The recent heat wave is starting to subside and some positive reports have indicated that angler’s have taken full advantage of the cooler temperatures and the excellent fishing opportunities that CT and RI have to offer. Large stripers have continued to be prevalent in the waters’ around Block Island while the bottom fishing in Long Island Sound and off of Rhode Island has been as hot as ever.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

At the Saltwater Edge in Middletown, Pete reported that while the striped bass fishing has slowed down locally, it is still going strong off of Block Island. Anglers drifting live eels around Southwest Ledge have landed a steady pick of keepers, many of which in the 30-40 pound range. For local anglers, a large number of adult and juvenile bunker have remained in Narragansett Bay and despite the rise in water temperatures stripers have also stayed in the bay in hopes of an easy meal. Pete reported that the fluke bite has remained strong both locally and around the island. The upcoming week should be a good one for flatfish hunters, as the large moon will provide big, strong tides. The offshore bite at the canyons remains hot and rumors of the first bonito and false albacore have begun. While these may just be rumors, there isn’t much doubt that the little speedsters will be showing soon with the water warming up and the supply of small bait increasing daily.

Steve McKenna at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown reported that the surf crowd was able to find some linesiders that were willing to cooperate in the Jamestown and Narragansett area. Most of these fish were just shy of legal size but catch rates were decent and some keeper-sized specimens were mixed in. A friend of Steve’s and fellow surfcaster just returned from a week on Block Island. He reported that the surfcasting on the island was stellar on all sides. He was able to manage a steady pick of stripers up to 40 inches on artificial plugs each night. If you’re a shore-bound angler Steve recommends getting out just after dark or on a cloudy night to avoid the large moon that has been illuminating the sky the last few nights. As is the case across most of the Block Island Sound, Steve reports that the fluke fishing has remained strong and very consistent this past week, while the scup fishing, which had started slow, is finally starting to hit its stride.

Down the coast a bit at Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown, Ron reiterated the fact that while the striper fishing has been fairly slow locally, it remains red hot at Block Island. Earlier this week a customer took the trip to Southwest Ledge and was rewarded with two stripers over 40 pounds and a few others in the 30-40 pound class. If you can’t make the trek out to the island, Ron mentioned that there is a steady supply of bass in and just outside of the Breachway. However most of these fish are right at or below keeper-size. Once again Ron reported that local drifters have been catching tons of fluke just outside of Charlestown Breachway in 30-40 feet of water. Most anglers have been able to weed through the sub-legal fish and manage a bag of keeper fluke. A hi-lo bucktail rig tipped with squid and spearing has been the offering of choice for larger flatfish. There is also good news for anglers who have been patiently waiting for snapper bluefish on light tackle, as Ron mentioned that they have started to show up in good numbers in the Breachway and salt pond.

Connecticut Fishing Report

At Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle in Waterford, Matt was pleased to see that anglers are starting to get back on the water, as many took a hiatus last week due to the unseasonably warm temperatures. Bottom fishermen have continued to pound fluke in eastern Long Island Sound. While many shorts are being caught, most of Matt’s customers have been able to manage a limit of keepers nearly every time out. Matt also reported positive fluke reports from the south side of Fisher’s Island as well as off the Rhode Island beaches. He urged anglers to get out while the season is still open, as he believes this to be the best fluke season in the past 5 years at least. Striper fishermen have continued to report good catches of sizeable bass at Bartlett’s Reef, The Race and Plum Gut. The bass bite has almost exclusively been a dusk till dawn bite and this will likely remain the case as the surface temps rise through the upper 70’s. Daytime fishermen have reported plenty of tackle-busting bluefish at all their usual haunts and the scup bite continues to improve each day. The offshore shark bite has also picked up. Matt reported an abundance of blue sharks and had customers get both mako and hammerhead sharks to the boat this past weekend. Yellowfin tuna have started to show up for angler’s willing to make the run to the canyons. For those interested in a different type of table fare, the blue crabbing has been excellent in the Niantic River along with just about any cove or inlet in eastern Long Island Sound.

Aboard the Mijoy of Waterford, the fairly slow weekend was soon forgotten as customers had excellent bluefishing off Fisher’s Island on Monday and Tuesday. The black sea bass fishing has also taken an upswing as many keepers were caught on the last few trips and the crew expects to end its bottom-fishing trips on a high note in the upcoming days.

Andrew at the Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown reported the fluke fishing to be good in eastern Long Island Sound but noted better catches of keepers on the south side of Fisher’s Island. Striped bass fishing remains consistent in the mouth of the CT River and the adjacent reefs for anglers who have been able to locate live bunker. Snapper bluefish have shown up in full force in the mouth of the CT River and most anglers have been able to find them with little difficulty. Blue crabs have also shown up in strong numbers in the mouth of the river with many keepers being caught at the DEP docks and the local marinas.

Mike Roy of Reel Cast Charters spent the end of last week in the local waters of western Long Island Sound, around Milford and New Haven. Mike had a good pick of stripers in the 20 pound class on both trips, pitching live eels in shallow water. The bright moon and tough wind sidelined Mike for the weekend but he expects the shallow nighttime bass bite to be very good later this week as conditions improve.

Further west at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Rick reported that the nighttime striper fishing has picked back up as large schools of bunker have moved back into Norwalk Harbor. The usual inshore reefs have been holding quality bass with angler’s livelining or chunking fresh bunker experiencing the best catches. Rick also noted that the fluke fishing has remained consistent with more keepers coming from deeper (30+ feet) water. Rick has a few customers who have been consistently taking advantage of the summer blackfish season and these customers have reported good to great catches of keeper tog on the shallow rock piles around the islands. For the sweetwater angler the bite has remained strong at the Saugatuck Reservoir despite the warm water temperatures. Fisherman’s World customer Mark Botuski had an excellent trip this past week, landing a 22 inch, 6 pound walleye along with two largemouth bass in the 3-4 pound class. These trophies fell to live shiners under slip bobbers. Think live bait when targeting summertime walleye and bass, as the warm water makes them lethargic and less likely to chase an artificial lure.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Another week of quality saltwater fishing in Rhode Island and Connecticut is in the books and this upcoming week is shaping up to be another good one as weather conditions continue to improve. Striper fishing should be great across the coast this weekend for both shore and boat anglers as surface temps are stabilizing and the bright moon is shrinking, however Block Island may still be the safest bet if your looking for a true cow. For the bottom fisherman a few more weeks of a stellar fluke season remains ahead of you, spend the weekend taking advantage of what may end up being the best season in a decade.