Multiple 50-Pounders Landed
Big Bass Fishing is Hot!
Hopefully you have been getting some fishing in between celebrating America’s birthday with cookouts and firework displays. As another heat wave has a grip on the region, nighttime or low-light hours with eels or bunker remain key ingredients for scoring trophy stripers. Rhode Island waters off Block Island and Newport produced multiple 50-pound bass this past week. Long Island Sound is also hosting good bass and bluefish action, with the stretch from the Connecticut River to Greenwich paved with bunker. Fluke fishing reports have been pretty good overall, especially from deeper water where you will catch more keepers even if it means less fish. Some nice black sea bass have been mixed in with the fluke, bluefish seem to be everywhere you do or don’t want them, and porgy fishing on inshore rock piles is lock ‘n load. In addition, blackfish season opened back up in Connecticut waters. With more heat on tap for this coming weekend, at least we have some hot fishing to match.
- With the fishing heating up in Rhode Island, Ralph Craft and friends had a great day on the water
Rhode Island
Rhode Island waters continue to harbor very large striped bass. Brenton Reef off Newport seems to be one of the hotter areas to be putting in your time in right now. Captain Billy of Can’t Imagine Sportfishing Charters had some really good trips there this week using fresh bunker chunks in about 40 feet of water. On Saturday morning, client John Silvia landed a 52-pounder and, on Tuesday, client John Stanford reeled in one at 51 pounds. Billy has been finding his bunker in Narragansett Bay near Conimicut Light, and bass action has been particularly good near the change of the tide, with very few bluefish to boot. At night there’s a chance for those trophies to come closer to shore. Just ask Rob Taylor, who lugged a 51.1-pound cow into Saltwater Edge on Tuesday morning that he landed from an undisclosed surf location.
The south side of Block Island is another place you can expect trophy stripers at the moment. John at Twin Maples said from the Southeast Light all the way to the Southwest Corner has been producing big bass for boat anglers drifting eels, including a 48-pounder on Monday, 50- and 49.5-pounders on Tuesday, and another one at 48 pounds on Thursday.
Structure along South County is holding its share of nice striped bass as well, just not with same consistency of Newport or Block Island. Captain Ron of Breachway Bait and Tackle has been finding plenty of bass in the 30-pound class using eels on reefs in less than 30-feet of water, from Charlestown Breachway to Moonstone Beach. Ron likes to use a ½-ounce egg sinker to help his eels quickly get down to the strike zone, especially during the moon tides lately. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle told me the local breachways have been coughing up some decent bass for shore anglers, particularly for those letting eels drift out with the ebb tide.
Those looking for bluefish might want to check out lower Narragansett Bay. Steve at Saltwater Edge said they have been blitzing on silversides and even baby bluefish below the bridges in the lower Bay and in the Sakonnet River. Look for working birds to find them and try surface and subsurface lures to draw strikes.
As for fluke, there are a lot of fish to be had; it’s just been a lot of work finding the keeper-sized ones. All tackle shops that I spoke with agreed that deeper water provides a better ratio of keepers to shorts, even if it means less fish overall. Steve at Breachway Bait and Tackle suggested 45 to 75 feet of water along the South Shore, adding that dogfish are starting to be a problem closer to the beach. He also said the biggest fluke brought in their shop this week was an 8.36-pounder by Jim D on Saturday. Robin of Quonny Bait and Tackle told me 45-feet of water off Charlestown Beach is where you want to be right now with a combination of squid and mummichogs. Her shop’s biggest fluke of the week was 8.13 pounds caught on Tuesday by Jerry Zordan. Keeping with the deeper theme, Captain Thom at Quaker Lane Outfitters caught an 8.6-pound fluke off the center wall in Galilee on Monday in about 60 feet of water. John at Twin Maples said 40 to 55 feet of water along the western side of Block Island, from Grace’s Cove down to the Southwest Bell, has been a productive stretch for fluke lately. It hasn’t been easy to find the big fish though. John mentioned that it could be up to 15 to 20 short fish from 16 to 18 inches before you get that one keeper over 18.5 inches. He likes a squid/spearing combo for bait on a chartreuse fluke spinner rig.
Mixed in with the fluke are a healthy number of black sea bass. John at Twin Maples said that anglers targeting fluke are landing some very respectable sea bass up to 5.75 pounds in the same areas and depths, and on the same rigs and baits. Captain Thom of Quaker Lane, who’s been by-catching sea bass during his fluke trips, agreed that they’re holding in the same general turf, although sea bass prefer it a rockier than fluke. Scup are another tasty fish that are cooperating right now. Robin at Quaker Lane said shore anglers are getting them off the breachways using bits of clam or sandworms on high/low rigs. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters said that right under the Watch Hill Lighthouse remains a good bet for big porgies. And on Block Island, John at Twin Maples suggested anglers try right in front of the Coast Guard channel for scup, where one of 3.5 pounds was taken this week using squid.
Connecticut
As expected in early July, Long Island Sound is offering a wide variety of angling opportunities. Striped bass fishing has been best at night on deepwater eastern Sound reefs like the Race. Matt at Hillyers said three-waying bucktail jigs, or eels when bluefish aren’t thick, has been a solid tactic. That’s how Pete Lewis landed a 47.2-pound striper there on Friday night. Q at River’s End said he found a few willing striped bass while three-waying eels on Bartlett and Hatchets Reef at night this week, as well as plenty of bluefish while butterfly jigging Pigeon Rip during the day. Jack at The Fish Connection said bluefish are being found readily in the Thames River by shore anglers chunking bunker or mackerel at Buoy 27.
Structure adjacent to the mouth of the Connecticut River is holding some big stripers according to Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III. He said the mouth of the River is loaded with bunker and boat anglers are trolling them live on wire with good results at places like Long Sand Shoal and Hatchets Reef.
Speaking of bunker, all tackle shops I spoke with west of the Connecticut River couldn’t help but mention the Sound was chock full of them. There are so many pods of menhaden that a lot of them are roaming around relatively untouched by predators. It seems that you have to locate the larger schools getting pushed by bluefish and the occasional bass to have success. Live-lining with a snag hook or chunking underneath are accounting for most of the catching around these pods of bait.
As for fluke, Long Island Sound has a similar theme to Rhode Island; action is good, but keepers are few and far between for the most part. Jack at The Fish Connection said that 30 to 60 feet of water along the south side of Fisher’s Island is a pretty reliable stretch, especially from Isabella Beach east to Wicopesset. Recently productive fluke spots closer to the Connecticut coast include Seaflower Reef and Groton Long Point and Jack suggested using a squid/smelt combo as bait. Matt at Hillyers added Two Tree Channel, Black Point and Niantic Bay as other fluking spots to put time in, but that’s exactly what he stressed; you will have to put time in to catch keepers among the shorts. Andrew of Fishin’ Factory III recommended 90-feet of water in between Black Point and Hatchets Reef, stating that you will only be fishing for a few bites, but chances are they will be from better fish. For a western Sound fluke spot, Danny at Rudy’s Tackle Barn suggested plying the waters around Buoy 32A off Greenwich with a squid/spearing combo.
Fishing for porgies has hit full stride around most inshore reefs and rock piles using bits of sandworms, clams or squid on high/low rigs. Black sea bass reports are decent west of the Connecticut River. Andrew of Fishin’ Factory III said Long Island Sound sea bass spots are kept very close to the vest, adding that sometimes the best spots are only the size of a Volkswagen. He did say he’s hearing good sea bass action from the Clinton area from those using squid on high/low rigs. Danny at Rudy’s Tackle Barn said anglers in the western Sound, along with fluke, are finding porgies and black sea bass at Buoy 32A. Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle told me that blue crabbing in tidal rivers along the Sound has been outstanding. Try scooping them off dock pilings with a long handled net after dark.
Lastly, blackfish season opened up again on July 1 and will run through August until another short break occurs. Matt at Hillyers said a customer aboard the headboat MiJoy weighed in an 11.6-pounder on Wednesday. You are allowed 2 fish per angler per day right now with a minimum size length of 16-inches. Matt added that green or Asian crabs are really the only bait to use right now because anything else will get stolen by porgies or sea robins.
Best Bets for the Weekend
With some very large striped bass holding in Rhode Island waters, one of the better bets this weekend would be to drift live eels or chunk fresh bunker over structure. For two recent hotspots, try Brenton Reef or the south side of Block Island, specifically Southwest Ledge. Keep in mind that going at night, or dusk or dawn, will increase your chances of achieving tight lines. For a nice pick of fluke and black sea bass, try squid strips in 40 to 55 feet of water near southwest Block Island or along South Shore of mainland Rhode Island. In Connecticut, capitalize on some of the biggest bunker numbers the area has seen in some time. The western Sound is loaded with them and live-lining or chunking is the best way to connect with any bass and blues following close by.