2011 prices for 2012 trips ends soon!

For those contemplating getting a great deal on a charter for 2012 now is the time!  I am offering 2011 prices on all 2012 charters if they are booked now through January 31st! Only deposits are required either by check or by gift certificates in the amount of a deposit.  I have done what not many other captains have done and that was not to raise prices over the past 3 years.  This was all done to keep people fishing and get on the water without making cost an issue.  While prices will not go up that much, they do need to keep  with the inflation of fuel, bait and tackle costs.  I apologize for this and to keep it fair, I will continue to offer discounts on multiple day trips and catch and release trips.
Thank you to all of my 2011 customers for your support and a great fishing year!  I look forward to seeing most of you again as we already have days filled for 2012.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Sincerely,
Captain Brian Patterson
Patterson Guide Service

Blackfish (Tautog) is insane right now!

If you are craving a bent rod with a hard fighting fish now is the time!  Blackfishing is in full effect as we have limited out the past two times (in two consecutive days).  Close to shore and consistency: can't beat that in the cooler November months!  Half day trips are still available and the best part is you don't have to be there in the dark!  Blackfish Chowder, fish sticks, stews... you can't go wrong with this species.

Updates

Well we have been chasing tuna and blackfish for the past couple of weeks now (when the winds died down at least) and have found them in close.  Giants are in full right now but they are for the more experienced anglers and definitely not the ones you want on light tackle.  There is still a solid month left of quality fishing between Tuna and Tautog so don't think for a moment that the season is over.  This is historically a great month for both species and the limit goes up for Tautog per person so it is well worth the time.

On a side note, I am offering 2011 prices for trips booked for next year by December 31, 2011! Without knowing the gas prices and the fact that I am one of the few charter captains that did not change rates this year this is a great bargain on any trip! Also, I am now offering Japanese fish prints from the various species we catch on our charters for 2012.  The costs have not been determined yet as I may offer just the prints or the prints framed.  A rough guess would be between $50 and $75.  The photo above is an example of one that was done this year for a Bluefin Tuna.

Tuna at the Cape!

We have found numerous fish over the past few days but they have been real picky on what they eat.  We managed to figure it out and got into some great light tackle tuna in the mid 50 to 60 pound range!  While giants are also around, these smaller tuna are great to go after if you choose to use your lighter spin gear.  Chris and Dan did an awesome job getting their lures in front of the fish and had outstanding timing. Now is the time!  Call or email me if you would like further information or just have questions on the tuna fishery.

Sincerely,
Capt. Brian Patterson

Made great use of your Hogy Lures for this Tuna Season

While Hogy Lures are extremely effective right out of the package, they can only imitate so much without a little artistic help.  Here are some examples I had learned from a good friend of On the Water Magazine.  I just took some ideas and expanded them to mimic the halfbeaks and Macs.  The cool part about it is that as you use the markers to design your baitfish, the colors naturally bleed to give a fluid color design.

With the Bone color, you can pretty much produce any bait you choose with various permanent markers!
 Steps:
1.  lay out cardboard or multiple sheets of paper.
2. starting on the back of the bait, lay down your base (usually a green or a blue).  I then used a paper towel and wiped off the excess marker eliminating streaks or excess bleeding.
3. Flip the lure on its side and continue the base color, again wiping off the excess marker.
4. Flip to the opposite side and do the same.
5. Let it sit for 5 minutes or so (as you work on your next one)
6. Go back over the the back of the lure with your darker color (I find black does the best to give a good contrast unless you are doing a mackerel pattern)
7. Wipe dry, then proceed to do your final designs.
8. With a red marker, make the gill plates and again wipe dry.
9. Simple, affordable and best of all, you have a tuna lure with a single hook for easy removal.

This is the time of the year for the tuna to be feeding on larger baits such as Halfbeaks and Mackerel.  Don't go for these guys unless you have plenty of lures to imitate the baitfish and there are few out there that have produced more fish than the soft plastics!

Catch'em up!

Capt. Brian Patterson

Patterson Guide Service

New Thumbtack.com listing!

Check out my new listing for fly fishing and light tackle charters in Bristol Rhode Island and Cape Cod on Thumbtack! Here you will find updated FAQ's, fishing photos, testimonials, and possible discounts.  Tuna fishing is just getting hot and the Albacore and Bonito have been around a while now.  Striped Bass is still going steady at Block Island.  There are only a few more months left before all we have left are photos and memories!

http://www.thumbtack.com/ri/bristol/fishing-guides/charter-fishing

Blue Fin Tuna Report

Sunday was a fun day with a few fishing buddies that have not been on the boat in a while.  With the day free from charters, we decided to go for the powerful Blue Fin Tuna in Cape Cod.  While there was not tons of activity, there was enough for us to do a full search and find some interesting bird activity.  After a few blind casts, the ocean lure was the one that caused a huge side swipe from a cruising tuna! 15 minutes later, we celebrated the catch and enjoyed what turned out to be just a great day on the water with a good group of guys.

I would like to say fishing was great but...

Well to say things were slow (for Bass, Albies and Bonito) the past few days would be an understatement.  Fly fishing and light tackle plugs did not fair well the past few days.  The upcoming storm definitely did not help as boaters were all running around trying to get out of the water causing all sorts of surface commotion.  We found lots of bait, some Turns working, but just no fish chasing them.  This is the time when the funny fish start to show so maybe the hurricane will spark a nice feed next week.

On the bright side, fluke fishing continues to do well as with the sea bass. Bottom fishing does not change dramatically with various weather patterns in this area.  Remember, this was in one specific location so don't take this report as a given for all locations.  I know Cape Cod is still producing Bass with Tubing worms and Bonito and tuna are still being caught in numerous locations (Cape Cod), just not in Newport.  I am actually looking forward to getting out next week when things get tossed around a bit.  I will keep you posted as we make our way into one of my favorite times of the year! Tuna, Bonito, Albies and the Fall Striper run. Oh yeah, don't forget about that hard fighting Tautog!
Until then, be safe and let us all hope the storm passes with no injuries to anyone!

Sincerely,
Capt. Brian Patterson

Tuna Fishing 101

This was an article I did for Capt. Mike Hogan of Hogy Lures.  It is a perfect time to rethink our ways of going for this majestic Bluefin Tuna!  Enjoy.

Casting for Tuna:

by Capt. Brian Patterson - www.pattersonguideservice.com

In this article, my goal will be to cover the bare essentials when even considering chasing these majestic fish.  With strict regulations on them in recent months, gear of the past is no longer adequate to safely and effectively catch, land, and potentially release this species. I will cover tackle geared toward the light tackle fishermen and even more specifically, those wishing to cast to the breaking beasts.

Rod selection:  7’-8’

Choose a rod with a stiff butt and mid-section but that has a relatively light tip.  A lighter tip will make it easier to cast soft baits and small jigs. On my boat, we use both Calstar and Van Staal Rods spinning rods but there are plenty of great manufacturers out there.  Seven to eight foot rods are standard.

Advantages of Longer rods

• Allow for better castability,
• Help with applying horizontal pressure
• And aid with runs under the boat.

Disadvantages of Longer rods:

• Difficultly with fighting fish vertically. NOT IDEAL for jigging.

Reel Selection

When it comes to reels, a top quality reel designed for this kind of fishing is essential. Learn from my mistakes.  I started with lower end tuna reels only to gradually replace them with reels that don’t break while you are fighting the one.  We now use only Van Staal 250 and 275 spinning reels for tuna.  We have tried in vain to kill these reels and they look like they just came out of he box. They seem to be the most popular on the Cape. The Shimano Stella 10000 and the DAIWA Saltiga are also popular choices.

Spooling your reel

Take a piece of electrical tape and wrap the spool twice. Then load the reel with at least 350 yards of 80 lb. braid. If you have never loaded a reel yourself, don’t start with this one.  Get it done at the tackle shop you purchased it from or by someone with a line winder.  The braid must be packed tightly on the spool. I go through a new pair of leather gloves each spring loading my line on the reels!  To make sure it is on tight, you can also find a secluded body of water, let out some of the line off the stern and start driving.  Once you come close to the end of the spool, stop and start cranking.  The water weight will be enough to get that line on tight.  This is important to prevent the braid from digging or spinning into the spool when you have a large tuna on the other end.

Line type and color

On my charters, I use Cortland Mastery Series braid due to its smooth surface and overall strength.  It does not produce wind knots like some other lines out there.  For the color, it is purely personal preference, but the olive is a stealthy-looking line and makes me feel like it matters.

Quick Tip
Use different color braid for each size line. Example: 80-pound braid is in olive, 65 pound is white etc.  It will make your life easier when grabbing a reel at 2 AM.

Choosing a leader

One way to keep it easy is just to buy wind-on leaders.  These attach using a loop-to-loop connection to your braided line.  As the tuna are approaching 200 pounds, lean to the side of caution and get 80 to 100lb fluorocarbon or mono.  The length should be about 12 feet.  This is important because it allows you to cut your line several times while rigging. If the fish doubles back on you, its body will be against your leader and not your braid (which it will cut off if that happens).

If you prefer to tie direct: here are a few knots we like:

Terminal Connection

At the end of the line we use a system of tying directly to a solid stainless steel “0” ring. By doing this, we don’t have to keep cutting and re-rigging a lure.  We simply use split ring pliers and connect it to whatever plastic or lure we want to use. Tip: Stay with the smallest ring for your lure. An Owner #6.5 solid ring is rated at 300 lb.  If we hook into a 300-pound tuna on light tackle, the “O” ring is the least of my concerns!

Lure Selection

Lure selection is again mostly preference and what has been the most productive for each angler. Among fishing captains, most agree on one thing: The most effective lure is the one you have the most confidence with.  Since most people reading this may be just getting into tuna fishing, we will keep it simple. In my opinion,
As far as soft baits go: Mike Hogan with Hogy Lures produces two top tuna killers:

• 10” Doublewide: Bone is the best all around color.  Pair this with one of their soft-circle hooks or weighted grip hooks; you have a casting machine with a wide profile.
• 10” Jiggn Hogy: This one is designed for Hogy’s Barbarian Jig Heads and Darters. Rig up and you have a long-range sand eel.

Other top lures we use are Tattoo’s Sea Pups. They produce every color combination imaginable so choose one that mimics the baitfish in the water.

These three lures compose 90% of my tackle box.

Before Heading Out

While on dry land, take a hard look at your set-up. Check your rods for any nick or cracks. Check the guides for wear and tear.  Test the drag on your reel.  For tuna, the drag should be set where it is hard to pull line off the reel with just your hand.  If it is too tight, that fish will break it immediately. If it is too loose you will get spooled immediately.  By pulling the line directly from the reel (not through the rod tip) you should not feel any “sticking” and the braid should not cut your hand.

Spotting Fish

If you see breaking fish, they will not be hard to miss.  Volvo-sized splashes, aerial acrobatics, bait being sprayed, and running for their lives! There are very few things in this world that will get you more excited than seeing breaking tuna.  There are days, however, that they are not as active.  As you move about the vast body of water, look for birds, surface pattern changes, dark bodies of water or flashes of white/blue under the water.  All too often boats run right over fish because they just do not know what to look for besides the splashes.  Running and gunning is nowhere near as important as slow and steady on days like this.

Approaching Fish

So now you see some fish, (or what you think may be fish), what next?  DO NOT run fast and land up on top of them! The calmer the surface water, the slower the boat should be going.  Power up to them and at all times observe the direction the tuna are moving. If they are coming at you, slow down and be patient.  If they are moving away, try to avoid following directly behind them.  Make a parallel line and get ahead of the school.  This will allow your cast to move with the bait versus against them.  I never saw prey choose to go at its predator!  Once you feel you have obtained a good location and within your casting ability take one more second to calm yourself.  Let your lure land 10 feet ahead of the feeding fish.  The fish that you saw last is usually in the middle of the school so by placing your lure ahead of the “lead” fish, you can cover more of the working fish.

Casting to Tuna

Let the fun begin!  Once you cast, get your slack line in as quickly as possible.  With your rod tip to your strong side, give it a quick twitch.  It usually does not take more than that before you’re off to the races.  In case it does, keep reeling slowly, twitching at variable speeds.  Tuna can and will hit it within sight of your hull.  If by some strange chance you did not get a taker, cast again but let it sink for about five seconds.  The diving action and upswing is a great imitator of running prey.  If they don’t want slow, speed it up an try a fast retrieve.

The Fighting Tuna

BAM! Fish on.  It is very important right now to ensure that your hook is solidly placed in the jaw of your tuna.  As it runs, keep your rod tip at a 45 degree angle and if the fish slows even for a second, power your rod tip back to drive the hook home.  Many times the fish won’t do much on the first run, but as soon as you hook set them, hold on!  How long a fish will run will be up to her.  She may hit the horizon or head to the bottom.  There are too many options here to cover them all but for the sake of time, let’s say she runs to deeper water.  Before you yell at the skipper to chase it, give it a moment. Your reel is set so that your drag gets tighter as the line quantity lessens.  Keep talking to your captain as the line gets lower.  Slow powering is usually sufficient to keep up with a running fish.  If the fish doubles back, you will need to reel feverishly to keep slack line from forming.  Typical tuna fights can range from 15-45 minutes.  That just depends on how angry your bull is that day!

Counter Moves

When your fish goes left, your rod tip should go right. The pressure should be so that your rod is as described in the test above, near parallel.  If the fish goes right, you counteract by moving your rod tip left.  This movement by the fish will indicate that you are properly fighting the fish and breaking its spirit. This will in turn shorten the fight time and get a quicker release ensuring survival.  When the fish is at its end, it will do what is known as the “death circle”.  These are large circles usually done under your boat when the fish is exhausted.  It is crucial at this point to keep constant pressure on the fish and not allow it to circle down getting water and oxygen.  You may find that every time you go to lift the fish up with your rod, your drag goes off and it is at a stand-still.  Here we employ our extra hand to give finger pressure to the spool upon the lifting of the rod.  This will give just enough pressure to get the fish up to the boat.  If the fish decides to run, your drag knob has not changed and the fish will not break off.

Safe Handling of Your Catch

Once the fish is boat-side you have two choices.  The first is obvious, but in case it is a slot or extra fish, you may want to tag and release it.  If you are tagging the fish, the tag should already be ready to go (along with a sharp knife).  It is a good idea to do this in the down time while waiting for fish so all pieces are ready.  Get a solid lip gaff and stick the bottom jaw. If possible, remove your lure.  Tip: Single hooks are far easier to remove than trebles. You can replace all or one of your trebles with quality single hooks for this reason. Hogy lures come with single hooks and are ideal in this situation because even if the hook remains, the soft plastic will fall off and the fish will have a better chance of surviving. If you can’t remove the hook from the fish’s mouth, cut the line as close to the lure as possible with your knife.  Tag the fish as close to the dorsal fin as possible.  Swim the fish if necessary with the lip gaff still in place. As the fish gains energy with water and oxygen, pop out the gaff and celebrate. You just gave a future angler the opportunity to share the same excitement you just had!

Long overdue report

It has been a long time since my last report and I have been all over the place for fish.  Sea bass, fluke, stripers, bonito and the elusive tuna have kept me busy.  It is shaping up to be a great fall and I am already getting great feedback from previous trips.  Many people trying to plan their days around the Albacore run and the tuna feeding frenzies!  Call me to discuss what type of species you are looking for and I will do my best to give you the dates that can give you the best chance of getting hooked up! Until then, tight lines and bent rods,

Capt. Brian Patterson

Long Overdue Update

I wanted so badly to keep the reports up each week so for this I apologize! Here it is in a nutshell:  Harpoon boats were having a field day in Cape Cod with Giant Tuna while the rod and reel guys (me included) had to sit by and watch.  There was no real surface feed to speak of which was fine, we are just going back to the good old days of tuna fishing before we were spoiled for 3 years.
Block Island has been spotty.  We really did have to work hard to find fish and several night trips to the SWE were alright but not typical.  The next morning we found out they were in another location on the Island. It is tough to run at night, but with this heat, it is usually a sure fire way to land big bass.
Bottom fishing (Fluke, Sea Bass) has been extraordinary! There has been a bent rod each drift.  I can only see it getting better as there were still a fair amount of short fluke caught.  The Sea Bass have been bigger than ever and the blues are very aggressive mid water column.

Latest report was for the smaller tuna on the Cape.  There has been a recent push of the 60-120 lb fish and now is the time to get after them.  I plan on going a couple times over the next week so I am hoping to have some solid answers for everyone.  Everyone asks me: Where do I go to fish in this heat?  If I were a betting man, I would put my money on the Pre Dawn bites. Locations, that is why people pay me good money to find fish. This time of year is not easy. You have to put in your days and work every step of the way, especially for Bass or Tuna.  The more information you can put together, the better your chances will be.  Keep fishing!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Brian Patterson

What a Week!!

From Blue Fish to Blue Fin Tuna, this was a heck of a week!  I was fortunate to have a father/son trip which was so much fun. Bluefish all over and sometimes doubled up with Blues and Stripers! Newport was on fire with bait and all the appetizers a fish could want. Birds were working and the boys were on target with each cast.

Cape Cod started to get active regardless of the weather conditions. We fought a tuna for an hour and a half only to lose it boat side! Disappointed but that is what happens when the fight goes that long.  This fish was a beast!  Can't wait for round two.

Fly Fishing in RI has been Awesome to say the least!

Had just a great crew from CA visiting New England and wanted to just get tight.  They did and then some!  20 plus Bass and Blues to keep us busy in between. Fish were up to 34 inches which are just great when they are behind boulder fields and darting to open water!

Block Island today

Well, there are Dogfish all over to say the least.  We did manage to find a nice Striper in the mix to give us that glimpse of hope for the season.  The next week should start to change things dramatically here so get ready!

Tough Fishing, but still hitting them

To me, the bite has been less over the past few days.  Fish are not in the usual spots and need a bit more searching.  Unfortunately, there has also been a mess of boats due to the holiday weekend.  Fish are in the mid teens to the twenty pound range.  There still have been some blitzed of school stripers on the surface which are always a blast for everyone.  Now only if the fog will go away!

Brian Patterson
Patterson Guide Service
Fly fishing and Light Tackle charter fishing in Bristol RI

Striped Bass on the Fly and light tackle in Rhode Island!

This week was unbelievable!  We had bass of both school and keeper size on the fly and on top water plugs.  We had both small and large bait spread out and in thick! Bass are switching gears on the bait size but are in competition with big blues.  Now is the time where you cant go wrong out there, if and when we get the weather windows!

Blackfishing is on Fire right now!

Blackfish (tautog) is just the ticket until the Stripers come in over the next week or two.  The fish are feeding hard and average from 5-9 pounds!  Not a bad way to come out of the winter blues.

Tuna fishing 101

Check out my article for Hogy Lures for the light tackle tuna fisherman!  Here is the link and remember to sign up for their e-blast as there is always great information to learn.

http://hogylures.net/gearingupfortuna.html

Thanks to all that stopped by!

To all of you that I met today, Thanks for giving up your time on a Saturday!  It was a great show at the NorthCoast boat factory today.  I had the great opportunity to meet many fellow anglers along with Neal from On the Water and Ralph from Crafty One Custom Rods.  Great Friends, great food and a whole lot of fish talk. Can't wait for this season to start!  See you on the water!

NorthCoast Boats Open house April 16

If you get bored and want to check out a tour of the NorthCoast Boat Factory in Bristol RI, I will be there along with On the Water Magazine and many other vendors to have a fun day outside.  Food, drinks and a lot of good fish stories!  Like all other shows I do, if you stop by and book a charter there is a 10% discount!
See you there,
Capt. Brian Patterson

Bad Fish Outfitter Open House April 9th and 10th

Hey everyone, I will be at the Grand Opening of Bad Fish Outfitters under new ownership on April 9th and 10th in Falmouth, MA.  Check out their site for more information.  If you can stop by, say hello and get a 10% discount on a charter!  Just say you saw it here-
Capt. Brian Patterson

Check out the new "How To" - splicing your fly line

Tired of bulky knots running through your guides on hard fighting fish?  This all new technique will eliminate that and make your connection to your backing much stronger.  Let me know if you have any questions!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwE3MyoTlN8

Tight lines,
Capt. Brian Patterson

C16 to Fly Line Connection

Saltwater sportsman show a success

Finished the show yesterday with George Poveromo and it was fantastic!  Over 400 in attendance with other great captains!  Special thanks to the crew at Saltwater Sportsman in making it a very educational day!

Updated You Tube video

For those seeking the basics on light tackle tuna fishing, check out my latest video on You Tube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grzaD0FELFQ

March 5, 2011 - Faculty for George Poveromo's National Seminar Series

I am very excited to be part of George Poveromo's National Seminar Series this year in Boston MA on March 5, 2011.  Here is the link for all locations and other information:
http://www.nationalseminarseries.com/

It will be held at Regis College Fine Arts Center
235 Wellesley St
Weston, MA 02493

Check out the topics and the Staff!  Not a bad way to spend a cold Saturday!

Capt. Brian Patterson

Upcoming shows!

I wanted to invite you all to stop by and visit me at the following shows:

Providence Boat Show, Providence RI- January 15 and 16th and the Dunkin Donuts Convention Center. I will be at the NorthCoast Boats Booth as well as Hogy Lures

Worcester Fishing Expo in Worcester MA.  February 12 and 13th.  I will be on the Pro Staff Team with Hogy Lure Company

Stop by and say hello. It is a great time to talk fishing and meet new friends for the upcoming season!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Brian Patterson

Welcome

Welcome to Patterson Guide Service!  While I will spend most of my winter getting ready for the spring season, I will keep this updated with the most current issues facing our fishing community and reports as they come in.  Please feel free to let me know what you would like to see as well and I will do my best to get that here for you!

Happy New Year,

Capt. Brian Patterson