The crisp air and short days of another great New England autumn are here and with it comes some of the best fishing of the year. In our coastal water’s late season schools of bait are here and with them come some consistent fishing for the usual suspects. The inconsistencies of the fall also provide some interesting opportunities as cooling water and changing weather patterns make it possible to find some surprises each and every time out.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

I know I have started my report this way multiple times but its been the only real consistency with the 2013 saltwater season: big stripers can once again be found in the waters around Block Island. Howard, at Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett, reported excellent catches of trophy linesiders from the islands’ south side this week. Drifting live eels along the entire south side from Old Harbor Point to SW Ledge will provide you with an opportunity for a cow. Closer to home signs of the fall run are abound, as large schools of bait have taken over the Narragansett area and the local surf-fishing is picking up and showing signs of consistency. The late-night surf crowd reported a steady pick of bass over the past five or so nights, with most fish falling in the 10-20 pound range. Bonito have also been regular visitors to the Narragansett shoreline this week; while the highly sought after false albacore has remained elusive. Going along with the theme that you never quite know what fall fishing is going to bring; Howard reported a large school of sizeable bluefin tuna feeding on small bluefish in local inshore water Tuesday afternoon!

Peter, at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown RI, was fresh in from a trip across local water and reported seeing significant schools of bait in the Jamestown and Newport areas. The large topwater blitzes that these schools of bait usually signify this time of year haven’t quite materialized yet but Peter believes its bound to happen any day now. There have been some smaller blitzes of keeper-sized bass along the Narragansett shoreline this week, but most have been short-lived, generally breaking up an hour or so after daybreak. The surf-fishing around Newport has started to pick up after dark, with bass up to the low 20 pound class. This bite should only improve from here with the amount of bait and the approaching smaller moon. Striper fishing isn’t the only thing improving as water temperatures drop, Peter reported that the fall tautog season is now in full swing and good catches are being reported up and down the Rhode Island coast.

The stellar tautog fishing was also the first thing mentioned by Neal, at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown. Shallow rockpiles (10-15 feet of water) from Newport to South County and just about anywhere in between are loaded with quality tog. Three-way rigs or small jigs tipped with an asian, green or hermit crab has been the ticket. At Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown, reports of substantial amounts of mullet and smaller bait in the breachways and salt ponds were the talk of the week. Anglers fishing the end of the flood tide inside the ponds and the ebbing tide out front were rewarded with some nice bass this week, although it has been primarily a nighttime game. For anglers looking to score a keeper tautog from the shore, they have also been plentiful in the boulderfields at the mouth of the breachway, target these tog around the slack tides so your not doing battle with the current.

Connecticut Fishing Report

For the New England striper fisherman it doesn’t get much better than watching a large bass crush a topwater plug, if that kind of fishing sparks your interest now is the time to get out on Long Island Sound. Blaine Anderson of Anderson Guide Services, reported a tough week of drifting live bait for big stripers. Schools of bait and schools of bass have been lighting up his electronics but getting them to bite has been a different story. What has made up for an otherwise slow week of drift-fishing has been the stellar early morning topwater action. Blaine has been to get his clients on keeper bass all week by throwing topwater plugs along the rocky CT coastline from Waterford to New London, as well as the south side of Fisher’s Island. Topwater blitzes have also been consistent at inner Bartlett’s Reef and around Race Rock. Nearly all the bass have been of the keeper variety with a few even pushing the tape over 40 inches Wednesday morning, some bruiser bluefish in the 12-15 pound class have also been mixed in to push that light tackle to its limits.

At River’s End Bait and Tackle in Old Saybrook, Pat was happy to report that the nighttime bass bite has finally started to get going. Eels after dark have been producing good bass at The Race and around Montauk this week, with the bigger specimens being taken from Montauk. The large schoolie blitzes at Montauk and along the Rhode Island coast have not quite started yet but a few small blitzes, with the occasional bigger fish mixed in, have been reported from both locations. Locally, the daytime bass bite has been slow with live bait but a few good fish did fall to live bunker, which are still plentiful in the Connecticut River. There is no shortage of bluefish in the area and they can be found at all their usual haunts from The Race to Plum Gut and the Sluiceway. Some bigger blues are roaming the CT River from the mouth to Essex, in hot pursuit of bunker schools; while Six Mile and Southwest Reef has also had a consistent bite of sizable fish.

Andrew, at Fishin’ Factory 3 in Middletown, has all but given up on false albacore for the time being. The bait is in the sound but the albies have not yet followed them in. With the albie bite being non-existent, Andrew took advantage of the topwater striper bite this week; with good showings along the eastern CT coastline and around Fisher’s Island. Andrew also had some reports of a few bigger bass being taken by angler’s drifting live eels after dark at Black Point and Bartlett’s Reef. Bluefishing continues to be excellent in LIS and Andrew suggested drifting live bait at Black Point or Six Mile reef for your best shot at a gator. In the sweetwater, the northern pike and black crappie bites are getting hot and heavy in the CT River coves and backwaters. The excellent freshwater fishing in the CT River provides yet another great fall fishing opportunity and should not be overlooked.

In more freshwater news the CT DEEP announced their fall stockings of broodstock atlantic salmon and trout this week. Broodstock salmon will be stocked in the Shetucket and Naugatuck Rivers, Crystal Lake and Mt. Tom pond. Trout will be stocked in various rivers, streams and lakes across the state and with clear water and fishable flows the fall freshwater fishing should be off to a great start very soon. For a full list of stocking location, amounts and fishing regulations be sure to reference the CT DEEP website before heading out.

Best Bets for the Weekend

The cool weather of the past few nights reminds all New Englanders that another cold, long winter is approaching. It is not here yet however, and the upcoming forecast is looking like a picture perfect fall weekend. In our coastal water the fall run looks to be just about here and the striped bass and bluefishing is approaching its peak, be sure to take advantage of a nice weekend as there may not be too many left. If you’re looking for a change of pace don’t forget about the abundance of freshwater opportunities across the region this weekend and throughout the fall months.