Long Island Sound has some very big stripers right now, and some of those fish are trickling through into Rhode Island waters. Action has been great for bass and blues in Narragansett Bay, and fluking reports were much improved this week. Hey, have any other 9-to-5’ers noticed that the weather seems to be beautiful during the week and then rainy/windy on the weekends? We’ll have to see what this weekend’s heavy rain does… but there is a good chance that, in combination with the new moon in June, it could bring about some excellent striper catches, particularly for the shore guys.

 

Rhode Island Fishing Report

It’s been a good week for big fish in Narragansett Bay, reports OTW contributor Dave Pickering. The bay is holding good numbers of large stripers from 34 to 40 inches and big alligator blues in the 10 to 15-pound range. These fish are chasing schools of large menhaden in the Upper Bay, but you may have to get away from the crowds to find a pod that hasn’t been scattered by the boat traffic.

I called in to the Tackle Box in Warwick Thursday afternoon and they confirmed the report of bass on pogies in Narragansett Bay, but said that you had to fish through some big blues to get to the bass. The blues on Thursday morning were 10- to 15-pounders, and the bass were 15 to 20 pounds and up! They were able to find pogies and fish from Poppasquash in Bristol up to the Barrington River, and from Providence Point up to Save The Bay in Providence. Fluke fishermen were doing well off Providence Point in 40 to 60 feet of water, and several anglers reported catching weakfish while jigging for fluke.

Down toward Newport, the surfcasting has been very good as of late, with some big bass over 40 pounds in the area. The folks at The Saltwater Edge in Newport reported that, as is typical of surfcasters, most guys are keeping quiet about specific locations. But if you like targeting big bass from the surf, now is the time, with the new moon on the way, to get out and hit your spots.

I spoke to Steve McKenna from Quaker Lane Bait in North Kingstown and he also let me know that the surfcasting has been very good lately, but that the fish have been a little “shy” lately. He told me that switching to a smaller lure, a Yo-Zuri Mag Darter to be exact, worked well for him recently. There are a lot of fish in the 20- and 30-pound class in Rhode Island waters right now, and perhaps some bigger ones on the way. A bit of nasty weather and some dark new-moon nights could turn those “shy” bass aggressive just in time for the weekend.

The breachways are producing decent numbers of bass, mostly in the 26- to 36-inch range, reported Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown. The worm hatches in the salt ponds are finishing up, but anglers can still pick off some fish in the salt ponds.

Fluking has been excellent this week off the beaches, from Matunuck to the Charlestown Breachway. Most anglers reported only a few undersized fish to throw back for every keeper, and a good number of nice 4- to 6-pound fish. Bluefish were less of a problem as well, for some reason. Some of the fluke were stuffed with squid, so there are some squid out there, although overall it has been a dismal year for them. The west side of Block Island has also been giving up good fluke catches.

Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett sent over a photo of a 53.5-pound bass that was caught overnight on a live eel by angler Rob Ferraro and entered in the Striper Cup. Rumor had it that the fish was caught at Block Island, but there have also been some big bass taken by boat anglers in areas close to the shop fishing live eels at night.

Block Island bassing has picked up, with good action on stripers under birds this week, according to Chris Willi at Block Island Fishworks.

 

Connecticut Fishing Report

More big bass are being caught from Connecticut waters. A 60-pounder was landed in the Race this week by the Helen III out of Groton, and another 59-pounder was caught outside the mouth of the Connecticut River. Loads of bunker in the mouth of the river have made it easy for anglers to make bait, but the remnants of a tropical storm could add enough fresh water by this weekend to flush them out. Andrew at Fishin Factory III in Middletown has been live-lining bunker to bass up to 30 pounds in shallow water around Fishers Island, but some big bass have also come from Long Sand Shoal, Hatchett Reef, and Six Mile Reef.

Pat at Rivers End Tackle in Old Saybrook reported loads of bass in the mouth of the Connecticut River, but added that this report will mean nothing after all the rain comes through. The bass were very picky on Thursday but, hinted Pat, much more eager after dark. (Be careful of the trees and logs still floating around out there, though.)

Fluking has been good off Isabella Beach on the backside of Fishers Island and in Twotree Island channel. The anglers that are doing the best are moving around to find fish. Hitting some lesser-targeted spots could be the way to improve your luck.

The Housatonic River is holding bass near the mouth, and Bobby Js Bait and Tackle in Milford reported bass, blues and weakfish in the mix off West Haven. Porgy fishing has been good on the Long Island side, however fluke has been slow, bunker have been hard to find, and the sand eel bite on the New York side has been non-existent. Hopefully some consistent warm weather will bring in some bait and get things going.

 

Best Bets for the Weekend

It’s tough to ignore the big bass reports from Eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island. This weekend’s new moon could spark some fantastic bass fishing, however the rain and weather should play into your plans of where and how to fish. If nothing else, it could be a fantastic weekend for surfcasting. The other excellent option for the week ahead is fluking. Reports have only been improving with each passing day and should continue to get better as spring takes hold and we head toward mid-June.

 

ME, NH, MA Fishing Report

Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Fishing Report

Long Island and New York Fishing Report

Northeast Offshore Fishing Report