Finding a break in the weather has been the biggest obstacle facing anglers in Rhode Island this fall. Those who have braved the conditions are still being rewarded with great tautog and sea bass action as well as striped bass, which are continuing to keep surfcasters happy.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Despite less-than-favorable wind conditions over the weekend, Howard at Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett reported that the tautog fishing around Narragansett has remained excellent. The majority of the quality fish are still coming in 20 feet of water or less, making it a little easier to target them in some sheltered areas. Over the past week, he had multiple fish over 10 pounds weighed in at the shop, including a 17-pound beast. In other news, the Narragansett shoreline is still producing good numbers of striped bass for surfcasters, and while the bulk of the fish remain schoolies, a few larger fish up to 30 pounds were taken this week.
Steve McKenna was back at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown this week, and while he hasn’t been out in the past few nights, fellow surfcasters are reporting good schoolie action from Narragansett to Westerly. We are approaching the second week of November, which is generally when Steve sees an end to the big migratory fish in Rhode Island, but with some time to go and reasonably mild temperatures, he believes there is some time to go “large” before the packing away your gear. Bass are still in the area, but tautog remains the center of attention around the shop, and Steve reported that the fishing along the rocky Narragansett coast has been as good as ever.
At Breachway Bait and Tackle in Charlestown, the word is that the tough winds of the weekend made things difficult, but did not stop the bass bite along the South County beaches and breachways. Schoolies have been around in good numbers, both day and night, and some larger fish to 20 pounds are popping up with enough regularity to keep anglers interested. Tautog fishing was great both pre and post the weekend blow, and fish to 10 pounds are being consistently reported. The black sea bass bite this season does not seem to want to quit, and anglers are still getting easy limits on the local, deeper reefs.
Fishing Report
While the last two weekends were blow-outs, this one looks to be a bit more settled, despite another drop in temperatures. For those hanging on for a few more saltwater trips, the tautog bite should be another strong one this weekend, and surfcasters looking to squeeze in one more trip will still have some bass to play with. As we transition to the colder weeks ahead, don’t forget about all the excellent freshwater options that are improving every day.