Bait and Big Swell Could Create Perfect Striper Storm
While it was a pleasant and productive Labor Day weekend for many anglers, weather and water conditions have curtailed fishing effort over the last few days. With an offshore storm approaching, expect to see the surf and swell step it up a notch in Rhode Island later in the weekend and early next week. Time will tell, but it could be one of those occasions when shore-bound anglers have the upper hand over the boat crowd. Long Island Sound shouldn’t feel the effects as much, but whatever the case may be, it should be interesting to see what Hurricane Leslie pushes our way.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
There may be a shortage of eels in tackle shops, but at least there is an impressive amount of baitfish in our local waters. Scott at Saltwater Edge reported an awful lot of peanut bunker packed in the Newport area. He said that shore anglers are experiencing some good bluefish action along First and Second Beach using top-water lures, as well as bone Red Fins and Super Strike darters. Scott added that boaters are doing a number on larger bluefish along Brenton Reef. Scott was also one of the several people I talked to this week that lamented about the current eel shortage; many shops are completely out. It may be a good time to put the effort into trapping your own (or stock up on soft-plastics).
It was a pretty quiet weekend in terms of Narragansett surf reports according to Steve McKenna at Quaker Lane Outfitters, which he attributed to the extremely bright moon. The positive news he did hear was from a friend who fished one of the breachways and did well with small bass and blues by drifting various plugs far out with the outgoing tide then slowly reeling them in. Robin at Quonny Bait and Tackle also heard of anglers catching an increasing amount of fish from the local breachways using bottle darters and needlefish.
Boat fishing over structure along the South Shore continues to produce a mix of decent bass and big blues. During a morning outgoing tide this week, Captain Ron at Breachway Bait and Tackle put clients on three stripers between 20 and 30 pounds and had to fight through several bluefish up to 17 pounds to find them. Ron was using live eels with an egg sinker to get down in 30 feet of water around Five Cottages and Nebraska Shoal.
In regards to fluke fishing, Ron heard a positive report from a customer that landed several keepers using freshly caught mullet on a Thom Cat rig as his dropper. For weight to get down, he was using a white four-ounce bucktail while fishing in 70 feet of water straight out from the Charlestown breachway. Robin from Quonny Bait and Tackle gave the only other encouraging fluke report from the mainland. It came from a kayaker who reeled in a 4.87-pounder in Quonny Pond this week using a chunk of snapper blue. Speaking of snappers, Robin said they are absolutely loaded in the salt ponds, along with juvenile sea bass, peanut bunker, and mummichogs.
Scup, or as Mike from Watch Hill Outfitters likes to call them, “New England panfish,” are still littering the rocky bottom areas. He said this type of fishing is red hot right now with some hub cab-sized ones over 3 pounds in the mix. Mike noted that boat anglers can cash in on scup at Can 7 just off Wicopesset, as well as at Latimer Lighthouse. For shore anglers, he suggested setting up shop right under the Watch Hill Lighthouse with clams, sandworms or squid.
As for elusive ‘hard tails,’ the most recent report came from Ron at Breachway Bait and Tackle, who told me that Richard Lima landed three bonito Tuesday from the West Wall. This past weekend had its good moments as well. Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters said there were small bonito and false albacore surfacing at times from Watch Hill Reef to Wicopesset Passage. They were mixed with bluefish and feeding on bay anchovies. Dave of River and Riptide ran into them on Monday morning in the same area. Fluorocarbon leaders can help your cause and offerings like epoxy flies, Deadly Dicks, Zoom Super Flukes, Sebile Magic Swimmers, Albie Snax, and Yozuri L-Jacks should get the job done.
As a reminder, there are two fishing tournaments this weekend. The 7th annual SSG Christopher Potts Memorial Fishing Tournament commences this Friday and runs through Saturday, September 15. The Aquidneck Island Striper Team organizes this tourney, which celebrates the life and hobby of a local veteran. You can register at a number of local shops and for further information go to www.aistriperteam.com. The other big event is the Galilee Fishing Tournament and Seafood Festival that benefits the Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Things kick off Friday at 5 PM and run through Sunday at 2 PM. You can find more information at www.galileetourney.com.
Block Island Fishing Report
The waters around Block Island continue to produce large striped bass and giant bluefish for boat anglers drifting live eels. TJ Houde weighed-in a 53.5-pound Striper Cup fish this week doing just that. However, the real story around Block Island has been the phenomenal black sea bass fishing. John at Twin Maples said it’s the best year for sea bass that he’s ever seen. Chris of Block Island Fishworks noted that he hasn’t heard of any sea bass anglers doing poorly and knows of one recent beast of 6-pounds from Southwest Ledge. Chris prefers targeting rocky bottom in 40 to 50 feet of water along the south side with a Lucanus jig on bottom and a dropper loop with a 2/0 octopus hook tipped with squid above that.
Roger from the Frances Fleet had good things to say about their full-day fluke and sea bass trips off Block Island this past week. A few anglers caught limit catches of fluke and a respectable number of customers aboard any given outing went home with three to five keeper fluke apiece. Three double-digit fluke were recorded, including Tim Draper’s doormat just over 12 pounds on Thursday that fell to squid and spearing on a high/low rig. Sea bass keeper numbers were frequently in the six to ten per person range and often upwards to full limit catches on the better outings. A handful of big porgies came over the rail most days, as well as varying numbers of bluefish in upwards to teen-size gators.
In ‘hard tail’ news (or lack thereof), Chris of Block Island Fishworks says things have been pretty spotty still, save for some bonito and false albacore popping up off the east side of the Island around Old Harbor Point, Scotch Beach and Mansion Beach.
Connecticut Fishing Report
If anglers are finding striped bass with any consistency in Long Island Sound right now, they are doing a good job of keeping it quiet. The water temperatures are still uncomfortably warm right now for stripers, but Matt at Hillyers reiterated that they can still be caught with some regularity in deep, cooler water, especially after dark. He reported that the ebb tides at night were rather productive over the full moon phase at the Race, with three-waying eels or bucktails bringing in some bass over the 40-pound mark. Matt also pointed out that shore anglers are catching schoolies here and there along rocky stretches of shoreline in the eastern Sound between sundown and sunup. Cappy at Captain Morgan Bait and Tackle added that anglers chunking fresh bunker heads at Southwest and Six Mile Reefs are also connecting with the occasional bass. Nick at Fisherman’s World said some western Sound anglers are locating stripers with top-water lures around the Norwalk Islands and Sheffield Island, including Trip Choff’s recent 17-pounder on a popper.
The species that no angler who fishes the Sound is having trouble finding is bluefish. They are just about everywhere right now and range in size from over 17-pounds down to snapper blues in the five to 10-inch class. Cheyenne at The Fish Connection said some big blues are feeding on adult bunker in the Thames River. Matt at Hillyers told me there are loads of snappers between the bridges in the Niantic River. Andrew at Fishin’ Factory III reported a mix of big blues and snappers at the mouth of the Connecticut River, and added that the snappers are responding better to Kastmasters compared to poppers lately. Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle said large blues remain in the Housatonic River and Nick at Fisherman’s World said bluefish are busting on peanut bunker and spearing around the Norwalk Islands, creating some good top-water opportunities.
As for bottom fishing, scup are king at the moment. Cheyenne of The Fish Connection killed a few hours targeting scup on structure in the Mystic River recently. They bailed several 12 to 14-inch porgies, including a few doubles, in 10 to 15-feet of water using squid and sandworms on a high/low rig. Another highlight was connecting with some not-so-everyday catches like Virginia spots and northern kingfish. Matt at Hillyers echoed the incredible scup fishing, adding that his customer, Maya Rudd, weighed-in an impressive 2.2-pound platter-sized specimen over the weekend.
There are still some decent fluke to be had in deeper water, but you to really work for them. Another one of Matt’s customers, Brian Brewer, weighed in a 27-inch, 7.05-pound fluke on Sunday from the depths off of Black Point. Matt recommended the Bloody Grounds, further southeast off Black Point, as another area that could still be holding keeper fluke and the stray doormat. He also reported that, like in Rhode Island, there have been a staggering amount of baby sea bass being caught. For better quality sea bass, Nick at Fisherman’s World has customers catching them in 40 to 60-feet of water south of the Norwalk Islands using squid and clams.
Crabbing for blue claws is fantastic right now and I found that out for myself Sunday morning. Two friends and I set up traps with fresh bunker in a back channel of the lower Connecticut River and caught 57 keepers in about five hours. We also scoop-netted our fair share from wooden pilings on our way back to the boat launch and saw a handful of hand-liners doing well too. The actual crabbing was a blast and the crab cakes tasted phenomenal!
It was an overall quiet week for bonito and false albacore reports in the Sound. Evan at J&B Tackle heard one report of albies being caught in the Sluiceway, but that was about it. It’s still early yet and many anglers are anxiously waiting for things to bust wide open.
Fishing Forecast for the Weekend
There are plenty of fishy options to choose from this weekend as long as conditions remain safe and water stays clean. If you can get there, the black sea bass bite around Block Island has been nothing short of phenomenal. Try plying rocky bottom in about 45 feet of water with fluke rigs or Lucanus jigs. For a shot at bonito and false albacore, the Watch Hill vicinity seems like the most consistent place for them to pop up, that or the West Wall for shore anglers. If the surf and swell do kick up later this weekend, surf fishing for striped bass and bluefish could get interesting in Rhode Island, but remember to stay safe out there. And lastly, for a change of pace, try blue crabbing the lower Connecticut River or stop by the Seafood Festival in Galilee.
Nathan, nice job working that Striper!
I agree. Nice Fish!!!!