In rain, shine, or stormy weather, organizers of a week-long fishing tournament across Aquidneck Island say the event will kick off Friday as scheduled to benefit the local family of a fallen soldier killed in Iraq. The 5th Annual Staff Sergeant Christopher Potts Fishing Tournament begins Friday, Sept. 3at 6 pm and will end at 10 am on Saturday, Sept. 11, with a finale to include a free cookout at the Portuguese American Club in Portsmouth and live music featuring Blurred Vision from 1-5 pm. Middletown bait and tackle shops, including The Saltwater Edge and Sam's Bait and Tackle, have been …

Peter Graeber, General Manager of Middletown's Saltwater Edge Fishing Co., says the fishing has been slow for big bluefish this year.  Whether the customers he sees in the store had been fishing for bluefish, or out for striped bass, the reports all tell us bluefish were barely encountered.  Some seasons the blues arrive early, in big numbers, and generous sizes.  However, according to Mr. Graeber the bluefish season is cyclical and abundant years vary.  I've heard that off-shore fishing trawlers take the baitfish that would normally enter the bay and fuel the bluefish schools.  No doubt the …