Things appear to be heading in the right direction for striped bass anglers across Rhode Island, with inshore and Block Island reports improving a bit this week. Fluke fishing has hit a point of solid consistency in eastern CT and South County Rhode Island, while sea bass and scup catches are great across the board.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Frank, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reported that by all accounts the fluke fishing remained solid this week, while the black sea bass fishing was unreal. Black sea bass to 5 pounds and over were commonplace this week and boat limits were easily obtained nearly every day. Boat limits of fluke were a little tougher to come by, but most trips saw each angler taking home a respectable amount of 5- to 8-pound fish. A decent amount of big scup and a few bluefish also started to show up this week, which added to the already very strong variety. Full day fluke trips will continue to sail at 7 AM daily.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reported that BJ Silvia still has the hot hand for striped bass in the bay. BJ has found bass to 30 pounds in the mid-bay shallows this week and most were eager to crush topwater plugs. BJ also mentioned strong sea bass and fluke catches in the Newport and Jamestown areas. The striped bass bite has also been solid on the fly, as Captain Rene Letourneau reported good catches on the west side of Prudence Island over the past few days. The scup bite is going strong under the Mount Hope Bridge and at Colt State Park, where anglers have reported fish to 23 inches. Conimicut Point has been a consistent hot spot for bluefish, while the Block Island striped bass bite started to take a turn for the better once again this week. The action is not yet lock and load at the island, but catches are becoming more consistent, including a 58-pounder taken this week!
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, told me that many anglers have been finding good catches of fluke close to home, mainly in the Misquamicut area. The deeper water off Fishers Island and Montauk are also holding some good numbers of larger flatties. Black sea bass remains very good, with easy limits on all of the local hard bottom. The last few days also saw an increase in striped bass activity on the Watch Hill reefs, with better numbers of bluefish now in the mix. Scup fishing has been red hot for boat and shore anglers on most of the shallower rocky areas. In offshore news, there has been some talk of a few bluefin tuna close to home, along with a few makos to about 175 pounds that were caught this week.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Hillyers in Waterford saw some very strong scup and sea bass reports this week, with Valiant Rock being a hot spot for both species. The sea bass bite has been good just about everywhere, but they noted that 100+ feet of water seems to be the best bet for eastern Long Island Sound. Striped bass fishing has been pretty consistent at Plum Gut; while Bartletts Reef hasn’t seen lock and load action, but has put up some good fish as well. Bluefish are starting to trickle into the sound more and more, but your best bet for steady action is in The Race. Fluke action has continued to pick up in the Niantic area, with multiple 10+ pounders weighed in from depths of 60-80 feet.
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, reports that the local striped bass fishing has been a bit stagnant, but more and more fish have shown up on the local reefs over the past few days. These fish are predominately in the 30- to 36-inch range, but a few much bigger outliers have been in the mix once in a while. The lower Connecticut River flats are also still holding a few bass, but that bite has become increasingly inconsistent. The area around the mouth of the river has seen a better push of big bluefish over the past few days, which have seemingly displaced some of the bass. The fluke fishing at the usual hotspots around Fishers Island have also remained inconsistent, while the eastern sound from New London to Niantic, as well as the Rhode Island beaches are providing a more consistent bite. The scup bite has picked up throughout the eastern sound and the sea bass bite has been best around Clinton.
Rivers End in Old Saybrook saw a couple of hefty bass hit the scales this week, but they remain spread out and tough to dial in on. The reefs to both sides of the Connecticut River are now holding fish, along with The Race, Plum Gut, and Bartletts Reef. Fluke fishing has improved locally, with the first solid catches of the season coming from Soundview, Long Sand Shoal and inside the river. While keepers are getting easier to find locally, your best bet a doormats remains Montauk or Block. Scup fishing is strong at Hens & Chickens and Cornfield; while sea bass fishing remains good all over.
Captain TJ, of Rock & Roll Charters, reported that the black sea bass fishing was so excellent this week that it became the center of attention on most of his trips. Limits were easy on all trips, with a good deal of fish around the 5-pound mark. Striped bass and bluefish were still around through the weekend, but the bite was inconsistent. TJ believes that we were in a transition period for both species and things will likely improve with the warmer weather and new moon period.
Rich, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reported that the scup fishing really took off in the western sound over the past week. The fish seem to be all over the local hard structure and a majority of them are 12-15 inches in size. Fluking also remains good in the same areas, but the high number of shorts is making anglers work a bit harder for keepers. Bass and bluefish numbers remain pretty good throughout the western sound, and the sizes vary quite a bit. Shore anglers and anglers fishing around the islands are finding good light tackle action for small keeper bass and blues to 5 pounds. Those soaking chunks or drifting eels over deeper structure are finding bass from 15 to 25 pounds, while bluefish to nearly 16 pounds have been caught around the mid-sound bunker schools. Sea bass action remains pretty good out west as well, but you may need to fish some lesser known spots; as the more popular spots have been picked over.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Striped bass reports have slowly and steadily improved across Rhode Island and western Connecticut. The combination of quality weather and a good new moon tide should cause some of these bass to settle in throughout eastern CT as well. Bottom fisherman should continue to pluck away at fluke, scup and sea bass, but be prepared to move around a bit, as many of the popular locales have been fished hard.