Rhode Island Fishing Report – September 8, 2016

Everyone is just starting to get back on the water after a few days of rough weather, and early indications are that bluefish, sea bass and scup continue to dominate the catch in Southern New England.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The Frances Fleet in Narragansett has not been able to get out on the water the past few days due to the winds associated with the tropical storm, but anticipates getting back out on Friday. Prior to the storm, bottom fishing for all species was very steady and there is no reason to believe that has changed just yet. Both last Friday and Saturday’s trips saw a good pile of black sea bass, with a few pushing the 5-pound mark! Most anglers took home 3 to 4 keeper fluke a piece, with quite a few around 6 pounds. Big scup continue to be in the mix on all of the fishing grounds as well. The fleet will now only do full day bottom fishing trips from 7-4 daily, and as of September 17th they will transition over to fall cod fishing. Cod trips will run Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the weekends at 7 AM.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reported that Cesin Curi took shelter from the wind inside the Providence River on Tuesday and was able to find a good pile of striped bass. Cesin fished along the East Bay bike path and had bass of mixed sizes on plugs and soft plastics. The bass likely were seeking refuge from the storm inside the river and there should be some bass inside and just outside the river for the next few days. Big bluefish are also hanging out in the river, which has been the case for most of the summer. The tautog bite was very good in the bay and around the Narragansett rocky shoreline last week and will pick right back up as the water continues to clear up. Bonito and a few false albacore were being caught sporadically on small soft plastics from the breachways to Little Compton last week, and everyone is hoping that the storm forced the larger schools in. The fall squid bite started to take off in Quincy, while freshwater bass fishing was unaffected by the recent weather. Big largemouth are being caught at most lakes and ponds on Senkos, poppers and live shiners.

At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, Thursday was the first day that a good number of customers got back out onto the water. Not a whole lot has been reported yet and the water is still in the process of cleaning up, but a few early reports indicated that school bass are plentiful and there were just as many albie sightings as there were pre-storm. The amount of bait around the bay and throughout Newport has most thinking that the albie/bonito bite is close to blowing wide open.

Mike, at Cardinal Bait and Tackle in Westerly, reported that many of his customers were heading out to Block Island prior to the blow and most found plenty of 30-pound class striped bass. Bass continue to take live eels after dark and are being jigged or trolled up during the day. The storm could have shaken things up, but being early September it is more likely that a good slug of bass will be hanging out there for a few more weeks. Small bass can be taken on the Watch Hill reefs and some epic topwater bluefish blitzes have been going on at the reefs and just outside the breachways. Fluke has started to slow down locally, but scup and sea bass remain plentiful. Bonito and false albacore continue to be seen in the area, but they have been spotty at best.

Connecticut Fishing Report

John, at Hillyers in Waterford reported that the local fluke fishing was still going relatively strong at the early part of last weekend, with Lou Telobuet’s 12.8-pound doormat being the highlight of the weekend. Sea bass and scup are easy to find and the number of bluefish in local waters has exploded. Spots such as Black Point and Bartletts are now full of bluefish of all sizes. The best striped bass action has been coming after dark around Fishers, The Race and Valiant Rock. Snapper bluefish are getting bigger and can be caught throughout the Niantic River.

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, had a big rush of customers cashing in on the calm before the storm last Saturday, and most reported excellent bluefish action in the mouth of the river and for a couple of miles to the east and west. Striped bass reports have been quieter, but quite a few sharpies are buying up big eels and heading out after dark. Fluke are now on the move and it is a bit more difficult to find keepers in the sound; while Montauk and Block continue to be red hot. Everything is pretty quiet on the bonito and albie front, and most anglers are praying that this storm flipped the switch on instead of delaying us once again.

At Rivers End in Old Saybrook, James reports that school bass continue to be taken around the Saybrook shoreline and at the Watch Hill reefs. Reports of bigger bass have been quieter, outside of a few after dark at Valiant. Local fluking is slow, outside of a few nice fish from Niantic. There is no shortage of big bluefish from the mouth of the river to Westbrook; and also at Plum Gut, The Race and Valiant Shoal. Sea bass are all over the hard bottom, with bigger fish as you go deeper; while scup fishing is lights out throughout the sound. Snapper bluefish have now eclipsed the 8-inch mark in the river and can be caught pretty easily at the DEEP docks, boat launch and causeway.

Captain TJ, off Rock and Roll Charters, reports that nothing has changed on the bluefish front, except that they are getting bigger. Bluefish can be caught until you can’t handle it anymore, and quite a few of them are now in the 10-15 pound range. It seems that more striped bass are filtering in as the water temperatures drop, and keepers from 10-15 pounds have been mixed in with the blues. TJ has openings this month and through the fall run; he will continue to sail until November 20th this year.

Ian, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, mentioned that the rough conditions from the storm might end up helping to get things moving again out west. High water temperatures have slowed the striped bass action, outside of a few schoolies around the islands. Fluke fishing has been difficult, with many more shorts than keepers, but sea bass and scup are consistent as always. The bluefish didn’t seem to mind the warm water, as fishing for blues from snappers to 10-pounds has been excellent all over the western sound.

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

The weather has settled and the fishing will likely settle back into pre-storm conditions. There will no doubt be plenty of opportunities to tangle with big bluefish this weekend, while more and more striped bass should be in the mix locally as we settle into September. Sea bass and scup will be great, and look for tautog to start to heat up in Rhode Island. The wild card is whether or not the storm pushed more false albacore into the area, be sure to have your light tackle on the ready.