Connecticut & Rhode Island Fishing Report: 10-6-11

Plenty of wet and windy weather put a damper on fishing effort over the last several days, but good news – Mother Nature is going to redeem herself by giving us a beautiful Columbus Day weekend for some classic fall fishing!

The big story this week was the excellent shallow-water blackfish bite in Narragansett Bay and Long Island Sound.  After a slowdown last week, false albacore action picked right back up with a vengeance along the Rhody coast, eastern Long Island Sound, and especially in Montauk.  Striped bass reports are pretty hit or miss, with some anglers faring well in certain areas, while others feel like they’re fishing a dead sea.  Bluefish remain thick just about everywhere in the region and are showing no signs of leaving yet.  And many anglers are taking advantage of the scup season extension for good reason because they’re plentiful with some real bruisers mixed in.

Rhode Island

Jack at Quaker Lane Outfitters told me that tog fishing is steadily improving along shallow rocky areas in the Ocean State, especially in Narragansett Bay.  He noted that 15 to 20 feet of water all around Jamestown is producing some respectable blackfish in the 5-pound range, but no real lunkers have been reported just yet.  Jack said to keep it simple with green crabs, cut in half or used whole depending on their size, on a high/low rig.  Even though shallower is better at the moment, he said you can expect to keep moving deeper as water temperatures continue to fall.  Jack also pointed out that the Bay has been hosting good amounts of adult pogies lately and big bluefish are hanging tight to them during the day.  Try finding the big baitfish at night and you may have a better shot scoring some stripers.

Pete at Saltwater Edge said there has been a slow pick at night for striped bass in the Newport area, but nothing really to write home about.  What’s more newsworthy is the return of bonito to the area.  Pete saw pods of bonito and false albacore in the same neighborhood a few days ago, blitzing just off First Beach.  He told me that when bonito make their second appearance of the fall, as they are doing now, it’s sometimes a sign that false albacore will be getting out of dodge soon.  In the meantime, try capitalizing on the action with lures like the Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow or Point Jude Po-Jee.  Little tunny were found in strong numbers in the Watch Hill area this week too.  Dave at River and Riptide Angler found albies stacked like cordwood at Wicopesset Passage and Watch Hill Reef last Sunday, which were puking up bay anchovies on his boat.  He and a friend did well with fly rods and Royal Anchovy patterns.

Robin at Quonny Bait & Tackle said the breachways along the South Shore have been treating anglers well this week during high-dropping tides.  She mentioned that customer Whitey Methot took a 40-inch striped bass while using a Northbar bottle darter on such a tide.  Others have reported good success using those plugs recently too, which dig well in the rip that forms outside the breachways on the ebb tide.  Robin also told me that big bluefish have been eating surface plugs in lowlight conditions and even after dark, such as Gibbs poppers and Line Stretchers. There is still a lot of mullet in the water, with a bunch of rain bait to go along with it.

The 4^th annual John Haberek Sr. Memorial Striped Bass Tournament is this weekend, which not only celebrates the life of a legendary plug-maker, but raises funds for a good cause.  The tournament runs from 5PM Friday through 9 AM Sunday.  You can register at one of these four weigh-in stations: Saltwater Edge, Quaker Lane Outfitters, Quonny Bait & Tackle, or M&D Bait and Tackle in Massachusetts.  The entry fee is $15 and proceeds go towards the Tomorrow Fund at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.  Catching one of the top three heaviest stripers from the surf will win you a custom needlefish plug trophy.  There will also be serious raffle prizes at the award ceremony 3PM Sunday at Coddington Brew Co., including a Van Staal reel, an Aquaskinz jacket and a Local Hooker surf rod

Block Island

It may sound like a broken record, but the striped bass bite is still going strong along the south side of Block Island.  Chris of Block Island Fish Works said in 30 to 50 feet of water, tight to the bottom, is where you want to be fishing.  Areas like inside of Southwest Ledge, around Southeast Light, and Old Harbor Point have been producing some nice bass on live eels and soft-plastic baits like Cape Cod Sandeels.  Chris also mentioned that some boaters are having success trolling tube and worms.

The false albacore bite around the Island is nothing to bank on.  Chris said a few days ago there was some spotty albie action at the entrance to New Harbor, but the rest of the Island has been pretty dead on that front.  The predominant bait is sandeels and silversides, so Deadly Dicks and soft-plastic offerings like 4-inch Slug-Gos are doing the trick.  Chris also noted that black sea bass are cooperating in the same areas and depths that they are fishing for striped bass.  Shimano Lucanus jigs and a teaser above it tipped with a squid strip is his standard setup for black sea bass fishing and it’s been working well as of late.

Connecticut

Tog fishing opened up with a bang in Connecticut waters last weekend.  Andrew of Fishing Factory III said it’s mostly a shallow water game right now in 15 feet or less.  His customer Pete Hawley weighed-in a 9.2-pound blackfish on the first day of the season, then topped it with a 9.5-pounder on his next outing.  Andrew said green or Asian crabs are both effective baits and it’s more of a personal preference between the two.  He recommended drowning some crabs at Inner Bartlett Reef or Hatchett Reef for starters.  Matt at Hillyers also spoke about the good beginning to the tog season.  He believes the extension of the scup season will be taking some pressure off blackfish.  Matt suggested anchoring up in the shallows near Race Rock, Sea Flower Reef, and Black Point.

The blackfish bite started strong in the western Sound as well.  Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle had customer Steve Higgs weigh-in a 13.3-pound beast from the New Haven Breakwall, which he kept alive in a cooler then released.  Chris also noted that many of his customers are taking full advantage of the scup season extension, targeting any type of inshore structure with bits of sandworms, clams or squid on a high/low rig.

False albacore reports picked back up after a brief slow down last week.  On his weekly Monday outing, Captain Blaine of Anderson Guide Services went to Montauk and saw more albies than he’d ever seen before.  With acres of fish also came a crazy amount of boats, but there were enough albies for everyone to have their own pod.  Blaine said the albies were coughing up squid, which soft-plastic baits matched up to well.  Nick at Fisherman’s World reported that false albacore were still popping up in the western Sound, particularly in 20 to 60 feet of water off of Sheffield Island.  Some of his customers are fooling the speedsters with Deadly Dicks and Albie Snax.

Striper reports seemed hit or miss this week in Long Island Sound.  Some good news came from Captain Blaine, who brought a client to some no-named structure off Niantic before first light on Tuesday.  They were into a few bass right away while three-waying live eels.  After the sun came up, they switched to live-lining porgies, but bluefish became an issue.  They stuck with it and ended up boating some decent stripers to 25 pounds on sawed-in-half porgies courtesy of bluefish teeth.  Blaine recommended wire leaders for this type of fishing when the blues are swarming.  Joe at The Fish Connection told me that three-waying eels or bucktails at night in areas like the Race or the Sluiceway could be the ticket for larger bass right now.  If you want all the blues you can handle, he suggested diamond jigging those same areas during daylight hours.

Best Bets for the Weekend

It’s good to see a pleasant five-day forecast again!  The weekend looks perfect on paper for taking the boat out and doing some shallower-water toggin’.  Visit your favorite rock piles in 15 feet or less and drop down some green or Asian crabs to see if anyone’s home.  In Rhode Island, the rocky shallows in Narragansett Bay are good places to start your search, as tog reports along the South Shore have been slow going.  Long Island Sound blackfish action has been fast and furious right from the starting gun.  Some classic spots to dunk some crabs would include Race Rock, Black Point, Inner Bartlett Reef, Hatchett Reef, and the New Haven Breakwall.