The late fall weather has finally settled in, and it seems to have brought about a rise in the activity level of large tautog. Large schools of herring have also made their annual fall stop in Rhode Island, and have made for some continued strong bass and bluefish action from the beaches.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Russ, of The Seven B’s in Narragansett, reports that the tautog fishing remains good to very good, and trips have been successful whenever the weather has allowed. The pool fish on most trips has been between 8 and 10-pounds, so there has been some quality mixed in with the quantity. There are still quite a few black sea bass in the mix, and also more cod showing up each day. Tautog trips will continue to sail from Wednesday thru Sunday from 6-4, and private charters are still available for scheduling aboard the Jeanie B.
At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown most anglers have been hitting the tautog hard whenever the wind has laid down. The bite remains very strong throughout the bay, and the fish are beginning to transition to slightly deeper water. The general consensus was that 40-60 feet has been the best bet for big tog, although anglers are still finding some keepers in the shallows. The black sea bass and cod bites are strong at Sharks Ledge and Cox’s Ledge, and a decent yellowfin bite was reported from the weather buoy on the few days that the weather has allowed. Local surf fishing has quieted down but the anglers who have been sticking with it are still finding some small keeper bass and large bluefish. There is a great deal of large bait in the area, and it appears that small schools of bass and blues are keying in on the bait as they make their way through the area.
At Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle, tautog anglers continued to report good catches this week, and also mentioned that the fish seem to be heading towards deeper water. The shallow rockpiles along the Rhode Island coastline are still holding some fish for shore anglers, but the majority of the larger fish this week came from at least 30 feet of water. The past few days have seen gannets working large schools of what appears to be herring, and there have been some good catches of small bass and big bluefish in the same areas. As the last of the migratory bass move through the area and find the herring, a few more days of strong beach fishing should take place before the season finally comes to an end.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, chimed in with another load of strong tautog reports from anglers fishing around Watch Hill and inside Fisher’s Island Sound. As noted earlier, anglers are still finding fish in the shallows, but your time is better spent in 30+ feet of water; which is where the bulk of the quality fish were taken this week. The black sea bass bite has yet to quit, and the sea bass regulars are finding quick limits of big fish in 90+ feet of water. The past few days have seen relatively solid numbers of striped bass to 36 inches and bluefish to 15-pounds around the hill and the South County beaches. Large schools of peanuts are still all over the place, and the adult bunker from the Pawcatuck River are moving out, with the bass and blues taking notice.
Connecticut Fishing Report
It was another great week for large blackfish catches in eastern Long Island Sound, according to Hillyers Bait And Tackle in Waterford. Just a few weeks after the Connecticut state record blackfish was broken, another 34-inch monster was landed. This fish was caught locally by Roy Davidson, and weighed in at 24.5-pounds! Water temperatures are a bit warmer in the sound than Rhode Island, but the Long Island Sound blackfish bite is also starting to transition to slightly deeper water. Short fish are still abundant, but persistent anglers who have been on the move are finding plenty of 6-10 pound keepers. The black sea bass bite remains strong in all the usual local haunts; while the bass and bluefish bite has been quiet, with the exception of the Millstone outflow.
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, reported that the blackfish bite in Fisher’s Island Sound and Watch Hill has picked up nicely over the past week. The numbers have been strong all season, but the past few days has seen way better catches in terms of quality. The Connecticut River settled back down after last week’s strong rains, and the topwater striper bite seems to have benefited. Bunker is still plentiful in the lower river, and small keeper bass have been taking notice once again. Long sand shoal is historically a great spot to target late season bass and blues, and anglers fishing that area this week reported a good topwater bite of blues to 15-pounds with small keeper bass mixed in. Upper Connecticut River reports have been relatively quiet, but the anglers who are getting out are starting to see better pike catches in the marinas and coves.
Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters in Clinton, reported that there are still a surprising number of bass and blues in the area, and once you locate them, they are biting well. While the bass and blues have been fun, the tautog action has been stealing the show. It has not been out of the ordinary to land 100 fish per trip, and after weeding through some shorts, most anglers are going home with limits. TJ will be out on the water for one more week, so be sure to touch base with him if you want to try your luck at one last tautog trip.
Rich, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that there is still some great western sound fishing to be had as the season winds down. Big blitzes of small keeper bass and big bluefish have been all over the beaches, with subsurface swimming lures and soft plastics resulting in the most hook-ups. All the bait in the rivers and harbors is making its way out, so the mouth of any estuary is a safe bet to find some fish. Anglers fishing the same areas after dark are finding some larger fish on live eels and bunker chunks. Blackfishing has been very good throughout the western sound, and they are also seeing the majority of the bigger fish coming from 40-60 feet of water. The freshwater guys are starting to spend more time at the Saugatuck Reservoir and have reported an excellent bite of large crappie, along with decent catches of largemouth bass and a few walleye.
Best Bets For The Weekend
The end of what has been a very solid fall run is just about here, but it is not quite over just yet. Tautog and black sea bass have started to move into their late fall patterns, but catches of both species have been a strong as they have all fall; while schools of bluefish and striped bass are still moving through our area and keying in on the wealth of bait we still have. The early part of the weekend may see some tough weather conditions, but the latter part may provide a nice window to get out and target all saltwater species one last time. If the weather proves to be too much to get out on the salt, start to think about transitioning to freshwater as southern New England provides excellent pre-ice freshwater options for many species.