Saltwater fishing has remained consistent in most local waters, but it has exploded in the waters off Block Island. Anglers who were able to dodge the thunderstorms and head for the cooler waters of the island were rewarded with some monster stripers in plentiful numbers. The waters off Rhode Island have become inundated with sand eels, meaning fresh stripers are not far behind, while those fishing for the table have enjoyed excellent fluke fishing from the Rhode Island to Long Island Sound.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The talk around the Rhode Island coast remains the influx of “cow” sized bass that have recently taken up residence around Block Island. Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett reported a 53.5-pound bass that was weighed in on 6/26. While that fish may have been one of the biggest caught this week, it certainly wasn’t the only large bass taken from the island’s waters. Catches of multiple bass in the 40- to 45-pound range were also prevalent this past week. Boats trolling in the daytime hours have reported bass in the 20- to 30-pound range, while the true cows have fallen to the guys that stuck it out and drifted eels after dark. All sides of the island have produced quality fish, while the area around Southwest Ledge seems to have produced the most.
Around the Newport area, surf fishing has remained quiet mainly due to the large tides and bright moon. The Saltwater Edge in Middletown did, however, report that a mass of sand eels have moved into the area, giving angler’s many opportunities at bass in the 20-pound class. Angler’s looking to score on the sand eel bite have fared well throwing topwater plugs around first light. Fly-fishermen using sand eel patterns have also been able to fool bass into biting with some consistency. While bay fishing has begun to slow down, there are still some pogies hanging around the area. Keeper bass and gator blues have been following these schools of bait around in search of an easy meal as anglers live-lining and chunking live bait have been scoring both with some consistency.
OTW Contributor Dave Pickering reported that the shore fishing in the upper bay has started to improve as the water clarity has improved immensely over the past week. Anglers fishing small plastics on jigheads have had the most luck with school-sized bass.
Steve McKenna at Quaker Lane Bait in Kingstown reported that most surf fishermen have taken the past few nights off due to the “supermoon,” which has made the use of a headlamp almost unnecessary. McKenna anticipates that surf fishing will start to heat up again this weekend as the moon recedes and tides improve. McKenna also confirmed the presence of many large bass around the Block for the boat crews, stating that bass in the 40- to 45-pound class have been “the norm.” Steve reported that the fluke fishing in the area has remained hot, especially for those fishing deep water during the strong moon tides. Scup fishing has also started to heat up with some nice “dinner plate” specimens being taken.
According to Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown the fluke fishing remains good to great just west of the breachway. A hi-lo rig consisting of a smaller (3/8- to ½-ounce) jighead above a heavier head to get to the bottom has been the ticket. They recommended tipping the jigheads with squid, spearing or a similar bait and fishing 35 to 40 feet of water. While both tide cycles have been productive, the incoming seems to be producing more doormats. Anglers have begun to target black sea bass and scup, and while some have been finding the fish, many have reported slow catches thus far. The striper fishing also remains fairly steady in the area as the bass are gorging on the sand eels that have started to fill in the area. The night crews, fishing the ebbing tide, have had their fair share of 30- to 32-inch bass fishing around the mouth of the breachway and points west. While large stripers have been sparse, the guys believe they will start settling into the area as the water temperatures rise with the recent hot spell.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Q at River’s End in Old Saybrook reported that things have cooled down in the mouth of the Connecticut River and the nearshore reefs in eastern Connecticut. Bait chunkers have reported slow catch rates in and around the mouth of the river. Reports of bass just around keeper-size have come in from the sand shoal and the eastern sound reefs. Better luck has come from the anglers who made the run to Plum Gut and the Sluiceway. While he didn’t have any first hand experience, Q reported that anglers fishing central Long Island Sound have reported better catches of larger bass in the Branford area. Bunker is still plentiful in the river, and while it has been tough to locate at times, Q anticipates having a good supply of fresh bait throughout the weekend at the shop. Anglers who have stuck to groundfishing have continued to report good to great fluke fishing from Black Point to the Waterford shoreline. Think deep water when targeting the large flatfish. Q also mentioned that scup fishing had started off slowly but is beginning to pick up.
Andrew of Fishing Factory 3 in Middletown also reported only average catches of striped bass on the local reefs. He did mention hearing one positive report of a large number of keeper-sized stripers being caught on topwater plugs in the mouth of the Connecticut River recently. He believes the slow fishing in that stretch can be attributed to poor water clarity and thinks it will be heating up as the water is finally starting to clean up. Andrew reported that fluke fishing remained hot in the eastern sound and noted that large schools of squid have recently moved into the area. Anglers fishing under these schools of squid have had a steady pick of flatfish with a good number of keepers mixed in.
Mike Roy of Reel Cast Charters reported good catches of keeper-sized bass to 30 lbs the last few nights in central to western Long Island Sound. Mike found success pitching live eels around shallow rock piles after dark. The fishing tended to slow down as the moon rose and brightened things up but Mike anticipates the fishing to pick up over the next few nights as that moon lessens and water temps begin to rise.
Out at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Rick reported that bass fishing has remained strong around buoys 11B, 28C, Can 13 and the O.B. Buoy. The daytime bite has been decent but the nighttime bite has been excellent for anglers taking advantage of the plentiful supply of fresh bunker in and around Norwalk Harbor. Rick mentioned that large bluefish are also in the mix and a couple of lucky anglers have also scored some keeper weakfish. Keeper fluke have also been plentiful for anglers fishing around the Norwalk Islands and the deeper water around buoy 11B.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The options are open for the upcoming weekend and into the holiday. For those interested in hunting large bass, the trip out to Block Island may prove to be the best option if the weather cooperates. For those sticking close to home, inshore striper fishing should continue to improve as the moon recedes and the waters warm up. Inshore fishermen may also want to consider taking advantage of the excellent fluke fishing across the region. If your heart lies in the sweetwater, don’t forget the many opportunities to score trophy trout in the lakes and streams throughout the area. Water temperatures are rising quickly, and with that rise comes a decline in the trout fishing. Get ‘em while it’s still cool!