Tautog season started with a bang in Connecticut and continues to pick up steam in Rhode Island. Fish are easy to find, eager to eat and tight to shallow, inshore structure. A strong fall run for Rhode Island surfcasters remains consistent, and with the recent warm temperatures it isn’t showing signs of letting up.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Out at Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett, Howard reported that the fall run for striped bass and bluefish continued to pick up steam over the past week. Despite some tough seas and unfavorable wind, surfcasters have had steady action both day and night, from Narragansett to Watch Hill. The majority of the bass are of the schoolie variety, but keepers to 20-pounds are pretty common, especially after dark. The superb black sea bass season rolls on across Rhode Island, and keeper tautog are all over the shallow rockpiles.
Greg, at The Tackle Box in Warwick told me that the upper bay saw some decent fishing pressure this week with many anglers seeking shelter from the small craft advisories out front. Most of the fishing attention has been spent on tautog; which are all over any hard structure in 10-20 feet of water. Bluefish blitzes remain common throughout the bay with fish varying in size from 1 pound to 10-plus. Striped bass are also being caught with some regularity, with a few bigger fish hanging out around the remaining bunker schools.
At Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown, Captain Thom reported that the tautog fishing has been excellent all over Rhode Island. Some of the better producing spots include the Narragansett cliffs, Pt. Judith breakwalls, Newport reefs and just about all of the South County reefs. Small jigs in light current areas and heavier three-way rigs when needed have been producing equally well, as long as they are tipped with asian or green crabs. Thom also mentioned that the local surfcasting for striped bass remains the best it has been all season, and Steve Mckenna landed a 36-pound beauty at one of his local hotspots late last week.
More of the same came from the guys at Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown, who also reported the surfcasting for bass and blues to be the best it has been all season. Steady action, sometimes lasting all day long, has been consistent from Narragansett to Westerly. School-sized bass have been the norm during the daytime blitzes, while anglers drifting the breachways have had keeper fish to 30 pounds during the late-night tides. Tautog are being caught by shore anglers at the mouth of the breachway and at Watch Hill, and boat anglers that found a break in the weather are reporting good catches of tog and black sea bass.
Fishing Forecast
It’s blackfish season in New England and now is the time to stock up your freezer, as keeper fish are residing on every shallow rockpile from Newport to Norwalk. The persistent winds can make anchoring difficult, but with the fish in shallow water you can stay close to home and usually find some shelter. For the surfcasters out there, a decent fall run seems to be making up for the poor summer, and with unseasonably warm temperatures there is a good chance it will last for a few more weeks.