We may have been spared from any major coastal storms this season but the relentless wind from day to day has made things a bit tricky. That being said, there is still a couple of tremendous fishing weeks ahead of us and anglers that have been taking advantage of the breaks in the wind have scored some excellent catches.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Many anglers took advantage of the protection from the wind that Narragansett Bay provides over the past few days. According to Greg at The Tackle Box in Warwick, the bay still has a healthy population of pogies and there is a mess of large bluefish feeding on them. Some keeper-sized to low 20 pound stripers have also been in the mix and have been falling to bucktail jigs and fresh chunks. While bass and blues have still been plentiful most anglers have been concentrating their efforts on tautog. The shallow water tog bite remains red hot, even in the nastiest of weather, for anglers dunking crabs in 15-30 feet of water.

The Saltwater Edge in Newport reported hoards of school bass and larger blues have been feeding on anchovies across the area. Anglers that have been brave enough to battle the wind have had much success scoring both bass and blues on light tackle. Larger bait, mainly herring and bunker, is also quite abundant but appears to be traveling in smaller schools than in years past. Topwater blitzes have been commonplace but have seemed to pop up in different areas on a day to day basis. The tautog bite continues to be excellent both inside and outside of the bay. The strong bite inside the bay has provided anglers with a great way to stay out of the wind and still manage a quick limit of fish. The shallow rockpiles of the bay (10-30 fow) are all holding keeper fish but the increased fishing pressure has thinned out the numbers a bit. For your best shot at a quick limit mark out a mess of spots in advance of your trip and don’t hesitate to move from spot to spot quickly until you find a good pile of fish.

The South County tautog bite is on par with the rest of Rhode Island, according to Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly. Boat bound anglers have been doing well dunking crabs on the shallow reefs around Watch Hill while shore bound anglers have managed some keeper tog around the mouths of the breachways. Surf-casters have continued to have success with stripers and bluefish after dark, when the winds have lessened up a bit. Bass and blues remain thick both inside and outside of Weakapaug breachway and at Napatree point.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Pat at River’s End in Old Saybrook reported that the last of the bunker schools are hanging around the mouth of the Connecticut River as they make their descent back out to the open ocean. Over the past few days angler’s that have been able to locate the remaining schools have scored some good stripers on both livelined and chunked offerings. Schoolie bass have also been prevalent in the lower river, mainly in South Cove and around the causeway. Larger bass have been in hot pursuit of the bunker that has already pushed out of the river and some confirmed blitzes have come in from the Westbrook reefs to the west and Bartlett’s Reef to the east. It is a safe bet that some quality bass are also hanging on the sand shoal, picking up bunker on their way out. The bluefish bite has finally picked up at The Race and the calmer forecast for the next few days should provide some good fishing out that way. Bigger blues remain mixed in with the bass in the lower CT River as they continue to feast on the remaining bunker. The blackfish bite remains strong in the eastern sound; however the more commonly fished spots are running at a very high short to keeper ratio. As is usually the case, finding some shallow rockpiles with little to no fishing pressure is your best shot at a quick limit.

Blaine Anderson of Anderson Guide Service had to change some of his plans this week to avoid the winds and spent some time fishing in the shelter of the Connecticut River. Blaine reported that the bunker is moving out the river very quickly but he was able to locate a few schools each day this week and was rewarded with some great fishing. Blaine found plenty of keeper stripers, up to and exceeding 30 pounds, in the lower CT River this week, along with some quality topwater blitzes along the eastern sound reefs. Blaine is also under the school of thought that there are plenty of quality bass remaining out front and the upcoming decent weather should provide a nice window of opportunity to bring some over the rails.

In the western sound many anglers did not leave the shelter of the Norwalk Islands this week and they did not have to. The blackfish bite on the shallow piles around the islands has been very good according to Fisherman’s World in Norwalk. Schools of herring continue to show themselves in Norwalk Harbor and in the mouth of the Housatonic River and there have been keeper bass and some gator bluefish right behind. With quality fishing like that so close to home the wind nearly becomes a non-factor. As was reported last week the trout fishing remains excellent in the Norwalk and Saugatuck Rivers and a strong atlantic salmon bite has continued in the Naugatuck River.

Best bets for the Weekend

The recent colder weather and relentless winds may have you thinking about packing up the saltwater gear for the season but some persistence over the next few weeks can reward you with some of the best fishing of the season. Water temperatures remain above what is generally optimal for fall fishing and word from some friends up north is that large bass and bluefish are still holding strong with the fall migration being far from over. Tautog fishing still has a long way to go before it winds down for the season and these tasty fish can generally be found without having to venture far from home.