As water temperatures continue to climb, awaited seasonal visitors are coming within reach. Bonito are showing in Rhode Island and eastern Long Island Sound, and false albacore won’t be too far behind. At the same time, the bath-like waters bringing them here are regulating other species to deeper, cooler locales. The waters around Block Island remain home to the best striper fishing right now. From snappers to gators, bluefish seem to be everywhere and anywhere in between. Fluking remains hit or miss for the most part, while black sea bass and porgy action is red hot. All in all, the table is being set for some potentially epic fall fishing. There is an incredible amount of bait around; all we need is a slug of cooler weather to get things going.
Rhode Island
The inshore water is finally clearing up after high winds and big seas last weekend. Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Outfitters, fresh off a family vacation, scored 25 stripers in two nights this week while plying the Narragansett surf with plugs and Red Gills. The bass weren’t huge, up to 13-pounds, but enough to keep him occupied in the August heat. He said the cooler waters around Block seem to be producing the quality striped bass lately, including Richard Denn’s 41-pounder that was weighed-in Wednesday for the Striper Cup.
Captain Ron of Breachway Bait and Tackle shared that boat anglers are finding stripers along the South Shore, but bluefish are making them pay for it. Brian Luccini went through three dozen eels this week to score five bass up to 37 pounds in 17 feet of water off Green Hill. Large bluefish up to 13 pounds chopped up the rest.
Along with the big yellow-eyed demons are an impressive amount of snapper blues up to 8-inches. Steve at Quaker Lane said snapper poppers with a trailing tube fly are flying off their shelves. Small Kastmasters or frozen shiners under a bobber will do the trick too. Not only do snappers make for a tasty meal, this type of fishing is a great way to get youngsters involved.
As for fluke, positive reports were few and far between this week. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle spoke of a pick of keeper-sized fluke in Quonny Pond. She noted that fishing the incoming tide with glow Thom Cat fluke rigs tipped with squid or mummichogs has been the ticket. Howard at Galilee Bait reported a few keepers in the 22- to 24-inch range being found right off the commercial fishing docks in the Harbor of Refuge, along with some big triggerfish as a bonus. Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina said it’s been slim pickings on the fluke front, yet recommended deeper water like 70-feet down off Nebraska Shoals or the Center Wall.
Other ground fish are filling in the void left by fluke, however. Ron at Breachway Bait took out his father and brother this week, who together boated 20 keeper black sea bass from 60-feet of water south of the Nebraska Shoal can during an outgoing tide. They were using standard sea bass rigs tipped with squid and clams; either bait didn’t seem to out-produce the other.
Scup action remains very good along virtually any inshore rock pile. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle suggested shore anglers try fishing off the end of the breachways during the ebb tide with a high/low rig tipped with bits of sandworm. Robin also added that a few reports trickled in about some keeper blackfish coming off of East Beach on crabs.
The sheer amount of bait in the area is very encouraging. Dave at River and Riptide reported the estuaries having the most peanut bunker he has seen in at least five years, which was great to hear. He added that there were some bonito mixing with bluefish in the Watch Hill vicinity right before last weekend’s snotty weather and expects more of the same soon.
Block Island
It’s bonito time! John at Twin Maples said the buzz of their arrival around the Island kicked up about five days ago. The best hope for shore anglers is inside the Coast Guard channel. Boaters should be checking the Charlestown Beach area near the channel entrance. For spin fishermen, a Deadly Dick with a green prism is a fine option. With a good cast, fly anglers can likely get the job done with epoxy patterns or Deceivers.
The cooler waters around Block Island remain your best shot at hooking a big striper this time of year. Howard at Galilee Bait and Tackle said bass in the 35 to 45-pound class have been falling pretty consistently to boaters drifting eels along Southwest Ledge or trolling bunker spoons during slack tide in the North Rip. Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina backed it up by sharing that Jack Linton weighed-in a 50-pound bass Tuesday night that ate an eel on Southwest Ledge. She added that trolling tube and worms is a great backup plan since eels are seemingly scarce at the moment.
As for bottom fishing, John at Twin Maples relayed that black sea bass fishing is still going strong along rocky areas in 40 to 45-feet of water between Graces’s Cove and the Southwest Bell. He recommended deeper, sandier bottom for fluke, like 58-feet deep off Grace’s and Dory’s Cove.
Connecticut
The speedy bonito also paid a visit to eastern Long Island Sound over the past week. Captain Blaine of Anderson Guide Services found good numbers of them last Friday along Fisher’s Island. Feeding on peanut bunker and squid, Blaine and a co-worker matched the hatch with Deadly Dicks, Sebile Magic Swimmers and Shimano Waxwings. They also noticed much smaller splashes, downsized a bit and caught a rarer Sound visitor, frigate mackerel. This was just the tip of the iceberg and with the powder keg of bait in the Sound, we could see a phenomenal bonito and false albacore season in the coming weeks.
Striped bass fishing in the Sound has been challenging lately due to excessively warm water temperatures. For the first time in its 37-year history, Millstone nuclear power plant shut down one of two units Sunday because the water used to cool it was too warm – that should give you an idea what we’re dealing with. Even so, anglers are still finding bass in deep, cooler water, especially under the cover of darkness. Cheyenne at The Fish Connection said the window between 2 AM and sunrise has been producing bass for anglers live-lining bunker in Norwich Harbor. Kyle at J&B Tackle said three-waying bucktails and eels on reefs like the Race, early or late in the tide, have also been a decent bet for striped bass, but you’ll have to fight through a lot of bluefish.
If you’re trying to target blues, the mouth of the Connecticut River has plenty, big ones too, taking advantage of the silly amount of bunker there. Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III said customers are tying on steel-leaders with a snag-hook and live-lining from shore spots like under the I-95 Bridge, Saybrook Point and CT DEEP’s dock. Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle said big blues are also terrorizing bait in the Housatonic River, halfway between the mouth and the Derby Dam. Chris has been having luck before sunrise with large metal-lip swimmers. Nick at Fisherman’s World said hefty bluefish have been marauding bunker in the Norwich Harbor, and smaller ones can be taken on topwater lures outside around the Norwalk Islands. Keep in mind that WICC’s Sound-wide bluefish tournament ($25,000 first prize) is slated for next weekend!
The Sound is loaded with snapper blues too; the most Cappy at Captain Morgan’s Bait and Tackle has seen in the last three years combined. The usual snapper offerings like the popper/fly combo, small trout spoons, and shiners under a float will catch a meals-worth in no time from most town docks along the shoreline. Cappy also added that crabbing for blue claws remains very strong in several tidal rivers. My favorite method is scoop-netting pilings at night with a flashlight, but chicken on a string or a baited trap will do the trick just the same.
As in Rhode Island, fluke reports were have been pretty spotty in the Sound lately. In the east, Cheyenne at The Fish Connection suggested trying the 40-foot depth range at Vixen’s Ledge or behind Fisher’s Island along Isabella Beach. Kyle at J&B Tackle recommended deeper water, like 60 to 90-feet off Black Point or the Plum Island buoy. He also noted that green bucktails tipped with squid work especially well in the deeper environs. Moving west, Cappy at Captain Morgan’s Bait and Tackle said deep water off Westbrook is a good starting point, specifically around Six Mile and Southwest Reef. His favorite bait this time of year for doormat fluke are live snapper blues.
Scup action is still red hot across the board. There are still some hubcaps hunkering down on the rock piles, maybe one bigger than the new state record set just a few weeks ago. Using high/low rigs tipped with sandworms around areas littered with structure are where you want to be. Black sea bass are another possibility. Nick at Fisherman’s World reported that Danny St. George landed a 4-pound sea bass this week while fishing a bucktail with a squid strip south of the Norwalk Islands in 45 to 60-feet of water.
Trout are pretty much out of the question in freshwater, but smallmouth and largemouth bass remain a good option, especially in Candlewood Lake. Pat at Candlewood Bait and Tackle said anglers are doing well with smallmouth along rock walls on the outside of weed edges in 13 to 16-feet of water. Try using tubes, drop shot worms and swim baits with half-ounce jig heads. For largemouth bass, he said to try flipping jigs in a little shallower water, like 8 to 10 feet deep inside the weed edges.
Best Bets for the Weekend
If you’re looking for your first crack at a bonito this season, head to the west side of Block Island. Look for these speedsters popping up in and around the Coast Guard channel or Charlestown Beach. Have fluorocarbon and Deadly Dicks on hand, but be prepared to donate a few lures if bluefish are mixed in.
Tackle-busting blues in the Connecticut River mouth are another fun option for this weekend. Whether you’re doing reconnaissance for the upcoming bluefish tournament or just want to hear your reel’s drag again, try live-lining some bunker for a big chopper.
Lastly, drifting eels along Southwest Ledge off Block Island is by far the best bet if you’re hell bent on finding a trophy striped bass this weekend.