False Albacore Appear In RI,
Big Blues Rule the Sound
The recent cool down has many anglers itching for fall fishing. The calendar, however, tells another story and it is business as usual for late August. Big bluefish, some up to 17 pounds, are marauding bait all over the region, and that’s welcomed news for those hunting one worth $25K this weekend. Snapper blues are getting bigger by the day and hitting just about anything thrown in front of them. Thanks to the still very warm water, striped bass are not making their presence known as much, but can be found by putting in time during low light or darkness. Bonito seemed to go in hiding this week, although the first news of false albacore in Rhode Island waters made up for it. In addition, bottom fishing remains another worthy option for scup to black sea bass and fluke in deeper water.
Rhode Island
Perhaps the best bit of news this week was about the arrival of the first false albacore around Block Island. Dave at River and Riptide was trolling a daisy chain for school bluefin one mile southeast of the Island on Sunday when he reeled in some of the welcomed bycatch. Chris of Block Island Fishworks added that albies just started showing up around the entrance to the Coast Guard channel too, but not yet in great numbers. He only had a couple brief chances before they dispersed. Both Dave and Chris agreed that this is just the beginning of what they believe will be a great albie season. That being said, bonito chatter quieted down this week, though Steve at Saltwater Edge is optimistic the ones around Martha’s Vineyard and Elizabeth Islands will soon head our way to feed on the bay anchovies showing up.
The cooler weather over the past week dropped water temperatures enough for Steve McKenna of Quaker Lane Outfitters to notice an uptick in striped bass activity. He and other anglers fishing along the Narragansett shoreline at night have been catching, on average, more bass per outing since the cool down – not large fish, but tight lines none the less. Steve said the recent scarcity of eels has created somewhat of a panic among a few anglers calling local shops searching for their beloved striper bait.
Chris at Block Island Fishworks said thankfully he hasn’t needed to use eels in weeks. The early morning bass bite off Block Island’s Southwest Corner has been good lately due to noticeably cooler water temps hovering around 68 degrees. His light-tackle clients had a good week of stripers up to 42 inches whacking soft-plastic baits and big white Deceiver flies.
Robin at Quaker Lane told me the outgoing tide has been treating anglers well off South County’s breachways in the form of big bluefish and some striped bass up to 14 pounds. At dusk and dawn, Robin said there has been some topwater bluefish action for those throwing poppers, spooks and metal too. She is also happy to hear all the reports of peanut bunker in the area to draw more fish in soon. In addition, Robin noted the wild amount of snapper blues that can be taken on a variety of offerings from small Kastmasters to silversides under a bobber.
It was a pretty good week for deep water fluke fishing according to Roger from the Frances Fleet. Their Friday and Saturday trips each featured more than six fish a day over 8 pounds. Best of them all was an 11.5-pound doormat that fell to a white fly/spinner/fluke belly combination on Saturday’s run for Miroslaw Sydlowski. Howard at Galilee Bait and Tackle weighed the fish and said it came from 70 to 90 feet of water south of Block Island on a Spro bucktail with a squid strip. Phil at Breachway Bait and Tackle agreed with the deep-water sentiment, saying an average half day outing around 65 feet of water has been yielding about three to four keepers. His bait of choice at the moment is a squid/mullet combo, adding that that there is an impressive amount of finger mullet already stacked in the salt ponds.
As for other bottom fish, Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina told me the waters around Block Island are by far the best bet for black sea bass. She likes the 70-feet depth range right now near the Hooter Buoy or along the south side. Elisa noted that Lucanus jigs are working well, as are sand eel-colored high/low-style rigs tipped with squid. Amanda at Watch Hill Outfitters shared that the scup fishing along most rocky stretches remains strong. All that is needed are sandworms and a high/low rig.
Connecticut
Big blues have Long Island Sound on lockdown right now, which couldn’t be better timing with the Sound-wide WICC bluefish tournament taking place this weekend. The heaviest toothy critter will win one lucky contestant $25,000. Matt at Hillyers said big blues are all over the place, including spots like the warm water outflow at Millstone, Black Point, Bartlett’s, and the Race. Q at River’s End told me he wouldn’t be surprised to see the winning bluefish come from the mouth of the Connecticut River, where he joked that the bunker are so thick you can walk across their backs. OTW contributor Captain Chris Elser said the Housatonic River is also hosting some serious contenders. Chris added that all of his monster bluefish lately have come while live-lining bunker. Don’t forget the wire leaders this weekend either!
Snapper blues are being caught just about everywhere too, according to Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle. He said a lot of customers are bringing their kids out to tackle these feisty baby bluefish that are getting bigger daily on a steady diet of peanut bunker and silversides. Cappy suggested going to almost any town dock or jetty along the coastline with a light-tackle setup and a popper float with a tube fly trailing behind it. My favorite snapper tactic as a kid was to trap silversides and then fish them live under a bobber. Cappy also added that crabbing for blue claws remains through the roof. The time is now to get out to those tidal rivers and coves.
Despite the warm water temperatures, Q at River’s End said some nice striped bass are being found late at night for those logging long hours and using bait. Nathan Landrie caught a 40.2-pound striped bass while live-lining bunker from shore in the lower Connecticut River on Tuesday night. Q also knew of at least three other striped bass over the 40-pound mark that were caught from the Connecticut shore this past week on live eels, but was understandably tightlipped about any other details. Boat anglers are also finding striped bass in deep, cool areas littered with structure. Matt at Hillyers said going between sundown and sunup is almost necessary to find big bass right now. He suggested three-waying live eels or bunker at the Race during the week and switching to spots like the Sluiceway or Plum Gut on the weekend because it should be less crowded.
As for bottom fishing, fluke action is fair, but weeding out shorts to attain a keeper limit takes work. Cheyenne at The Fish Connection told me the usual fluke haunts in the eastern Sound like Vixen’s Ledge, Seaflower Reef and Isabella Beach behind Fisher’s Island are good starting points. He suggested trying deeper water to encounter less shorts. A friend of mine, Rob Treat, had a good outing early this week in 60-feet of water off Black Point. He landed a few keepers on a fluke rig tipped with squid and was also treated to a nice surprise of two weakfish up to 26-inches.
In regards to black sea bass, Cappy at Captain Morgan’s said he’s never before seen or heard of this many juveniles being caught, which are only about four-inches long. He’s hopeful that it’s a great sign for the future, but as for right now the fishing could be better. Porgies on the other hand remain red hot. He said to keep it simple with a high/low rig, appropriately size bank sinker and pieces of sandworm for bait. Try rocky reefs from the boat and boulder fields or jetties from shore. Nick at Fisherman’s World is steering porgy anglers to Can 1 off Westport and Buoy 28 off Green’s Ledge.
Best Bets for the Weekend
It may be another week or two before it’s time to burn gas money chasing false albacore. For now, have some fun with what’s here in abundance already, bluefish. Whether you’re after a $25,000 pay check or introducing a youngster to a hard-fighting summer staple, big bluefish and tasty snappers are one of the better options this weekend. At first and last light, try getting one to explode on a topwater spook zigzagged across the surface. Or, take advantage of the plethora of menhaden in our area by free spooling a live one or chunking a fresh head piece on bottom.