Striped bass fishing has yet to “blow up” in southern New England, but new arrivals of migratory fish each day have kept anglers busy and reports of true cows should be right around the corner. Tautog fishing remains very good in Rhode Island during its last week of the spring season, while fluke fishing is starting to pick up steam at Block Island and Fishers Island.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The reefs around Newport and Jamestown have just started to see some schools of larger migrating bass. According to The Saltwater Edge in Middletown some 20- to 30-pound class fish have been reported from anglers drifting bucktail jigs on the local reefs. The amount of bunker in the upper bay is greater than it has been in quite some time, and the bass fishing remains very consistent. With the arrival of some larger fish this week coupled with good numbers of bunker, there is potential for the bass fishing to blow wide open in the upper bay and around the river mouths. The worm hatches are starting to take shape across the Ocean State and fly-fishermen are reporting moderate success with schoolies in the South County ponds.
Saturday marks the last day of the spring tautog season across Rhode Island and anglers have been cashing in from Newport to Narragansett. Tautog have been coming from just about every rockpile along that stretch, with 15-20 feet of water being the best target depth. Anglers are reporting a need to cull through quite a few shorts to get a limit, but the keepers are there for those who put the time in.
Black sea bass and fluke fishing have yet to really take off inshore but some great examples of both species were taken from the waters around Block Island this week.
At Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown, Thom reported that things remain a bit quieter across the South County beachfront than they do around Newport and Jamestown. Larger migratory striped bass have yet to hit the reefs and beaches in the area just yet, but a good variety of bait (butterfish, bunker, squid) remains in the area for the larger bass when they decide to show up. Again, upper Narragansett Bay continues to hold some decent striped bass and remains the most consistent option for linesiders.
Thom reported a good tautog bite in Narragansett with keepers being reported from the Black Point, Bass Rock and the breakwalls of the harbor of refuge.
At Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports have been quiet from the Watch Hill Reefs, Fisher’s Island and The Race, with below average water temperatures being the likely culprit. The Pawcatuck River had a good push of bunker over the past week and bass up to the 20-pound class have been reported for anglers livelining and casting bunker imitators.
Watch Hill Reef has been responsible for some of the larger keeper tautog this week and will be a safe bet for anglers looking to make one more tog trip this weekend.
Fishing Forecast for Rhode Island
We all know it takes patience to be a successful angler and the cold and often windy weather of this spring has certainly tested everyone’s patience. It would appear that we have finally reached that cusp that we hit every May, where everything is starting to line up and fishing can blow wide open overnight. Migratory striped bass, along with some hoards of bait, have shown up across the range of the striper coast and we should only be one or two more warm days away from true cows making their first appearance. For anglers in Rhode Island, one last spring tautog trip may be in order, as that season will be closed until August in Rhode Island.
I went to Beavertail lighthouse from 5 am til 1 pm on Memorial Day.and didn’t get a single bite. I user an arsenal of baits. Clam tongues, clam bellies, bunker, and live eels. The weatherman said it was suppose to be a gem of a day with 80 degree Temps and it was cloudy with on and off showers and windy. As soon as I saw the small craft advisory I knew it was going to be a crap day. Once we left there I went to Conimicuit, India Point Park, the Henderson Bridge, Blackstone river, east providence, and east bay bike path and nobody was catching anything. There wasn’t even much of bunker around. Going to Newport this Sunday and hoping some big stripes will be there.
Several schoolies around 20 inches taken on Friday off the East Bay bike path bridge between Warren and Barrington. All of us using clam bellies and drifting. Huge school of pogies at slack tide, too. No big stripers in Newport yet. Be patient.
Josh: I don’t fish for stripers much in rhode island anymore, too busy chasing fluke, seabass, and now my favorite warm water fish the trigger fish…..so maybe this is just a theory……………………..
I believe early season shore striped bass fishing is difficult for the following reasons. When sb leave there wintering areas they need large calorie meals. Bunker,herring, squid. If that bait is not inyour area you will be skunked. Now narragaset bay is really tricky with water temperature, high wave energy areas rocky areas like off Jamestown are not going to hold fish if the upper bay is loaded with bunker. shore fishing is so tough because even if fihng in the upper bay from shore and the bunker are holding in deep water you are skunked again. I would try to fish muddy coves were the water is warmer and marine life has a head start on developing, there at least you will be close to a food source that bass of different sizes will utilize. I have done well with bass at goddard state park chasing weakfish. However even there the bait fish situation fluctuates. Its tough in the spring, I don’t want to sound like a communist but until the state bans the herbacides and pestatcides they allow people to put on there lawns, early season shallow water fishing will stink. – good luck
Plenty of pogies everywhere. Chris and I have been fishing from Popham Light to the Jamestown Bridge and everywhere in between. We have had the best bite in the upper Bay. Live lining pogies at Pine Hill, Black Face, Gould Island North End of J-Town and NW Side and we have raised a singe fish here and there but nothing of significance nor size. Bluefish have become a nuisance in the Upper bay
Could someone help a Mass guy who will be in RI June 5-6? I am dropping daughter off at URI and thought I would get a line wet from the shore….surface plugs off rocks is my strong point….could someone point me to some easy access for someone who isn’t familiar with the area? Thanks in advance!
I’ve been out a few times on the yak since late Apr & most recently Sun morning. Nothing big (yet) in my area (West Bay). I’ve managed to catch at least a couple ea outing. All 23″ & under. Will try again tomorrow.