Bonito reports have continued to spread and now cover most of Rhode Island and Connecticut. Keeper fluke catches are down, but bluefish, scup and sea bass all remain at their peak.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Russ, of The Seven B’s in Narragansett, reports that their half-day trips have been somewhat up and down based on drift conditions, but the majority of trips are seeing success with either sea bass, fluke or both. Drift conditions were better during the afternoon trips this week, which resulted in some very nice fluke coming over the rails, including fish to 7 pounds. Sea bass fishing has been much less drift dependent so good results have come on both the morning and afternoon trips. Sea bass sizes seem to be getting progressively larger as the season moves on, and Cole Curl from New Bedford led the way with a 5.5-pound fish this week.
According to The Saltwater Edge in Middletown the massive amount of bait in the area has caused the striped bass to become pretty picky. A few locals have reported some great blitzes of bass on small bait, but have had a hard time hooking up. For better striped bass results most anglers are heading to the Block. Bonito have been moving in and out of the area over the past few weeks, and a few good reports have come in from Brenton Reef recently. Fluke has been hit or miss, while scup and sea bass fishing remains very strong.
According to Howard, at Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett, bonito fever has taken over the area. Anglers have been heading out to the west wall and have reported good catches of bones for the past ten days or so. Over the past few days the bonito have started to show up along the Narragansett and South County beaches, making them a bit easier for anglers to locate. Howard told me that the amount of bait in the area continues to grow, which should keep these fish around for a while. Striped bass fishing remains strong at Block Island for the boat anglers, while local surfcasters are finding some 10-15 pound bass around the Harbor of Refuge. Large schools of bluefish are around the island and in local waters, and have been easy to locate for shore and boat anglers. Black sea bass and scup are all over the hard bottom, while fluke fishing has been very spotty. For your best shot at a keeper, Howard suggests looking in at least 70 feet of water.
Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown reports that the best bass fishing remains at Block Island, but the bite has shifted to more of a nighttime bite for the eel drifters. Local surfcasters around South County have been finding tons of bluefish, with a few decent keeper bass mixed in here and there. Surfcasters in the Jamestown area seem to be finding better success with striped bass than in lower South County. Fluke fishing has slowed down, but a few decent reports are coming from the deep channels around Sakonnet. Some monster black sea bass have been caught at Southwest Ledge this week, and have actually been hitting live drifted eels that were meant for striped bass. Bonito fishing has continued to pick up consistency, with solid catches from Westerly to Narragansett.
Mike Wade, of Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly was out fishing at Block Island when I contacted the store this week, and his reports were that there were more 7-10 pound bluefish out there than you know what to do with. The bass fishing was also pretty good out there, but has been much better after dark. Most of the local buzz is coming from the bonito, with many anglers finding success at the west wall and out in front of Weakapaug. Fluke fishing has been dominated by short fish, but scup and black sea bass have been as hot as ever.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Lou, at Hillyers in Waterford, reports that the local bottom fishing has been very good for scup and sea bass. Scup anglers have been cleaning up on all the local rockpiles, and the same can be said for anglers targeting sea bass on the slightly deeper reefs. Some pretty incredible topwater blitzes have been reported from Waterford to Watch Hill, with the majority being caused by bluefish. Bluefish are not the only predator in Long Island Sound though, as more and more people are reporting bonito sightings very close to home. Snapper fishing has been decent in the Niantic River, along with the blue crabbing that is now around its peak.
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, has had customers reporting some good gator bluefish catches throughout Long Island Sound, with the best concentrations hanging out around Southwest Reef. A few quality striped bass were caught around the mouth of the river at the new moon, with fresh chunks on the sand shoal being a top producer. Andrew got out earlier this week in search of bonito and struck paydirt just east of Fisher’s Island, managing to put over 10 on the boat. Andrew also reported some incredible blitzes all over the area which included bluefish, small bass and bonito.
Best bets for the weekend
The bonito are here, and based on the massive schools of bait they have to feed on, they should be here for a while. Heading out this weekend in search of some topwater action should yield some success. If the target species proves difficult to find, it’s more than likely that you’ll locate plenty of topwater bluefish to keep you busy.
Ok. Jeeeeee