It’s hard to imagine that the stellar Block Island striped bass bite of last week could have actually improved, but reports from the island continue to be full of large fish that are now widespread around the island. Groundfishing is also holding steady across New England, as most species are now in season.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, local striped bass reports have been quiet as most anglers have made the short steam to Block Island, where 30 to 40 pound fish remain plentiful. Local surfcasters have had some success with smaller keeper bass in the 10 to 20 pound range on the Newport and Jamestown rockpiles, and large schools of bluefish are keeping shore and boat anglers busy in the same locations.
Captain Rob of Newport Sportfishing Charters has found a few good bass locally on 3-wayed eels but also reported that the Block is a safer bet for consistent big fish action. Offshore, some school bluefin and decent numbers of bonito are hanging around from the southeast grounds to the Fairway, and sharking remains good just about everywhere.
At The Tackle Box in Warwick, Greg told me that he made the steam to Block Island to see what all the fuss was about earlier this week. He was met with the results that he was expecting as he and the rest of the boat made quick work of a striper limit, with the majority of the fish going at least 25 pounds and the heaviest well over the 40-pound mark. Three-wayed eels on light line was all that was needed to attain that limit, and according to Greg, schools of bass can be found on all sides of the island. If you come across a pod of fish that is loaded with bluefish or seeing heavy boat traffic, it is pretty easy to move on and locate another productive area. The upper bay has warmed up quite a bit and slowed down the bass bite, but large schools of 2- to 3-pound bluefish feeding on small silversides can be found just about anywhere. Scup fishing has been hot on the rockpiles of the upper bay and a few northern kingfish have also begun to show up.
Steve McKenna, at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown, was happy to report that local surfcasting has remained very consistent throughout July and is making up for a sub-par May and June. Over the past week Steve made five quick trips to the surf and found stripers on every trip. Most bass have been feeding on smaller bait and are taking 7- to 9-inch soft-plastic baits and 5-7 inch swimming plugs. 10- to 15-pound fish have been dominating the catch, but a few anglers fishing live eels and chunk bait have found larger bass. Scup and sea bass reports have been excellent around Narragansett and most of South County. Fluke fishing has turned into a primarily deepwater game, with the vast majority of keepers coming from 80-plus feet of water.
Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly also made the run out to Block Island this week, and the results were more of the same: 35- to 40-pound fish and plenty of them. The Watch Hill Reefs are far from hot and heavy but are starting to fish with a bit more consistency. Local surfcasters are also starting to see a better bass bite at Napatree, Watch Hill and drifting eels at the breachways. Short fluke are still outweighing keepers by quite a bit, but a few better reports came in from the Westerly beaches this week. Scup and black sea bass can be found on all the South County rockpiles, and snapper bluefish are starting to show up in good numbers in the ponds.
Fishing Forecast
For the second week in a row, Block Island is where it’s at if you’re looking for consistent big bass fishing. If you can make the trip, I doubt you will be disappointed with the results.