Rhode Island Fishing Report | September 25, 2014

A few more striped bass seem to have entered the mix this week, which, along with plenty of gator bluefish, have given surfcasters and bait dunkers a reason to be on the water this week. The number one focus of most anglers in the Northeast remains false albacore, which remain around in good numbers but are starting to spread out, making them a bit more difficult to find than last week.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Howard, at Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett, reported that plenty of false albacore and bonito remain in the waters from Newport to Narragansett. In the past few days these fish have become a bit more finicky, likely due to the micro-bait they are chasing and an increase in fishing pressure. Resilient anglers are still finding plenty of success, but most have downsized to very small offerings and lighter leaders. School striped bass are also feeding on the large schools of small bait along the Narragansett coast, and surfcasters have reported decent catches of small fish by day, with a few bigger fish taking live eels and bigger plugs after dark. Scup and black sea bass fishing remains consistent throughout Rhode Island, and local tautog anglers are starting to report decent catches of keepers in 20-30 feet of water.

At Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown, Steve told me that his success from last week carried on into this week as local surfcasting had an upswing around the recent new moon. Numbers of striped bass continue to be way down from previous years, but for the first time in a few weeks keeper bass have been in the Narragansett surf with some consistency. Live eels continue to be the bait of choice for keeper fish but small swimming plugs can provide you with better action on generally smaller fish. Scup, black sea bass and some keeper tautog are still being caught by both shore and boat anglers; however fluke action has pretty much halted other than a few good fish around Block Island.

Surf fishing has also picked up in lower South County, according to Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown. Big bluefish are still around in big numbers and this week some decent striped bass have entered the mix, as the shop weighed in multiple surf caught bass in the 20-25 pound class. False albacore can be seen popping up along the beaches from Charlestown breachway to Watch Hill, and the Watch Hill Reefs remain a hot bed for falsies. Boat traffic has increased tenfold, even on the weekdays, so fishing at the end of the fleets or off the beaten path completely has translated into better catches this week. Black sea bass and scup fishing continues to be as strong as it has all season both locally and at Block Island, and shore anglers are having plenty of success at the breachways and in front of the lighthouse.

Best Bets for the Weekend

A cold rain and strong east blow are making things difficult for the end of this week. The best part about New England weather is that it’s constantly changing and near record highs and calmer seas are forecasted for this weekend. That combination makes it another ideal weekend to chase hardtails and blitzing bass and bluefish across the Northeast.