Whether you call them false albacore, albies, funny fish, fat alberts, or apple knockers, they arrived in strong numbers in Rhode Island and Connecticut waters this week, so screaming drags and blood-spattered decks will become the norm for a while. There is a smorgasbord of baitfish in the region from bay anchovies to butterfish to bunker, and albies, stripers, and blues are taking full advantage. Striped bass fishing remains very strong in Block Island waters and in eastern Long Island Sound, and bluefish are plentiful everywhere and anywhere in between. To round out the saltwater banquet, scup and black sea bass fishing are still worth doing.
Rhode Island
The big saltwater news this week is the full fledged return of false albacore to the Ocean State. Peter at Saltwater Edge said they have filled in well throughout the Newport area. The top lure in his arsenal at the moment for these speedsters is the 1.5-ounce Point Jude PoJee. When armed with the fly rod, Peter prefers sparse Deceiver patterns, as well as weighted bunny flies that fall under the mayhem, making them more easily noticed.
Dave at River and Riptide was on the West Wall in Point Judith one morning this week and watched a pod of albies erupt in the Harbor of Refuge but disappeared before anyone could hook one. He also had the boat out on Sunday and said from the North Dumpling to the Race was paved with them. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters said Watch Hill Reef has been loaded with albies. The hottest false albacore lures in his shop have been Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows and Deadly Dicks.
If you’re not swept up by the “hard tail” craze, there are more than enough other saltwater opportunities to take advantage of. Peter at Saltwater Edge was happy to hear multiple reports of anglers catching schoolie bass in upper Narragansett Bay. He told me they are gorging on peanut bunker pouring out of the Providence River. The bite is like spring schoolie fishing, so light-tackle rods with soft-plastic baits will do just fine.
Steve at Breachway Bait and Tackle said the saltwater ponds along the south shore are full of mullet and the breachways are producing a few fish, but nothing to write home about yet. He also noted that the scup and black sea bass fishing remains pretty good in the area.
The striper fishing under the Watch Hill Lighthouse over the last week was some of the best surf action of the year so far. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters said early morning high tides had big bass and blues tight to shore. A few surfcasters throwing poppers scored stripers in the 30-pound range. Live eels under the lighthouse and at Napatree Point also accounted for some bass in the 30-pound class.
Block Island
Striped bass fishing along Block Island’s south side continues to be very good for those fishing with live eels. Captain Chris of Block Island Fish Works said, at times, that’s all they are feeding on. He stressed the key has been to get the eels to bottom, either by egg sinkers, rubber core weights, or large eels that swim straight down. John at Twin Maples echoed the live eel sentiment, saying many fish in the 30- to 40-pound range are being landed by boaters during broad daylight using them
The false albacore fishing around Block Island is spotty compared to the mainland. However, John said surfcasters are catching some in the Coast Guard Channel and in New Harbor on Deadly Dicks. John also told me that black sea bass fishing has been up and down, but anglers are catching a few nice ones along the west side of the Island.
Connecticut
Just as in Rhode Island, the albie explosion in eastern Long Island Sound came on like gangbusters this week. Captain Blaine of Anderson Guide Services said all hell broke loose Monday morning with pods popping all over the place gorging on silversides, bay anchovies and butterfish. Like others, he witnessed more than enough “run and gun” boaters that are driving over fish and putting them down, but in the same breath said the albies are spread out enough so you can move around and find your own blitz. Blaine has been using Deadly Dicks, Sebile Magic Swimmers, and unweighted soft-plastics like 4-inch Slug-Gos, Houdini Shads, and Zoom Super Flukes – all with a fast retrieve. He put 126 miles on the boat on Monday and found feeding albies as far east as Point Judith and as far west as Millstone.
The striped bass and bluefish bite in the eastern Sound is going strong, especially at the Race. Kyle at J&B Tackle said three-waying bucktail jigs at the Race at the beginning and ends of the tide is the ticket for stripers and diamond jigging throughout the tide is working well for big blues. Phil at River’s End added that the Race is coughing up some quality bass, particularly at night while three-waying eels when the tide is not ripping too strong.
Cappy at Captain Morgan’s Bait and Tackle said the winning bluefish in last weekend’s tournament was weighed in at his shop at 15.41 pounds. He also noted that the water in Long Island Sound is clearing up well and that blue crab action is starting to pick up in the rivers and scup fishing is good on local rock piles.
On The Water Insider Captain Chris Elser fished the annual bluefish tournament last weekend in the western Sound off Milford and landed 60 bluefish between 8 and 12.5 pounds, along with seven keeper bass up to 42 inches. The majority of the fish were caught on chunks – he went through 60 bunker to be exact – and some of the bass were caught while trolling a tube and worm at slack tide. Most of the bass had sea lice on them, so Chris is confident that these fish are fresh to the Sound and is hopeful there’s more where they came from. He also saw a good amount of bait including bay anchovies, butterfish, and adult bunker, so there will be plenty of food to keep fish here when they arrive – all promising news for western Long Island Sound.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The much anticipated return of false albacore will be on the minds of many anglers heading into the weekend. However, the mad scene that comes along with it will undoubtedly be on full display out there. The good thing is that pods of albies are spread out and popping up in a large swath of water, so there should be ample room to get away from the crowd and find your own targets. A variety of offerings will get the job done, but the hottest ticket out there right now seems to white Zoom Super Flukes fished unwieghted on a fluorocarbon leader. If you are looking for better casting distance, try the old standby, a Deadly Dick.
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