Peter Vican shows off a striped bass that he caught off Block Island. The fish weighed 75 pounds, 4 ounces.

Special to the Journal / Elisa Jackman

Peter Vican has won three Governor’s Cups for releasing trophy striped bass. This season, he has already released four 50-pound stripers.

Last weekend, he and his fishing partner, Don Smith, were fishing in a charity tournament to benefit the Block Island Volunteer Fire Department. At 1 a.m., they were fishing with eels aboard Vican’s 24-foot boat, Happy Executive, about a mile off New Harbor. It is a “secret spot” they had learned from the charter boat Hula Girl.

“The tide was absolutely dead,” Vican remembers. “We were drifting at one mile an hour.”

He had a hit.

“It took out about 300 yards of line, and then it turned around and came my way,” he said. “We got it to the boat and Don netted it, but he couldn’t lift it up to the boat. It took the two of us to pick it up and get it in. As soon as I saw it, I said, ‘Well, we’ve got another Governor’s Cup fish.’”

Smith reminded Vican that they were in a charity tournament, and they decided to keep the bass for an official weigh-in.

The boat scale maxed at 55 pounds.

When they brought the bass to a certified scale at Snug Harbor Marina, the striper weighed 75 pounds, 4 ounces, a new state record, pending approval by the state Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The current record is a 70-pound striper, caught by Joe Szabo in 1984 at Block Island.

Vican’s bass was 54.75 inches long, and its girth measured 34 inches.

Snug harbor’s Al Conti describes Vican’s tackle as “a medium St. Croix rod, and a beat-up Penn 550 [spinning] reel.”

Vican’s previous personal record was a 65-pound striper he caught in the Providence River.

“Usually, I find that the third week in June to the second week in July is the best time to fish until the fall” said Vican. He fishes 60 to 70 days a year.

He estimates that the 75-pounder was hatched in 1982 or 1983.

“We’ve been seeing fish like this — fish approaching 50 pounds — for the last two years,” he said. “That there are some 70-pounders out there is not surprising. Most people feel we’re getting more and more big fish.

“Catching a fish like this is just luck. There are plenty of people out there who know how to catch fish. When you get lucky, you get lucky.”

Quick adventures

The L.L. Bean store in Mansfield, Mass. offers “walk-on adventures” in kayaking, fly casting, and Global Positioning System skills every weekend. For $15, the store provides the gear and instruction, and kayakers receive transportation from the store to the paddling site.

L.L. Bean offers kayaking adventures through August on Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.; on Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.; on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The store is located at 280 School St. in Mansfield. The phone number is (508) 261-0400. More information is available online at http://www.llbean.com/outdoorsOnline/odp/walkon/index.html.

Clean Boating law

A bipartisan coalition in both houses of Congress ensured passage of the Clean Boating Act of 2008 this week. The act will permanently restore a long-standing exemption for 18 million recreational boats from permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act. The legislation now goes to the White House for the president’s signature.

The measure reverses a September 2006 court decision, which would have required recreational boaters to obtain a federal or state permit to operate their boats, the same as commercial vessels.

“This is a significant victory for recreational boaters and anglers,” said Gordon Robertson, vice president of the American Sportfishing Association. “Our thanks and congratulations go to the National Marine Manufacturers Association for leading the charge to see that this Act was passed. It just goes to show what can be done when the entire boating and angling community comes together for a common purpose.”

tmeade@projo.com