Connecticut and Rhode Island Fishing Report 8-9-2012

Big Scup and Picky Stripers

Rhode Island:

The huge amount of baitfish has been the talk at the breachways, estuaries and inlets along the coast of the Ocean State. And we all know what that means.

Blues ranging from small snappers to gators up to 12 pounds have been causing a ruckus, stuffing themselves on the bay anchovies, mullet, spearing and juvenile bunker in the inlets and salt ponds. There have been a few reports of bass feeding below the blues, but nothing too big. Robin from Quonnie Bait reports that large amounts of bass and blues can be seen breaking water every day, but getting them to bite is another story. These blitzes are occurring in the Charlestown and Quonnie breachways and up into the inlets and ponds. Match your offering to small bait that the blues and bass are feeding on to hook up. A teaser may also be very effective here.

David from River and Riptide reported the same thing, though he and his clients had luck catching some larger bass on flies at the Narragansett and Narrow Rivers. The best time to catch these feeding fish is when the tide shifts, carrying the bait away from them.

The bass bite has been really picking up at night on Narragansett Beach and at Watch Hill Light, according to Robin from Quonnie Bait. Poppers have taken the big bass. The nighttime is the right time to catch one of these cows on a topwater plug.

Captain Steve of Breachway Bait and Tackle reports Block Island as being the hotspot. Limits of stripers had been taken drifting and trolling live eels on early morning slack tides. Even here however, the striper fishing is very hit or miss. Tides, he claims, is the factor to pay attention to. High slack tide would be the time to go.

With water temperatures in the high 70s closer to shore, fishing the south side of Fisher Island in the cooler water may be a viable option to get the big lethargic bass to bite.

The fluke are out there, though catching more than a handful of keepers may be easier said than done.  Captain Thom of Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle reported fishing the ledges around Fisher Island without much luck. Try depths of 60 feet and up to try your luck for a doormat. Smaller fluke have been taken in the same breachways and ponds that the blues have been feeding in. Any type of cut or chunk bait will work well for these, as well as drifting a jig or bucktail. Some blackfish have also been taken in these same areas, specifically off the Charlestown Breachway. Green crabs have been the hot bait for them.

Scup are plentiful in all of the ponds and estuaries. Catch a limit of these on just about any small live or cut bait. Some big dinner-plates have mixed in with the smaller ones.

Connecticut

The striper fishing along Race Rock Light, at Harkness and near Bartletts reef has stayed hot, according to Mark at Hillyers Bait and Tackle. The bass have been chasing the bunker in closer to shore than normal, making poppers and swimmers the best bet from shore. Throwing live eels at night is of course another option.

Trolling and drifting live eels and bucktails around Harkness and Black Point at night has also been a ticket to getting some big bass to bite. Big gorilla blues have also mixed in. Andrew from Fishin’ Factory III reports large blues being taken off the DEP pier on chunked bunker, which are plentiful and easily snagged or netted.

A single bonito mixed in with the bluefish was taken off Race Rock Light on a Deadly Dick.

The fluke bite has been heating up again, which have been caught all the way up into the Niantic River on cut squid and clam. For the big ones, head to the deeper ledges of 60 to 100 feet of water. The waters east of Fisher’s and off Black Point have produced steady fluke bites. For these deep water dwellers, use large baits, as the popular adage of big bait, big fish rings true here. Big sea bass can also be taken with the fluke.

Pat from River’s End Bait and Tackle reports extremely large scup being taken off Block Island. Large amounts of scup can taken on just about any rockpile along the coast.

Pat also commented on the plethora of “kid species”—snapper blues, scup, small sea bass, and especially blue crabs—in the Connecticut River. This time of year offers a great opportunity to get the kids out on the water.

 

Best Bets for the Weekend:

Try the breachways and inlets in the mornings in Rhode Island and see if you can entice one of those feeding bass to bite. Bring small offerings and be prepared to follow the bait as they move with the current.

Deep water fluke fishing will continue to be productive along the ledges and wrecks in the Long Island and Block Island sounds. These areas will be your best bet at taking home a doormat.

Catching some blue crabs in the Connecticut River is also a viable and tasty option. Buy a crab trap or snare and bring the kids along.