Rhode Island Fishing Report – August 4, 2016

Outside of Block Island, the striped bass bite has shifted to more of a nighttime game, while the fluke bite has transitioned to deeper water. Scup and sea bass are steady as ever; while the offshore crew is cashing in on a good tuna bite at The Dump.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Frank, of The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reported that the full day fluke and sea bass trips have generally been pretty solid. Last Sunday saw quite a few limit catches and close to 200 keepers came aboard, with pool fish going around 8-pounds. Things slowed down a bit with the turn in weather early this week, but most trips still saw a few limit catches and a good number of keeper fish. Pool fish this week were right around 6-pounds, but overall quality is good, as many fish eclipsed the 5-pound mark. Block Island has been a consistent hotspot, while local spots to the east also started producing well this week. It seems that there is still a good mass of fluke spread throughout Rhode Island feeding on sand eels and squid. Black sea bass limits have been very common and help pick up the slack during the slower fluke times. Full day fluke trips will sail daily at 7 AM. Wednesday night’s bass trip was also quite successful; as they managed a full boat limit of striped bass to 30-pounds in short order. Nighttime bass trips will sail at 7 PM Wednesday thru Saturday by reservation.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reported that isolated catches of bonito are starting to manifest from Newport to Point Judith. It is by no means lock and load and is more a game of luck at this point, but we all know it shouldn’t be long now. There remains a steady pick of nice bluefish in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers taking fresh chunk bait, while striped bass anglers are having the most success drifting eels at night. Bass fishing close to home has been on the slow side, but Block Island and Cape Cod waters are still putting up good numbers. Scup and sea bass have been solid in all the local rocky areas, with the best fluke catches still coming from the island. Freshwater anglers are reporting excellent topwater largemouth action on big poppers and senkos throughout the state.

At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, the guys reported that a good deal of anglers are heading out towards The Dump and targeting the bluefin that have filled in nicely. The key seems to be trolling ballyhoo or anything green. The majority of bass and fluke reports are still coming from the island; while scup and sea bass can be found all over. Word of a few bonito catches have anglers all over getting the bonito/albie fever, but at this point they still seem greatly scattered.

Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, also mentioned that the tuna bite has been very strong at The Dump. Sharking is also very good at most of the usual haunts. Local striped bass anglers are working hard, but are managing some nice catches on the reefs after dark. Block Island is still accounting for most of the better catches, where anglers are trolling by day and drifting eels at night. Local fluke angling off the beaches is getting frustrating due to short fish, but sea bass and scup are much more reliable.

Connecticut Fishing Report

John, at Hillyers in Waterford told me the fluke fishing in and around Niantic Bay has actually been pretty consistent this week. Per usual, there are quite a few short fish around, but the keeper to short ratio has been better than most other locations. Black sea bass has also improved quite a bit, as more and more fish filter into the eastern sound. Scup is lights out all over the eastern sound; while the best bluefish bites have been at The Race, Plum Gut and The Sluiceway.

I checked in with Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, and he reported that a decent slug of keeper fluke have moved into the mouth of the river, which coincided with the first good push of snapper bluefish. Along with some decent snapper fishing, there is no shortage of large bluefish around the river as well. Gators have been found feasting on bunker from the mouth of the river, west to Westbrook. Most of the common hotspots in that area are holding fish at some point during the day; it might just take a little searching. There are also some decent striped bass hanging around the same area, if you can locate the bunker you can usually locate a few bass. Scup and sea bass has been strong throughout the sound and blue crabbing is excellent in the river tributaries.

James, at Rivers End in Old Saybrook reports that we are teetering on the edge of the summer doldrums, but the striped bass sharpies are still finding some decent fish. Most of the central and eastern sound reefs are holding a few bass and your best shot at landing one is 3-waying live bunker around dusk or drifting eels at night. Reports from The Race and Black Point have also improved, with word of large schools of smaller bass actively feeding on small bait. The word from fluke anglers is that there are many more shorts than keepers, but decent reports have come from deep water at Black Point, Hatchets and the Bloody Grounds. Black sea bass remains steady and scup fishing is excellent. The mouth of the river is holding some big bluefish for shore anglers at the usual spots, but the large concentrations of blues are still holding out by Pigeon Rip and Plum Gut. Snapper blues have shown up in great numbers, but are still on the small (4-6”) side. Look at the causeway and Lieutenant River for the best shot at good snapper action.

Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters, reported that this week consisted of some great days full of big bluefish. As most have mentioned, the concentrations of blues seem to be a bit more scattered than in the past, but there are plenty to be had once you locate them. Striped bass action has also improved, with decent action coming during the early morning hours.

Ian, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reported that fluking has still been pretty good in the western sound, but most anglers are starting to look deep. Most deep slopes and drop offs from 50-80 feet of water are holding some keepers. A number of different presentations have worked, but the go-to for most anglers is a simple bucktail tipped with GULP. Black sea bass are still easy to find, but are also down on the deeper rockpiles. Scup are all over, deep and shallow, and are big, with quite a few hitting the 4-pound mark. Big bluefish are holding at the usual haunts, with fresh chunks at daybreak providing the best bite. The greatest concentrations of striped bass are around the island, but most of these fish are on the small side and are chasing small bait. A few of the local sharpies are finding fish over 30-pounds, by livelining baits around the bunker schools after dark.

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

I don’t like to talk about summer doldrums, as I believe there are always fish to be had, but we have certainly reached a point where tactics may need to be adjusted. Block Island is still worth the ride for striped bass anglers that are willing to make the run, but local anglers may want to shift their focus to the shallow reefs after dark. The fluke bite has also shifted to a point where fishing deep and culling through shorts is necessary, but there still appears to be a better slug of keeper fluke than in years past. Sea bass and scup will provide a steady fishery through the hot summer days and be sure to have your light tackle ready, as we aren’t too far away from the albie/bonito madness.