2019 Rhode Island Squid Report

[alaskanaturally]

                                   A Bridge and the Culture of Squidding


Driving off Goat Island Rd. onto the small parking area, we are greeted with waves and nods. Stepping out of our truck a few walk by and say, “Oh you come back.” We had met many of these folks during previous trips.


We just drove almost 500 miles from Quinby, Va. to Newport, RI. Spent one night on the road at a Pilot truck stop near Stonington, Ct. Have done that a number of times before. This is probably at least our 10th trip to the area for a fishing excursion.


Goat IsIand Bridge is the span from the mainland part of Newport Rhode Island to Goat Island. It is probably the premier East Coast destination for those who enjoy shore fishing for these cephalopods. The bridge has a culture of its own. It is like the real America. Over the years we’ve met folks from just about every ethnic group that makes up our nation. These include but are not limited to: Portuguese, hispanics, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Laotians, Chinese, Japanese, Jews, Italians, Melanesians, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and many others that we cannot remember. It is a real mixture of Americans of many ethnic origins. Perhaps that’s one of the main reasons we enjoy our trips there.  


Having heard of a few incidents where folks disagreed about a parking space or something  like that, we have not had an experience like that. Our encounters have always been pleasant. We find folks very friendly and helpful.


The bridge we fish on leads to Goat Island which has a very expensive fancy hotel, convention center and high priced condominiums. To the right of the bridge is a flotilla of anchored high end sailboats, to the left is a marina with sailboats and yachts that put the high end sailboats to shame. And behind us is the Old Town. While Martin fishes, Ruta and Flounder take breaks to wander around the neighborhood which consists of very old historical houses, many of which date back to the 1700’s as noted by the plaques giving the historical name and date. Just the yearly upkeep on these structures probably costs more than our net worth. During these wanderings, in contrast to the mixed ethnic fishing community, Ruta and Flounder meet mostly middle class white folks, often walking their well-behaved dogs. It’s an interesting contrast and a confirmation of the tolerant attitude of the folks in this area. Although the close by residents don’t seem to spend any time fishing off the bridge they are accepting of those of us who do.     


During one of first visits to the bridge, we met Huan. He is a Vietnamese American and expert at squid catching. While fishing next to him, this fellow was catching about 10 squid to our one. Martin asked him what we were doing wrong. He looked over our rig and how we jigged and said, “You are all set.” From that moment on, we caught as much as he did. Guess we needed an expert’s validation.


Then there’s Dave, an Italian American and everyone’s friend. A retired Coasty like all other we have met with a Coast Guard background, he is just about the most pleasant person one could ever expect to encounter. He fishes the Bridge almost every night and writes to let us know how things are going. We always say that Dave doesn’t come to the bridge to fish but to socialize.


Oh then there’s Phillip. We coined him king squid. A Cambodian American who lives in Fall River, Ma as do most of the other Cambodians who frequent the bridge. We never observed anyone who could out squid him. He can lower his line, get one on and up off the hook and drop back down again before we can get our lines in the water the first time. King squid saw us struggling to catch squid and called us over for a coaching. He is so very helpful.


Matt is the most intense squidder we ever met. He casts his line in and from that point until the jig is extracted from the water, his total concentration is on what’s happening on his line. And he is very successful. Matt is a local boy brought up in this part of RI and has been doing this for a very long time. The greatest part of this is that not only is he friendly but also is willing to share his knowledge. We have learned a lot from him.


This is only a small sample of the folks we have met at the bridge. Fishing is so much more than catching fish. It is a chance to socialize with and get know folks and of different backgrounds and as such is very rewarding. All of our encounters have been pleasant and we hope to be able to make many more trips to the Goat aka. The Goat Island Bridge. And perhaps we'll learn Cambodian someday.