harbor Marina Friday morning a little before 5:00 a.m. Upon exchanging some stories and organizing a game plan for the day on the ride out, his stoke for the blue water experience was infectious and had me pumped up. Learning that he had already taken some notable fish like a doggie in Tonga and yellowfin in Panama... I knew I had the 2nd part in place - a great dive buddy with some offshore experience. What we needed next was a cooperating sea and fish... both would fall into place.

We have some video we are putting together of the day, we will post that soon as well. Of course... with the fish coming into the flasher so quickly neither one of us had time to to turn the GoPros on for Chris' drop to shoot the fish. And mine got tilled down a little on my mask mount between the last dive and this drop. Heartbreakingly.... keeping some of the action just out of filming view. But you take what you can get.

Chris (pictured left below) was kind enough to offer his spearfishing report here below, so I hope you enjoy it.

Chris Rowbottom:

Notable Gear:
Ulusub 172 cm "El Bandito" Speargun
FRV - Freediver's Recover Vest

I have always been drawn to the water.  Every time I enter the water it’s like I am being reborn, an explosion to the senses, my soul is both at ease and electrified.  Every time I leave the water, I feel grateful for the opportunity and sad to be leaving.  I am sure all of us feel the same way.

At this time in my life I am obsessed with Bluewater!  The different colors of blue, the viz, the unknown- I am addicted.  I have been very fortunate in the past two years to have had some opportunities to dive in that beautiful blue, to learn and to feed the addiction!  Every place is different, every water is different.  The fish are different, but it’s always the unknown that keeps me coming back.

In the past year or so, through the hard work, smart minds, and dedication of some excellent fisherman, the idea of New England Bluewater has gone from a thought to a possibility to a reality.  My buddies and I were skeptical- so skeptical: is there enough structure?  Is there enough fish?  Are they in one place?  Can we get out there?  How much is the fuel bill!?  Pioneers crush the skeptics, and guys like Dashiel Marder, Chris Miller, Pete Correale, Jon from Ulusub , and others have brought back experience from other places and applied this to our local waters.

Last week, the call finally came.  Capt. DeFusco was putting together the first trips south and had some room on his boat.  Putting the word out resulted in a lot of “I can’t, I’m out of town, I have to work, I’m scouting for Tri-State and my favorite-Is there going to be any fish?”  Fortunately Mike Chace of New England Freedive shrugged off the nay-sayers and joined me for this trip.  Turns out, he’s been bugging those guys for months as well!  Finally 36 hours later, we were on the 38’ Donzi Hot Reels heading south.  Mike and I talked about what could happen.  “I am just eager to get into that Beautiful Blue!” I said, but I had to come clean and say- deep down in my soul, I want to see FISH!  By 7:30 in the morning we had seen porpoises, whales, a submarine!  By 8am we were in the water, and by 8:10, Mike had shot a nice mahi.  The day was to be split between the other fisherman trolling, jigging/popping and Mike and I spearing.  Mike and the troll produced some mahi, a small yellowfin and a nice albacore.  Finally we located a small log and trolled past.  The guys successfully landed a superb wahoo on a trolled plug.  My heart started to beat a little faster, a hunger grew in my soul as the Capt. said to suit up – we were going in next drift.

Mental checklists were done, suited up, dropped in.  I quickly loaded the El Bandito that “Ulusub Jon” was so kind to create for me- it’s a beast at 172cm and 4 bands, shooting a thick shaft and a Mori slip tip.  My homemade flasher was deployed and Mike appeared on the other side of it as the Donzi kicked off a little.  Mike and I were scanning all around, watching the flasher, breathing, relaxing, and hoping.  The next events happened in what felt like minutes but were really mili-seconds!  I was looking to my right, then scanned back and I see a grey shape gliding towards the flasher.  My thoughts were short and simple- “FISH!  Dive! Clear”.

Dropping down, the fish noticed me and turned to glide away and left.  I continued to drop, slowly closing the distance.  This is the first wahoo I have ever seen in the water and the sage advice of so many others were ringing in my ears.  Advice like: don’t look at the fish, don’t dive towards the wahoo, don’t chase the hoo, let it come back to you.  Well, I failed on all accounts!  I was lining up on the fish as it drifted further and further away into the haze, should I shoot?  Am I close enough?  Is it spooked?  Will it come back?  All millisecond thoughts- fast firing in my brain.  The last one-this fish looks big, I don’t want to F it up!  I lined up the Ulusub at the wahoo’s head, steadied, and pulled the trigger.  Time stood still.  The fish was gone, the shaft was gone, and I didn’t see the hit in the haze.  I watched as the bungee slowly slid by my, expecting I missed and the shaft was dragging the bungee deep.  One second later, the bungee arched a little toward the surface.  I hit the wahoo!  A few kicks and I was moving back for air, evidently giving Mike a thumbs up on the way.

After a ginger tug of war, the hoo was at the shooting line and Mike calmly dove to 30’ and put a shaft just behind the head.  We pulled the hoo up together, still not totally aware of it’s size, I was focused on the End Game.  Mike and I held the fish while I tried to brain it, but not knowing where a Hoo brain is, it took a little longer.  Finally Capt. Louis lip gaffed the fish and I could see the true size as it was pulled over the gunnel.  The fish is massive!  The long slender body just kept coming up from the blue, over the gunnel, kept coming and coming.

I am very honored for the opportunity to share the water with such a magnificent creature, with molas,  and lit up mahi.  To me, bluewater hunting is a team sport, I am so grateful for a great dive buddy, a superb Ulusub speargun, an FRV, and top notch Captain and crew.  So how is my addiction?  Unfortunately, it’s even worse now!  I can’t concentrate, my mind drifts back to the blue, the wahoo, hope, and the unknown.  For example, I filled the gas tank on our car, but I am not sure if it was diesel or gas!  I can’t concentrate at work, in meetings…my mind going back to our bluewater drifts.  Every day, all day.  I need to get back out there!

Mike:

The very fact that a comfortable boat ride away from my home you can slip over the gunnel of the boat into the bluest water I have ever seen, teaming with life of every kind and have an opportunity to hunt fish that you would usually travel great distances to do should leave you sleepless. No plane ticket, no currency exchange, no pricey accommodations. My sincere admiration to those pioneers that Chris mentioned above for inspiring us all to get out there. As I write this reports are coming in of other wahoo, big eye and yellowfin these spearfisherman are taking. It's on !

For a serious speargun to handle the task at hand, contact Jon Huberman at Ulusub Spearguns. New England Freedive Spearfishing Co stocks and has access to all your other bluewater spearfishing needs from big game floats, spearguns, wetsuits and tackle. We are currently bringing new bluewater gear so if you don't see what you need on the web site contact us.

Thank You mother ocean for another gifted day in the sea.

July 18 2015 Block Island Spearfishing Report - Dave Hochman / Spear-It Charters

Report Contributor : Spear-It Charters / Captain Dave Hochman

Report Date: July 18 2015:

Area: Block Island - RI

Visibility - Fair

Ran with a group of beginers. Hit block for 8 am . Fished the shallows and found triggers , fluke and scup. Located a large school of medium bass and everyone connected . Had all our fish by 12. Great day with a great group.  Lots of fish around the island.

Thanks - Captain David Hochman

Contact Captain Dave Hochman to book your trip at www.spearfishcharters.com 

July 15, 16, 17 - 2015 Block Island Spearfishing Report - Dave Hochman / Spear-It Charters

Report Contributor : Spear-It Charters / Captain Dave Hochman

Report Date: July 15, 16, & 17 2015:

Area: Block Island - RI

Visibility: Fair

July 15 - Ran to Block in the morning to pick up 5 divers from California for a 3 day trip. First day found lots of 30 pound class fish in the 33 foot depth range. Everyone got their fish . Fish where traveling in small groups . The shallows were really dirty and the depths 30 and deeper were fair to good. Lots of scup in the area as well.

July 16 - Block island visibility fair deeper than 35 and terrible in the shallows. Layer of on in new harbor due to strong NE winds . Left the dock at noon and found the fish right away on the SW corner . Lots of fish in small and big groups . Traveled to the SE corner and found small groups of solid  25 to 30 pounders. We attempted the shallows but it was to dirty to hunt.

 July 17 - Visibility excellent by mid day. Headed back to the SE on a hunch and found lots of quality fish in 50 to 55 feet of water . Tons of blues and a fair amount of black sea bass as well. Vis in the deep was 25 feet plus. Ended with all 30s and 40 lbers .

Thanks - Captain David Hochman

www.spearfishcharters.com

July 11 2015 Spearfishing Report Newport RI - Mike Chace / New England Freedive Spearfishing Co

Report Contributor: Mike Chace / New England Freedive Spearfishing Co.

Date: Saturday July 11 2015

Location: Brenton Reef - Newport RI

Water Temp: 67 degrees

Conditions: Superb. Sunny, 84 degrees, flat seas with 15 ft visibility. What more could you ask for.

Time: 7:45 a.m.

I managed a last minute quick meet up a dive with local spearo Bob Murtha the evening before for a shore dive at King's Beach. We arrived to calm seas and some decent visibility averaging 12 feet. During the short dive we had many encounters with some smaller bass. But nothing bigger showed itself during the dive. It was great dive with a great guy and glad I had the opportunity to get in with him.

Immediately upon getting in the vehicle for ride home I began checking the weather and wind reports for the following day... it looked liked if what little wind there was stayed out of the north Saturday would be looking promising. I immediately phoned my dive buddy Eric Cadorette for the following day and told him to load his kayak that night we were hitting the reef in the morning. Eric had just purchased a 120 cm Rob Allen Tuna Speargun that evening from me and and as luck would have it, he had the conditions to use it the following day.

With the wind (or lack there of) staying out of the north over night the seas laid flat and at 7:30 am there was not a ripple on the surface from King's Beach to the Seal Rock and beyond. We kayaked out of King's to Seal Rock. Upon slipping over the side of my Ocean Kayak, it was immediately apparent we were in for a delightful dive. Visibility was up to 15 feet and the reef was alive. The only thing that could have been better was to catch this on a higher tide, but with a busy schedule you take the time slot you can get.

The closed season tautog show was in full force and was quite beautiful to see so many large tog about with some swarms in spots of 15 or more.We started seeing bass within first few minutes but all were questionable or sub par. But there were a good amount about so we kept hunting. about 45 minutes into dive my dive buddy Eric shot a decent 34 inch bass and with the visibility being so great, I had the pleasure to capture some of this action on the GoPro for him.

After, we continued hunting Brenton Reef hoping to run into some larger fish but never did. Lots of border line legal size ones to come in and keep you on your toes and the more than occasional "holy sh**" size tog to entertain you. Once or twice we did have a small trigger and small pod of scup quickly scamper away on the drop. Had to be back on shore for 12:00 noon so dive ended with only my dive buddy Eric harvesting a bass. The flat sea, great visibility, the tog show and my buddy shooting I nice bass made it one of my favorite dives there recently. I immediately gave thanks for a beautiful day in the water.

Juy 12 2015 Block Island RI Spearfishing Report - Dave Hochman / Spear-It Charters

Report Contributor : Spear-It Charters / Captain Dave Hochman

Report Date: July 12, 2015:

Area: Block Island - RI


Vis. .. Exceptional

Ride to Block Island for a late start at 8:30 a.m. Ran over a hundred and twenty points before finding a massive school of bass. Cookie cutter 42 to 46 pounders everywhere. Captured some great video. Finished off the list catch with black sea bass Scup and triggers.

If you're on Block Island Wednesday Thursday or Friday stop by and say hello I'll be on the island running a California group


Thanks - Captain David Hochman

www.spearfishcharters.com

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.  

Juy 11 2015 Block Island RI Spearfishing Report - Dave Hochman / Spear-It Charters

Report Contributor : Spear-It Charters / Captain Dave Hochman

Report Date: July 11, 2015:
Area: Block Island - RI

Ran to block at 7am ..made a charter  pick up at block island and then in the water by 830 am. Hit the shallows first . Lots of scup, a few triggers and black sea bass. Lots of schoolie bass and small blues in the shallows as well. Super clean water with at least 35 foot visibility . Then off to the deep. We hit a 65 to 70 foot spot with cod. A fair amount of cod past 63 feet. Bass where spotty . We hit 2 big schools but aside from that the fish where moving in groups of 5 to 8 and singles .We ended with 2 forty pounders and 4 thirty pounders . Great day on the water .

Thanks - Captain David Hochman

www.spearfishcharters.com

Introducing Spearfishing Report Contributor - Rob Marvelle

MARES Team Diver Rob Marvelle Jr has been hunting the waters along coastal New England for over 25 years.  A resident of Newport RI, Rob shot his first fish along the Cliff Walk at age 12 and since has become a fixture in the local Free Dive Community.

In 2005 he opened Newport Free Dive Co (now New England Freedive Spearfishing Co)
In 2007 he became President of Mass Freedivers and in 08’ chaired the National Spear Fishing Championship at Kings Beach.

A veteran of competitive hunting he now favors selective harvesting and enjoys sharing the knowledge he has gained with new divers.

Introducing Spearfishing Report Contributor - Ricardo Cruelles

New England Freedive Spearfishing Co is stoked to introduce Ricardo Cruelles as a New contributor to our Spearfishing Reports !

Ricardo has been a lover of all things ocean from a very early age. He got his start freediving the shores of the Mediterranian, where he grew up, in Northeast Spain. There he hunted for sea bream, sargus and other inshore fish. In 1995 he came to the New England, where he has lived ever since. From the very beginning He has been exploring what the waters of the North Atlantic has to offer.

Ricardo has been a Divemaster since the late 90's and has explored many of the major wrecks in New England. Since the early 2000's he has been very involved in the Northeast Spearfishing community and has participated in many tournaments. He is one of the founding Members of the TriState Skindivers Spearfishing Club. Ricardo is an avid traveler to many different spearing locales around the world. 

We have watched Ricardo place well in many spearfishing tournaments in the North East over the years and his love for being in the ocean is infectious. New England Freedive Spearfishing Co trusts Ricardo to test a a variety of products for us before we offer them to the public. His travels and diverse spearfishing experiences gives us the opportunity to field test many different types of gear. You can look forward to some great product reviews and spearfishing reports from Ricardo.

July 4 2015 Watch Hill RI Spearfishing Report - Spear-It Charters

Report Contributor : Spear-It Charters / Captain Dave Hochman

Report Date: July 4, 2015
Area: Watch Hill - RI

Poor visibility . plenty of 15 to 25 lbers  around reefs in 35 feet. Some bigger fish but all are in singles. No schools of big fish, they have to be hunted but they are around with most being at and around  the 50 feet mark. Three 40 pound fish made from a great morning.

Thanks - Captain David Hochman

www.spearfishcharters.com 

July 3 2015 Block Island RI Spearfishing Reports - Spear-It Charters

Report Contributor : Spear-It Charters / Captain Dave Hochman

Report Date: July 3, 2015:
Area: Block Island - RI

Fair visibility. Great charter today and fishing on block. Ran out at 6 am and found schools of bass first thing . Fish where in small schools from 33 to 45 feet. Lots of quality fish . Tons of mediums from 25 to 33 lbs as well as plenty of big fish in the high 40 to low 50 pound class.
Also triggers have moved in. Plenty of scup in the shallows to the deep. Big Black sea bass have to started to thin out under 50 feet with the rising water temp.

Thanks - Captain David Hochman

www.spearfishcharters.com

Introducing Spearfishing Report Contributor - Dave Hochman / Spear-It Charters

New England Freedive Spearfishing Co is stoked to introduce David Hochman of Spear-It Charters as a New contributor to our Spearfishing Reports !

Spear-it Charters is Rhode Island’s premier spearfishing charter  for striped bass, around Block Island  waters. Travel to the beautiful waters surrounding Block Island for spearfishing or snorkeling adventures. These waters  commonly have 20 to 30 foot visibility and at times as much as 60 feet. The island holds great numbers of fish such as; Tautog, Black Sea bass, Scup, Fluke, Trigger Fish, Bluefish and of course trophy sized Striped Bass. Block Island is the number one destination in the World  for Striped Bass.  Due to the islands expansive large boulder bottom, at all depths, it is an ideal habitat for the fish of the Northeast. You will have many great opportunities to view, photograph, or spear fish no matter what your skill level.

Mares Team Diver Dave Hochman 2015 RI Bluewater Spearfishing Tournament Winner

 Spear-it Charters can accommodate all skill levels of spearfisherman, freedivers and snorkelers. The Island offers great shallow and deep water diving opportunities. Around the Island there are several wrecks to dive as well as natural pinnacles. We will customize the day to your interest. You can also be dropped on the island for lunch or exploring at any point during the day.

Captain David Hochamn is a MARES team diver and the present World Record holder for largest Striped Bass ever speared. He won the United States Spearfishing Championship with his 3 man team and 3rd place 2 other times. He is a three-time winner of The Blue Water Spearfishing Championship and the tournament was won four other times aboard his boat, first place winner of The Picasso Species Spearfishing Championship, Three time winner of The North Atlantic Spearfishing Champion and more than 30 state spearfishing championship titles.  David Hochman has been teaching courses on spearfishing and freediving techniques for more than 15 years. He has been fishing the Rhode Island waters including Block Island for 36 years. He is happy to assist you with methods of  freediving/spearfishing techniques. safety and gear rigging on your charter.

Nobody is more dialed into the Block Island spearfishing scene than Spear-It Charters, if you are looking for a great dive experience and a chance at some trophy fish, contact David Hochman at www.spearfishcharters.com