Rhode Island Fishing Report | October 30, 2014

Rhode Island Fishing Report

According to the guys at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, the Newport and Jamestown surf has been alive with bait and striped bass over the past few days. A few shop regulars reported some nice surf-caught bass exceeding 30 pounds this week, with the majority falling for large artificial plugs. Bluefish over the 10-pound mark can still be found chasing the remaining peanut bunker schools around the upper bay and in the Sakonnet River. Tautog fishing has been steady both out front and in the bay, but most fishing attention has been spent in the comfort of the bay.

Howard, at Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett, reported that fishing has remained good locally for those that have capitalized on breaks in the wind, unfortunately that has been no small task. Blackfish are biting well around Newport and Narragansett, and luckily they can still be found inside the bay, where anglers can take shelter from the wind. There are still good numbers of black sea bass around but as temperatures drop these fish are moving deeper and deeper. Most anglers are not reporting keepers from less than 80 feet of water. The Narragansett surf is still giving up plenty of small bass and bluefish during daytime blitzes, with a few heftier fish coming out to play after dark. The waters around Block Island are starting to fish well, but have become inundated with bluefish, making it to difficult to target some of the large striped bass that are cruising the island.

At Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown, word is that a strong month of surfcasting along the South County shoreline has continued. The breachways and the adjacent rockpiles have been producing for surfcasters throwing live eels and large artificials after dark. The majority of bass being caught are right around keeper size, but a few upwards of 30-pounds have hit the rocks as well. Bluefish numbers have been down in the area, but the fish that are being caught are large and seeing a 15-pound gator is not uncommon. Blitzing striped bass and small bluefish remain prevalent along Misquamicut and the fire district beaches, and a few false albacore remain in the mix.  Bottom fishermen in the area are having success with tautog, black sea bass and scup, with tautog and scup being available for shore-casters.

Best bets for the weekend

Mid-week temperatures in the 70s, coupled with weekend forecasts that will barely get out of the 40s, reminds us why we love (or hate) New England. Luckily, our diversity in weather can only be bested by the diversity of our fishery, and no matter what the weather brings there will be plenty of options available. A couple of cold nights will not be enough to reverse the mild trend we have been having and there will be plenty of striped bass and tautog around to scratch the saltwater itch as we hit November. If weather proves to be too much of an obstacle this weekend, there are plenty of inland opportunities, try stalking a recently stocked trout stream, chucking big plugs for northern pike or drifting a live bait for some fall walleye at the Saugatuck Resevoir.