Rhode Island Fishing Report – May 26, 2016

Striped bass fishing continues to improve in our tidal rivers and the first whispers of fish on the reefs are starting to come in. Fluke fishing in Rhode Island is improving, while catches in Long Island Sound are quickly filtering east.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, was able to spend some time on the water this week and find some quality fish. The Providence and Seekonk Rivers, along with most of the bay, are putting up quality striped bass on pogies, eels and sea worms. Dave found a pile of nice bass in the 15- to 20-pound range at the Hurricane Barrier on Wednesday, and early word from Thursday morning was more of the same. Scup fishing is picking up at Tiverton, while scup and black sea bass catches have been excellent for fishermen trailering to Buzzards Bay. A few more big bluefish moved into the area this week, but they remain pretty scattered. Fluke catches continue to improve, with most reports coming from the Block Island area. Local catches have started to pick up though, including an 8.3-pound beauty caught by Brandon Hagopian.

At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, striped bass frenzy has taken over and most anglers have been spending all of their time chasing linesiders. The upper bay is on fire with quality bass chasing herring and bunker. Often times these fish push bait into the shallows and have been a blast to catch on topwater plugs. A few surfcasters fishing the white water are also hooking up after dark, and that should only improve as we warm up and approach new moon. There are a couple schools of bluefish terrorizing the bay, and also a few random gators that are more than willing to destroy your striper offerings. Fluke and tautog reports have been quiet, due in large part to most anglers chasing bass and not bottom fishing. There should still be some decent tautog roaming the hard bottom of the bay for the season ender this weekend.

Captain Frank, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reported a week of ups and downs in the fluke fishery. Last Saturday’s trip was great, with a light crowd and some awesome action. There were many limits and near-limits of fish to 8-pounds, with plenty of short fish keeping the action steady. Saturday’s trip also saw the first double-digit fish of the season, a 10-pound, 31-inch doormat caught by Hahn of East Longmeadow. Earlier trips were a bit more sporadic, but there is a ton of squid in the area and quality fishing is moving closer in shore each day. A weekend full of near 90-degree temperatures should help to blow this thing wide open.

At Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, Mike reports that the epicenter of the local striped bass fishing remains in the Pawcatuck River. A fresh push of 20-plus-pound bass have moved into the river and anglers are reporting plenty of catches to 25-pounds. There is still plenty of large bait in the river so a fresh chunk or livelined offering remains the meal ticket to a large bass. Fluke has been strong at Block Island and is just starting to improve locally. A ton of squid has moved into the area so the local fluke fishing should really start to pick up very soon.

Connecticut Fishing Report

The eastern sound is really starting to come alive, according to reports from Hillyers Bait and Tackle in Waterford. Winter flounder fishing remains consistent in the Niantic River, with the top of the outgoing tide being the best time. Striped bass are still concentrated in the tidal rivers, but anglers are starting to find decent catches at Millstone Point and a few fish here and there on the local reefs. Millstone has also been a hot spot for bluefish, with a nice pick of chompers crushing topwater plugs at the discharge over the past few days. Some bottom fishermen are finding scup and sea bass locally, but catches of both species remain on the slow side. Fluke fishing has been more productive, with good catches of big fish reported from Greenport. If you don’t feel like making the run to New York or Block Island, anglers drifting the bottom from Millstone to Harkness are reporting a decent pick of smaller keepers.

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, reported that the West Haven weakfish bite has taken center stage for Connecticut saltwater anglers. Most are reporting strong catches and some of the largest fish in the last few seasons. SP minnows, mag darters and small bombers seem to be the top offering for weaks. While fishing has been strong, be prepared to fish in a crowd, as this bite is garnering a ton of attention lately. Striped bass to 25-pounds are reported from the river mouth to Essex, and there is still a decent slug of good bass on herring in the northern stretches. A few anglers have reported fish to 30-pounds out front, so it shouldn’t be long now for the local reefs. Sea bass is starting to pick up, and while fluke fishing has been slow, there is squid everywhere. Some decent fluke catches were reported at Isabella this week and this 90-degree weather should bring them even closer.

James, at Rivers End in Old Saybrook, reports that the tidal river striped bass bite is hot, as a fresh push of fish have shown up in all of them. Schoolies to small keepers dominate the catch; while anglers throwing larger plugs are finding fish to 25-pounds. The reefs are still quiet, but reports from Plum Gut and The Race are expected very soon. Fluking has been quiet in Connecticut, while reports from Montauk, Block Island and Charlestown are improving. Some big scup are being caught in Peconic Bay and the deeper portions of Long Island Sound; while black sea bassing has been best at 6 Mile Reef and points west.

Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters, is very optimistic about this upcoming season, as he believes this is the best early season striped bass bite since 2013. There are loads of all different types of bait so things should only improve from here. Black sea bass fishing has also been excellent, with plenty of keepers and easy limits.

Rich, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reports that fluke fishing has really taken off in the western sound. Quality fluke are being caught on just about everything, but the use of a teaser seems to be key for a great catch rate. The fish have been shallow for the most part, with most catches coming from less than 25 feet of water. Black sea bass catches have been good in 30-65 feet of water on Lucanus jigs topped with whole squid. Striped bass to 40 pounds are still being caught in the Rye area around the bunker schools; while good catches of 24-to 36-inch fish have been coming from local light-tackle and fly-anglers. Big bluefish are knocking on the door, as catches of gators are increasing in the mid-sound area. Freshwater anglers are reporting continued success at the Saugatuck Reservoir, with a good smallmouth and walleye bite this week.

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

A push of tropical weather in May has moved us past any lingering effects of the cold spring we endured. Early season signs are pointing to a great striped bass season; excellent topwater action is taking place in most of our tidal rivers and fish should start settling in on the reefs in a matter of days. This weekend is also shaping up to be a perfect storm for fluke anglers, with loads of squid all over the place and quickly increasing water temperatures. Tautog enthusiasts should look to make one more trip this weekend before the season closes until August in Rhode Island.