Blackfish Bite Red Hot
Stripers On The Move
Most fishermen are talking about the big storm bearing down on Southern New England, but there’s still time to hit the water and experience some of the great fall fishing taking place in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The blackfish bite has been excellent according to Thom at Quaker Lane. Fish to 8 pounds have been weighed at the shop and there have been reports of blackfish as big as 12 pounds being caught this week. Hotspots have been Newport, Whale Rock, Nebraska Shoals and Charlestown. The truth is, any bit of rocky “live” bottom is likely to hold some blackfish at this time of year.
Thom said the bass fishing is still going strong, but the best action is in the evenings. Daytime action has been mostly bluefish, but he’d heard of some monster blues being caught by surfcasters around Charlestown.
Speaking of Charlestown, the breachway is producing keeper stripers on big swimming plugs, but if anglers really want a shot at a good bass, fresh bunker chunks are the way to go according to a report from Breachway Bait and Tackle. The Cottages are also producing some keeper stripers.
Ron at Breachway reported that the blackfish are holding at most any rockpile, as long as you drop down a little chum to draw them out of hiding. Occasionally, you will have to bounce around a bit to find keepers, however.
David at River and RipTide in Coventry said the fishing has been on the quiet side compared to the action of a week ago. He made the crossing to Montauk and found more seals than stripers. Bluefish were still feeding on bay anchovies around the point.
Locally, David said there is no shortage of bait. Watch Hill is loaded with bait, but only smaller fish seem to be around at the moment. A run along the Rhode Island Shoreline between Narragansett Beach to Scarborough turned up plenty of bait, but little in the way of fish. “The best is yet to come,” David said.
OTW Contributor Dave Pickering has found the night bite to be far more productive in recent days with schoolie fish just eclipsing the 28-inch mark.
The Frances Fleet has been on a nice cod bite, with several 30- to 40-pound fish hitting the deck over the past week. Mixed in on the cod grounds have been some sea bass, scup, ling and even a couple fluke and bluefish.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Much like Rhode Island, blackfishing is the hot bite in Connecticut, at least in the eastern part of the state. The guys at Fishing Connection described the togging as “red hot.” Watch Hill Reef, Latimer Reef Light and the Clumps, west, middle and east, are all good spots to look for tog.
The Thames River is still playing host to some monster bluefish. Bunker chunks are the best bet.
Some more broodstock salmon were dumped into the Shetucket River this week, giving freshwater anglers the chance to battle something with some brawn.
Porgies have left for the most part reported Matt at Hillyers. Taking their place has been a surprising number of keeper-sized black sea bass. Sea bass season will most likely be closing on November 1, so enjoy them while you can. Matt also reported on the good blackfishing, but said anglers are weeding through lots of undersize fish to get to the bigger ones, up to 13 pounds. Bluefish are kicking around the eastern sound and striper fishing is slow during the day, but okay after dark.
Chris at Stratford Bait and Tackle returned from a four-day trip to Block Island that was the slowest he’s seen in 20 years. No bait, no bass, warm water and lots of seals plagued Chris’ trip. Locally bunker heads are working to take good-sized stripers. The western sound has had good numbers of blackfish, but few fish larger than 5 pounds. Again, warm water is likely the culprit, and the fishing, for stripers and tog, will improve as the water temperatures drop. In The Farmington River, Chris said trout are still rising to dry flies, which is unusual for late October.
Fishing Forecast for Rhode Island and Connecticut
Definitely try to sneak in some blackfishing before Sandy hits. Regardless of the track, at this point it looks as if the storm will definitely send a serious swell to Southern New England. The storm will undoubtedly get some more bass and blues moving, and will hopefully push some bait inshore. While waiting, why not hit the Shetucket and try to dupe one of the recently stocked broodstock salmon?