Rhode Island Fishing Report - July 30, 2015

Fluke, sea bass and scup are providing very consistent fishing in Connecticut and Rhode Island, while striped bass catches should improve with the impending full moon.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Clean water and good drift conditions resulted in a strong week of bottom fishing aboard The Seven B’s in Narragansett. Captain Russ reported strong catches of fluke, sea bass and scup, with multiple fluke in the 6- to 8-pound range being the top catches of the week. Scup and sea bass limits were easy to come by, and despite a good amount of shorts, most customers came home with a good bag of legal fluke. These half-day trips will continue to sail from 8:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M., with the second taking off at 1 P.M. and returning at 5 P.M. The number of striped bass catches on weekend night trips took a turn for the better this week. Bass were plentiful for the first time in a few weeks, and a big slug of bluefish also helped to keep anglers entertained. Striped bass trips will continue to sail this week, on both Friday and Saturday night from 7 P.M. to 1 A.M., conditions and interest depending.

Howard, at Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett, reported a somewhat quiet week locally, although fluke catches have continued to improve in the Narragansett area. Anglers fishing in roughly 50-60 feet of water have managed good numbers of keeper fluke, in close proximity to the Harbor of Refuge. The best striped bass fishing remains around Block Island, where anglers are reporting large concentrations of quality bass. Getting the bass to bite has been a bit more difficult than most would like, but those putting the time in are still being rewarded with mostly 30-pound class fish. Around Narragansett the bass fishing is a bit slower, but local surfcasters are reporting plenty of schoolies to mid 30-inch fish along the beaches. Black sea bass and scup are plentiful on the local rockpiles and at the island. The bluefin tuna hunters are still finding some south of the island, but word is that they’re very scattered and getting tougher to come by.

Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, had many customers coming in to pick up fluke rigs, as a decent pile of fish moved into South County and eastern Long Island Sound. While the bite has intensified, the keeper-to-short ratio has remained low, and it’s taking a bit of time to manage a limit. Bigger fluke continue to be reported from Block Island, and also Cerberus Shoal this week. Striped bass fishing has been pretty good for local surfcasters working the point and the beaches, with big concentrations of small bass feeding on small bait. Some bigger bass are holding on the local reefs, including a 53-pound bass speared by a local diver. Scup are easy to find for shore and boat anglers, while sea bass are plentiful on the deeper end of the reef. Offshore anglers are reporting a good bite of large mako sharks just short of Block Island, and school bluefin are still being found around Cox’s.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Lou, at Hillyers in Waterford, reported that the local fluke fishing, which took a turn for the better last week, continued to steadily improve this week. Good fish are coming from Groton to Niantic, and some are heavy, with fish to 8-pound reported locally. The guys who have continued to make the run to Block Island are still seeing larger fish, including a few fish of nearly 12 pounds that were weighed in this week. Black sea bass fishing has been great all over the area, with the general consensus being to fish in 60-80 feet of water with clams. Black Point and Bartletts Reef are great places to start when looking for sea bass locally. There are also plenty of scup, up to and exceeding 2 pounds, all over the local hard bottom. Striped bass fishing has been inconsistent, but the good days have been very good. Bartlett’s Reef was reportedly holding a good number of 30- to 40-pound bass a few different days this week, and some other large bass have been taken right in Niantic Bay after dark.

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3, told me that most anglers are reporting a slow down in striped bass fishing, with the Connecticut River reaching extremely warm temperatures this week. Despite the warm water pumping out of the river, a few anglers found some quality bass in the 30-pound class around the mouth. Most of the anglers who are catching have really had to work for a bite, but the quality of bass has been good. The gator bluefish don’t mind the warm river temperatures, and they can be found harassing the bunker schools all around the mouth. The first small snapper bluefish of the year have moved into most of the rivers and harbors, and this has brought some larger fluke to inshore waters. Andrew had a few customers reporting 8- to 10-pound fluke from just outside the Niantic River this week. Blue crabbing has also started to pick up in the Connecticut and Niantic Rivers, but shorts seem to be dominating the catch.

Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters in Clinton, saw things slow down just a bit over the past weekend, mostly due to the weak tides and moon cycle. As the week went on, both numbers and sizes of bass and bluefish have steadily improved, and TJ anticipates a very good weekend with the full moon on the way. Scup and black sea bass have remained very consistent, and have also continued to improve with better weather and tide cycles.

Captain Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, hasn’t let the summer doldrums affect his results, as he continues to find some large bass on light tackle in eastern Long Island Sound. The fishing has become more sporadic but Mike still found a good number of 20- to 30-pound class bass on live-lined bunker this week. 14-year-old Emma Hines was able to outfish everyone this week, with a 42-pound bass that took a live bunker. After dark, Mike reports some decent bass in very shallow water that were eager to take live eels. School-sized bass are up and down the eastern sound beaches, and are feeding on a steady supply of very small bait.

Best bets for the weekend

Blazing temperatures and mid-summer doldrums may be starting to take their toll on striped bass fishing, but things should certainly improve a bit with the strong full moon tides of the weekend. If the bass do not cooperate; bluefish, fluke, sea bass and scup reports have all been very good, and should pick up the slack. Look for blue crab catches to continue to improve in our estuaries, and provide another great option for the weekend.