The story along the Rhode Island and Connecticut coasts is quiet as moderate south winds, high seas and an abundance of strong thunderstorms have kept many anglers off of the water. Surfcasters and boat anglers who have been willing to make the run to Block Island have been rewarded with better conditions and an abundance of bass, while anglers who have taken advantage of small breaks in the weather have continued to score on a great fluke bite in both Connecticut and Rhode Island waters.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Out on Block Island, the bite remains very good for nearly all species. Sawyer out at Twin Maples reported that the water is much cleaner around the island than it has been inshore and water temps have remained relatively cool. The striped bass fishing has been very good and pretty steady for the surfcasting crew. Shore-based anglers have been scoring quality bass from the North Rip all the way down the west side of the island to Grace’s Cove. Anglers targeting large bass from the boat have reported good catches all week along the island’s wouthwest side. Fluke fishing has also been excellent at all the usual haunts around the island, although Sawyer did mention that the short to keeper ratio has been swaying heavily to the side of shorts as the season progresses. According to Sawyer, the fishing around the island is much better right now than it was on July 1st of last year, which he attributes to cooler water temperatures as opposed to the unseasonably warm temperatures experienced last season.
Reports from The Saltwater Edge in Middletown have been positive from anglers who were able to take advantage of small breaks in the weather. Some large schools of bunker are still abundant in the bay and while the striped bass fishing has turned into more of a nighttime game as temperatures are on the rise, anglers who have located the bait have been scoring some good bass along with gator blues. Out front huge schools of sand eels are prevalent between Pt. Judith, Sakonet Point and Block Island. Keeper-sized bass and large bluefish have been in hot pursuit of the sand lances and anglers matching the bait with small topwater offerings and bucktail jigs have scored some good catches.
Steve McKenna at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown reported that high surf, dirty water and an abundance of thunderstorms has kept many anglers off the water. Due to the tough conditions, Steve didn’t spend too much time hunting linesiders this past week, and when he did get out he was only rewarded with a few schoolies for his efforts. Steve noted that anglers who made the run to Block Island have continued to be rewarded with large bass off of
Southwest Ledge, although reports have slowed a bit since last week. Fluke fishing has remained excellent in the area but as noted earlier, Steve reported many more shorts being caught than keepers. Anglers have been able to obtain their limit of large flatfish but have had to work a bit harder weeding through the shorts. Steve recommends setting up deep-water drifts in 40 to 50 feet of water for a better chance at landing a doormat.
OTW Contributor Dave Pickering experienced similar tough conditions in his hunts for stripers this week. Dave decided to take a break from the linesiders and make the run up to Buzzards Bay in search of black sea bass. Dave reported excellent sea bass fishing in the bay and was able to score his limit of this tasty species. A ¾-ounce flathead jig tipped with a plastic curly-tail grub was the ticket as Dave was able to land keepers all the way up to the 5- to 7-pound range using this set-up.
Down at Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown the guys told me that reports have been scarce once again due to the high seas and abundance of weeds in the water. While few anglers have been fishing out front a few positive reports came from the guys seeking shelter in the salt ponds. Catches of school-sized bass have been good all week in the pond with the occasional larger bass mixed in. Scup fishing has begun to take off around the mouth of the breachway and the guys anticipate that it will be red hot when the conditions begin to improve.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Rhode Island is not the only place that has been affected by the poor turn in the weather. “Q” at River’s End in Old Saybrook informed me that some lucky anglers have been able to locate bass in and around the mouth of the Connecticut River, but in most cases maximum effort was needed to find them. The storms have brought heavy flows and dirty water to the river, which has made locating schools of bunker tough. While catch rates haven’t been stellar, there are some healthy-sized bass to be had at Long Sand Shoal for anglers who were able to locate fresh bunker. “Q” also recommended concentrating on the reefs west of the river as they are less affected by the dirty outgoing flows. Both Southwest and Six Mile reef had a few 30- to 40-pound class fish fall to three-wayed eels after dark this past weekend.
Andrew at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown reported a decent striper bite in the lower river over the weekend on the incoming tide, with topwater spooks fooling keeper-sized bass around first light. Once the tide turned, dirty water moved in and the fish appeared to move out. On a positive note the weather is forecasted to start slowly improving throughout the holiday weekend. Andrew anticipates that the bite will pick up right where it left off after a few days of clearing. Andrew also noted that if fluke is more your taste the flatfish bite remains good to great in the eastern sound from Waterford to New London.
Mike Roy of Reel Cast Charters put in a full night’s effort in the eastern sound this past weekend and was rewarded with a 37-pound bass that fell for a live eel. Mike also noted that conditions made fishing tough but that fish were still in the area and the bite should only improve with the weather. Mike decided to ditch the dirty water and make the run to Block Island Sunday night. That decision proved to be a good one as he had dozens of bass in the 30-40-inch class from last light well into dark. What made the night even better was that all those fish came on artificial plugs, many of the topwater variety.
More of the same was reported from the western sound. Rick at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk also reported a lack of effort over the past few days. According to Rick, both the striper and fluke bite from the lower Housatonic to Norwalk was excellent leading up to the increase in winds. Anglers should not be discouraged as the water is still relatively cool and the bite should remain hot when the weather begins to clear this upcoming weekend.
Fishing Forecast for Connecticut and Rhode Island
Don’t let the poor weather and lack of reports discourage you from hitting the water this holiday weekend. Striped bass fishing was very good prior the turn in weather and will no doubt pick right back up as conditions begin to improve this week. Fluke fishing has also remained very steady despite the weather and it is a safe bet that it would continue to be hot throughout the weekend. For surfcasters who may have an extra night to sneak out thanks to the holiday, I recommend taking a trip to Block Island if you have the opportunity; you very well may be rewarded with a night you won’t soon forget.