As summer rolls along, anglers are adjusting to patterns and reaching into their bags of tricks to pull out quality fish. From targeting low-light hours for striped bass to pounding deep water for big fluke and sea bass to hitting inshore rock piles for scup, there is an abundance of ways to get a tight line in the July heat.
Rhode Island
Large striped bass continue to be taken with consistency from the structure just off Newport. Neil at Quaker Lane Outfitters relayed that Brenton Reef is producing big girls for anglers trolling umbrella rigs or tube/worms, as well as drifting eels or live pogies from Narragansett Bay. Another option on Brenton Reef is the top-water bite. From ICAST in Orlando, Jenks of Saltwater Edge told me that a dialed-in Rob Taylor just scored another cow bass there; this time while zig-zagging a spook over rock structure.
The reefs along the South Shore are also holding a fair number of bass and bluefish, some large too. Captain Ron of Breachway Bait said a 12-year-old client named Maxx Deseto landed a 37-pound striper Tuesday morning in 29-feet of water. The next morning Al Stocking got another 37-pounder right next to Ron’s boat using the same tactic, drifting live eels (with a ¼-ounce egg sinker to help get down) at first light. Getting out early is key, as Ron said it’s all over by 9 AM.
For surf fishermen targeting striped bass, think late tides with eels. The best surf report this past week came from Neil at Quaker Lane who had an anonymous angler weigh-in a 39.5-pound cow taken on an eel from the Narragansett shoreline Tuesday night.
Rhode Island’s fluke and black sea bass bite is holding steady. The crew from the Frances Fleet passed along some pretty hot fluke reports from the past week. The action has been very drift-condition-dependent: on slow drifts, bucktail jigs like Spros are working best and on faster drifts, bait rigs have been the ticket. There has also been some nice size mixed in with the action. The pool-winning fluke onboard most days has been in the 8 to 10-pound range and the biggest this week tipped the scales at just over 11-pounds.
Equally impressive has been the number of “net worthy” black sea bass more than 3-pounds coming over the rails, with several topping the 5-pound mark. For an idea of how good it can be, Frances Fleet longtime regular Norm landed 30 keeper sea bass on Saturday’s run alone, keeping his 8 biggest up to 5-pounds! Whole squid has been doing a number on the sea bass, which came as no surprise to Capt. Rich who’s been marking tremendous amounts of squid on the electronics.
For good fluke/sea bass starting points, Howard at Galilee Bait and Tackle suggested 40 to 70-feet of water (with 60 being the sweet spot) south of Point Judith and along the south side of Block Island. He likes fresh squid strips on a fluke ball and noted that pink has been the hot color this week. Along the South Shore, Ron at Breachway Bait recommended 50-feet of water between Green Hill and the Nebraska Shoal Can. This is the area where Henry Bernaki plucked an 8.02-pound fluke from on Monday. Ron likes using a squid/spearing combo on a pink or green Thom Cat rig.
Perhaps saving the best saltwater bite for last, scup fishing is flat out on fire right now on just about every inshore rock pile you can find. Shore anglers shouldn’t have too much trouble cashing in on the action either. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle suggested trying the ends of the local breachways on an outgoing tide. Pieces of squid, clam or sandworm on a high/low rig will all do the trick. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters said scup are also stacked like cordwood on Watch Hill Reef, as well as at the end of Napatree Point.
In the freshwater scene, the Wood River is still fishing well for trout considering it’s the middle of July. Dave at River and Riptide said one of the best tactics this time of year is to imitate bugs falling in the water from the banks or overhanging limbs. Fly anglers throwing terrestrial patterns like ants, beetles, grass hoppers, and especially inch worms can do really well.
Block Island
The waters surrounding Block Island remain one of your best shots at going large with striped bass at the moment. Like everywhere else, drifting eels at night has been one of the go-to methods for hooking up with quality bass. John at Twin Maples said 12-year-old Jameson Padien landed a 35.2-pounder doing just that on Saturday night. John likes the whole south side of the Island right now, but many big stripers are coming from Southwest Ledge. Also noteworthy, John saw schools of 18-inch mackerel roaming the east side of the Island this week with bass in tow. For ground fish opportunities, John said that fluke and lots of nice sea bass are being found west of the Hooter Buoy in 45 feet of water and deeper.
Connecticut
It was a busy week on Long Island Sound between the boat traffic and fireworks, but there were plenty of worthy fishing opportunities to be had. The night owls fishing live eels have been doing well in the striped bass department according to Matt at Hillyers. He said three-waying eels or bucktails is a productive tactic for stripers from sundown to sunup at places like the Race, Sluiceway, Plum Gut, Black Point, and Bartletts Reef.
Stripers may be more cooperative after dark this time of year, but they are still being caught in daylight hours on structure. Captain Blaine of Anderson Guide Services said it has been frustrating in the eastern Sound lately because fish are coming and going on the reefs so quickly. He had a charter on Wednesday morning covering 30 miles and 10 different humps, but it paid off when Blaine’s clients took several nice bass up to 37-pounds while live-lining porgies. His main piece of advice was to drop baits into the zone as soon as you mark fish because they can leave in a flash.
The mouth of the Connecticut River and the reefs adjacent to it are fishing well according to Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III. He said the mouth is loaded with menhaden and big bluefish can be found pinning them along Great Island early in the mornings. Topwater plugs have been working for them. Other anglers are transporting fresh bunker to Hatchetts Reef and chunking up big bass to 40-pounds.
The bunker fest continues in the western Sound and, for some, it’s the most experienced in many years. The only problem is the overall lack of predators being found underneath them. Jason at Bobby J’s Bait and Tackle said anglers are having success with bass and bluefish wile live-lining and chunking, but just as many are complaining about big pods of bait going unmolested. Bob at Fisherman’s World also talked about masses of bunker from New Haven to Greenwich and shared that customer Will Nuzzo landed a 45-pound striper on a fresh chunk this week outside of Bridgeport Harbor.
Fluke action in the Sound is good, but it will be a workout trying to reach your limit of keepers. The overall consensus from most shops has been to try deeper water to cut down on the amount of shorts one will encounter. Q from River’s End made a fluke and sea bass trip this week, hitting various humps and bumps in deep water from Black Point to Hatchetts Reef. He landed a dozen quality sea bass and 8 fluke, 6 of which were shorts. For shore anglers, Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III said Saybrook Point in the mouth of the Connecticut River is producing keeper-sized fluke on mackerel chunks of all things. In the western Sound, Jason at Bobby J’s said a new body of fluke has moved into the vicinity of Can 20 off Stratford with lots of keepers mixed in. For fluke bait, Jay likes anything same-day caught, such as fillets of bunker, bluefish or even sea robin. Further west, Bob at Fisherman’s World said customer Mike Langoif landed 30 fluke at Buoy 26, but only 3 were of keeper size.
Plain and simple, porgy fishing is excellent right now. Cheyenne at The Fish Connection said giant hubcap-sized porgies are all over the place in the eastern Sound, including shore spots like under the Gold Star Bridge in the Thames River, as well as Avery Point and Eastern Point Beach. For boat anglers, he rattled off recent porgy hotspots such as Bell Buoy 6, White Rock, Spindle at Bartletts, and Race Rock. As for blackfish, Cheyenne stated that reports have been few and far between, but suggested dunking crabs at Pine Island, Ocean Beach or Seaflower Reef for a decent shot at one.
For something different, Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle said it’s panning out to be a stunning year for blue crab numbers. He said most tidal rivers and coves are teeming with keepers and all methods of capture are producing, including trapping, scoop-netting, and hand-lining with bunker or chicken.
Lastly, for a freshwater option, Candlewood Lake is fishing well for largemouth and smallmouth bass. Pat at Candlewood Bait said many anglers have been flipping jigs and soft-plastics into the shallow weed beds for largemouths. As for smallies, try going deeper with Keitech swim baits, tubes, or Alabama rigs.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The overall best bet for the weekend is porgy fishing. Size is all relative for these fish, but with youngsters and light-tackle you could be in for a memorable outing and a good meal. Try any inshore rock pile with fresh bait on a high/low rig, adjusting your weight with the tide/current.
If you’re after a trophy-sized striped bass, your best shot is drifting eels or bunker over structure from a boat. In Rhode Island, the hotspots remain Brenton Reef off Newport and Southwest Ledge off Block Island. In Connecticut, try chunking fresh-cut bunker on Hatchetts Reef or hope for an epic blitz among the football fields of bunker in the western Sound.