Striped Bass, Bluefish, False Albacore, and Bonito migrate throughout the fall displaying an aggressive “all you can eat” baitfish buffet feeding style. Shoving, barging, heave and repeat as the main course flees for their lives. Fat and satiated to a point of gagging each predator is preparing for a very long and dangerous journey South.

Unlike last weeks’s eighty one degree anomaly, once the temperatures really drop mystical sea smoke appears. At first light the smoke is parted by a nearby school of False Albacore zipping across the surface leaving surreal curly tailed jet streams in their wake. The day warms and the fish keep feeding. If the fish are not on top just look for a bait ball- and you are likely to find fish nearby.

The bait ball shrinks. It always shrinks. Flocks of birds seated on the adjacent shoreline had their fill and indicate food is not far. Looking into the depths also confirms whether a feed has recently occurred as millions of remnant scales fall and sparkle as clearly as the Milky Way during winter’s midnight sky.

The arrival of the seasonal Seal population and Gannets diving like kamikaze jet fighters offshore  is entertainment while searching for the next blitz. Seals make catching Striped Bass look simple as they play with their food. Tossing, catching, surely grinning at the funny guy waving a fly rod on the bow of the boat, as if to say with his mouthful “just grab it like this!” And yes, Seals steal fish right off your line, somehow leaving you to land the optimistic look of the still stunned Striper as they want to believe they still have a tail.

Warm thoughts arrive as whiffs of smokey wood stoves linger off the beach calling the ever weary guide home. Hot cider, fresh baked bread, smoked fish, and plenty of dark evenings lie ahead- perfect opportunities to recall the season’s highlights and gear up for some southern adventures.

Welcome to Newport, Rhode Island’s hundreds of miles of navigable, fishable, spectacularly beautiful, coastline. An Angler’s paradise.
The water off Newport’s visibility for sight casting is excellent. Clean and fresh- with new baitfish and their crazed predators arriving on each tide. A large variety of salt water species enhance our world class angling experiences- all season long.

Today, Striped Bass is our main target in the white water, boulder fields, flats, and estuaries. Each month the bait changes the hunt and the Striper’s behavior. Up the bay very large Bass frequent the depths in search of large bait.

Menhaden have arrived and there are some very cool situations where a shallow area is adjacent to a nearby drop off. Casting cross tide and depth contour produces some shocking strikes! Stripers have already filled in on the Sakonnet River’s Boulder fields. Once the hook is set the battle truly begins as you try and turn them away from the rocky structure.

Note: Early season inshore begins in mid-April as Stripers feed on a variety of baits, from Menhaden, Herring, Mackerel, Squid, Cinder Worm and even Crab hatches.

Bluefish are long considered North Atlantic Piranha as they eat aggressively and rarely give up without an epic battle. Pound for pound one of the most ferocious feeders in New England. No lipping unless the Boga Grip is involved. Slicks are beginning to appear and all the credit should not go to the Bass. You can bet the Blues are filling in. Nine weight fly line with wire and a top water popper- what a fight!

Bonito on the grill with Garlic and Dill, for those who wish to enjoy a tasty treat. But don’t count your chickens before they’ve laid an egg. You have to find them, entice them, and then get them to the boat. These very fast speedsters are a blast to match your wits with as they are typically very sensitive to your ability to match the bait du jour. Best caught along the beaches or rocky outcropping with an exceptional occasional bait ball feast. Note: They tend to arrive when the QE2 shows up. (Cruise ships in June)

False Albacore, or “Albies”, are spectacular in many ways including size, (poundage in the high single digits to teens), speed (rpms like a dentist drill but less painful), and beautiful colors. A mirror finish with markings of three dots, zigs and zags, cobalt blue and emerald green all highlighted by an oil slick like Palladium silver mirror sheen. This species foreshadows the most epic fight of all.

Those are some of the most sought after species while there are plenty of others offshore and around New England which people are exciting to chase. Would love to hear our NorthCoast family favorites!

While on a fishing expedition in North Carolina the NorthCoast 24CC provided the perfect platform to inaugurate our work with Rifles to Rods.

Question: When do you get the opportunity to share the day with a few good men? Answer: When you let Ryan Puzzo of Rifles to Rods.org know where you plan to be fishing and when. Ryan is co-founder of Rifles to Rods and a Veteran who served eight years in the military and he continues to serve others. He knows personally what it means to spend the day on the water.

Your heart rate slows considerably. Down to a beat, or so, every once and awhile as you watch an epic display of sea life go about their business. Between the herd of wild horses running the beaches, Spanish Mackeral surface feeds, Tarpon visual fest, and Sea Turtles and Sea Bass we had momentary visits by the tax collector, the man in the brown suit, otherwise known to most as- Shark.

Ryan was able to wrangle up Army Master Sergeant Darryl Mullins and his son Rashidi, who both currently serve our nation. Ryan even flew in for the day to join us. We all enjoyed the day. There is a peace and calm on the water found in the moments somewhere between the permanent smiles and laughter.

If you want to share a day with some great human beings or make a donation, contact Rifles to Rods, pitch in, and support this excellent organization’s efforts. These guys are awesome!

On behalf of all of us at NorthCoast Boats, Thank you for your service!

And Ryan, given the next opportunity- We are ready when you are!

The NorthCoast 180 Center Console was designed for the serious coastal angler, to be efficient, fast, smooth riding, and virtually maintenance free.  The solid fiberglass hull, foam cored deck, and foam filled fiberglass grid system combine to create a lightweight incredibly tough and durable composite structure.  The transom is a fiberglass and high-density foam core composite – no wood here !!

The hull’s deep forefoot cleaves any chop while the shallow-V aft promotes easy planning and provides a stable platform while trolling, drifting or at rest. Light gray non-skid floor and an impressive list of standard features with options that appeal to both the serious fisherman as well as the family day boater, we can build your boat the way you want.

The NorthCoast 180 Center Console…ready to go anywhere you want, any time you can!! (Read More)

Check out On The Water Media’s hunt for trophy Striped Bass onboard NorthCoast Pro/Ambassador Capt. Brian Patterson’s NorthCoast 23CC with On The Water TV Host Chris Megan.

For giant striped bass, it’s tough to beat the waters off Block Island. Chris Megan joins Captain Brian Patterson to look for his biggest striper ever on a warm summer night at the Block.

Fishability / NorthCoast 24CC – Saltwater Sportsman Magazine, Jan 2018 by Gary Caputi

It was a real pleasure fishing with Gary Caputi, world class angler and writer for Saltwater Sportsman.

The seas were up due to Hurricane Jose grinding off the shores of Newport, Rhode Island. Gary was testing our new NorthCoast 24CC and the day was perfect for us to show off her fishing ability in classic New England conditions.

The Albies cooperated, rolling subtly between the swells, eating calmly. Once they realized they were hooked the reels were zinging. We hope you enjoy Gary’s review of the new NorthCoast 24CC as much as we enjoyed having him aboard.

Please click: Fishability / NorthCoast 24CC – Saltwater Sportsman Magazine, Jan 2018 by Gary Caputi

We are proud to share this great excerpt from Saltwater Sportsman with a look into the popular 24CC.

Check out this month’s issue of Saltwater Sportsman for a First Look at the 24CC.

Joe Pimenta works behind the scenes at NorthCoast Boats designing the performance and durability into each of our new models. Our line up begins with a quick brief on NorthCoast Boats approach to the product development. Come back often for more technical design and building blog posts.

CAD technology is utilized in support of our form follows function design philosophy. Simple and Strong!

1. Designed and built to ABYC Standards.
2. Product development input: Customers, Captains / Brand Ambassadors input and participation.
3. Must fulfill NCB promise- Rugged Versatile Performance that Lasts.
3. Designed for reliability and exceptional fishing performance.
a. The true nature of this product is best witnessed on Stellwagen Banks as huge Blue Fin Tuna are being brought over the gunnels of even our smallest center consoles. Or off Newport, Rhode Island where very large Striped Bass, Bluefish, Wahoo, and many other species are the target. Being modest, (for Anglers) Our “fish to boat” size ratio likely has no equal.

Our semi-custom production facility is set up to provide manufacturing flexibility such as the ability to personalize your boat and provide a wide variety of amenities a family may also require.