Rhode Island Albie Bite Hot, Connecticut Set to Go Off!

It’s officially “game on” for fall fishing in Rhode Island! Striped bass and bluefish have been increasingly cooperative along the South Shore since the offshore storm moved through and, to the delight of many, someone flipped a switch on Tuesday and false albacore have been going mad on bay anchovies ever since. Connecticut waters are primed with bait, but it seems the fuse has yet to be lit. There are more than enough big bluefish, porgies, snappers, blue crabs, and nighttime stripers to keep anglers busy while waiting for water temperatures to drop a bit more.

 

Rhode Island Fishing Report

“It’s time.” Those words from Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle were music to my ears on Wednesday. She was one of several tackle shop owners I spoke with from Watch Hill to Newport that were buzzing about the influx of false albacore, bluefish and striped bass this week that are dining on a menu of mullet, peanut bunker, snappers, silversides, sand eels, and bay anchovies.

Albies are here and on the feed big time. Steve at Breachway Bait and Tackle said the speedsters are popping up all over Point Judith’s east, west and center walls, giving both surf and boat anglers a shot at hooking up. He shared that OTW contributor Thom Pelletier landed a 6-pounder from shore this week using a 1-ounce Crippled Herring. Dave at River and Riptide confirmed the full-blown albie assault, saying friends of his caught 29 from a boat on Tuesday and other friends landed 13 on Wednesday, all between Galilee and Pier 5 in Narragansett. False albacore are thick in Westerly too, as Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters found loads of them Wednesday puking up bay anchovies from Watch Hill Reef to Napatree Point, as well as out front of Quonny Breachway. He was using a 2-ounce Kastmaster sans hook as a casting weight and trailing behind it a 2-inch green fly on 25-pound fluorocarbon. Other proven metal offerings are Point Jude Po-Jees, Deadly Dicks, and Yo-Zuri L-Jack jigs if you can find them.

Striped bass and bluefish have been making anglers very happy both day and night lately. Steve McKenna at Quaker Lane Outfitters has caught more stripers in the last couple of weeks than he has over the last few months. He added 6 more bass up to 15 pounds on Monday night using Red Gill teasers fished in front of swimming plugs and darters in Narragansett. Steve at Breachway Bait and Tackle told me there has been a bunch of activity on the breachways lately. He said anglers tossing white 1.5-ounce bucktails tipped with pork rinds were picking off keeper striped bass and bluefish up to 8 pounds on Wednesday morning. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle said South County beaches and breachways are noticeably fishing better for surfcasters recently. At dusk and dawn, anglers are connecting with top-water lures, especially red and white poppers. At night, live eels, needlefish plugs and Northbar Bottle Darters have been working well. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters spoke of solid daytime and nighttime action right under the Watch Hill Lighthouse. Some top producers have been pencil poppers, needlefish plugs, eels, and chunked bunker.

 

Fluking seems to be taking a backseat now, as I didn’t receive a single report from mainland shops this week. However, another worthy option is scup fishing if you can get through the hordes of juvenile black sea bass that seem to be just about everywhere. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle said to try under Watch Hill Lighthouse with sandworms for scup the size of dinner plates. For boaters, Mike of Watch Hill Outfitters said scup (or “New England panfish” as he’s calling them) are all over Can 7. Lastly, Robin also mentioned the crazy amount of snapper blues all over the state. She noted that they’re ranging from 5 to 10-inches now and that she can’t keep snapper poppers and little Kastmaters on her shelves.

Block Island Fishing Report

Eels drifted along bottom on Block’s south side keep accounting for quality striped bass. A friend of mine and brand new dad, Rob Treat, did just that and landed a 35-pounder on Tuesday night from Southwest Ledge. There continue to be monster bluefish around the Island too, as Mike from Watch Hill Outfitters landed several up to 15 pounds on Wednesday while trolling a tube and worm. The big story around Block continues to be black sea bass. Chris of Block Island Fishworks had a slow morning of striper fishing turn into an excellent day of sea bass fishing on Wednesday. The crew took home several keepers from 40 feet of water near the Hooter buoy using Maria jigs.

John at Twin Maples said there are false albacore popping up now and then in the Coast Guard channel. He also said a 46-inch striped bass was taken there from shore by an angler targeting fluke with squid. As for actual fluke catches, John noted that boaters are still finding keepers up to 4.75-pounds using squid and spearing in 36 to 45 feet of water from the Southwest Corner to Graces Cove and in 28 to 36 feet of water off Clayhead.

Connecticut Fishing Report

The chill in the air over the last few nights has many Long Island Sound anglers, including myself, antsy for fall fishing. That being said, water temperatures remain very warm and the saltwater fishing in Connecticut didn’t go bananas this week as it did in Rhode Island. There is an incredible amount of bait around though, so one can only hope it’s just a matter of time before something reflecting a “fall run” materializes.

Several Connecticut anglers crashed the hardtail party on Watch Hill Reef and behind Fisher’s Island over the last few days. With the amount of bait around and no major weather threats on the horizon, this false albacore bite could go on for a while and hopefully move well into Long Island Sound. Along with the classic metal lures, boaters are also targeting albies with soft-plastics like Zoom Super Flukes and Connecticut-made Albie Snax by Long Cast Plastics.

Bluefish are still the main event in the Sound for the most part. They are marauding baitfish just about everywhere, creating some fun top-water opportunities in the process. Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III said anglers are doing well chunking the fresh bunker that can be found in the lower Connecticut River. Phil at River’s End said the Sluiceway and Gull Islands had acres of 3-pound blues busting on bay anchovies this week and so many birds working overhead that it was hard to miss. Jason at Bobby J’s said there are a lot of 2- to 5-pound bluefish hitting topwater plugs in the Milford area with the occasional 9-pounder mixed in. Danny at Rudy’s Tackle Barn has customers catching a lot of big blues in the far western Sound on fresh bunker chunks fished on bottom with a fish finder rig. He said 55 feet of water seems to be the magic depth this week.

There are striped bass to be had right now, some nice ones too, but it’s mostly at night on eels or bunker. Matt at Hillyers noted that focusing on areas like the Race and Bartlett’s Reef early and late are as good as bet as any. He likes three-waying live eels or bucktails in those reef situations. Captain Mike of Reel Cast Charters has been targeting the eastern Sound shoreline by boat and on foot this past week with eels after dark. He and a friend worked extremely hard for three bass from 18 to 26 pounds.

Andrew had just finished a scup sandwich for lunch when we talked on Wednesday. He said there are some impressive sized porgies out there right now ready for the taking. He’s been having a ball jigging up hubcap-sized ones with Deadly Dicks at places like Race Rock and Wicopesset. In the western Sound, Nick at Fisherman’s World reported that Stephen Kaufmann reeled in a 2-pound, 4-ounce beast of a porgy using sandworms and clams in 30 feet of water near Buoy 26 off Copp’s Island.

Matt at Hillyers told me that fluke fishing in the Sound has been better so far in September than it was in August. He said you don’t have to fish real deep this time of year either. Dave Goldschneider landed 3 keepers up to 5 pounds this week from 30 to 50 feet of water in the Niantic area. Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle shared good news about a few weakfish catches this week in 30 to 60 feet of water south of Falkner’s Island on bucktail jigs with squid. Cappy also wanted me to remind readers how incredible the blue crabbing has been in Connecticut’s tidal rivers and coves lately, as well as the snapper blue fishing. Both blue crabs and snappers are huge in size this time of year and could make for a fun change of pace from the usual fishing grind.

Fishing Forecast

The best bet for this weekend is to be in Rhode Island. If it’s false albacore you’re after, head to Point Judith or Watch Hill. For a shore-bound angler, the west wall or a breachway could be your greatest chance at success. Boaters need to look for the birds and boats, but don’t be afraid to venture away from the pack and find your own pod of fish. If it’s bass and blues on the agenda, under Watch Hill Lighthouse has been the most consistent spot, but the breachways and Narragansett shoreline are also fishing well.