Tautog and cod are on the agenda for saltwater anglers this holiday weekend, and fall freshwater fishing is starting to heat up.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Narragansett had strong trips over the weekend for both tautog and cod. Last Saturday saw tautog to 10 pounds and a fair amount of limit catches. Cod numbers continue to increase with many anglers taking home four fish a piece on Saturday, along with a near boat limit of sea bass. A good mix of scup to around 2 pounds also made things interesting. The gale force winds earlier this week put a halt to the fishing, but the holiday weekend looks like it is shaping up to be a nice one. Get out while you still can.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that saltwater anglers are still finding good numbers of striped bass along the Westerly beaches, Charlestown Breachway and the Narrow River. The tautog bite has been excellent as well, when the wind hasn’t been blowing at gale force. Dedicated squid anglers are also reporting much better numbers of squid throughout Rhode Island, specifically around the Newport area. A good deal of anglers are taking to the local freshwater for a shot at carp. The carp bite continued to improve this week, with multiple solid catches reported throughout Rhode Island.
At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, reports are still very good for tautog, with some very large fish coming from deeper water. There are still fish to be had at most depths, but 75-85 feet seems to be putting up the best quality. Several double-digit fish to 15 pounds were caught over the past week or so. Cod fishing out at Coxes Ledge and on the East Grounds has been hit or miss but the sea bass fishing in both areas has been excellent. There have also been some cod reported inshore by a few anglers targeting tautog. South County continues to be full of bluefish and small striped bass chasing peanut bunker close to the beach.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports that the local surf-fishing reports remain strong. Bluefish to 10 pounds and schoolie striped bass are all over the local beaches. The breachways are also fishing well for bass, blues and the occasional cod from shore! Tautog was very good this past week on the local reefs with some nice fish in the 10- to 15-pound range being reported. Herring are also starting to be spotted along the beaches, with a whole bunch of gannets right behind them.
Connecticut Fishing Report
At Hillyers in Waterford, reports are that the sea bass bite has finally died down, but blackfishing remains very good with plenty of action and some large fish. The biggest of the week was a 14.25-pound fish brought in by Bob Lessard. The holiday weekend weather looks decent, and should provide a shot at a few more successful blackfish trips. Schoolie striped bass are also still plentiful and can be found in the bay and just inside the river.
Rivers End Tackle in Old Saybrook, reports have started to taper off, but there are still some school bass in the river and along the beaches. The blackfish bite is still going strong locally, and keepers remain relatively easy to find despite a large amount of short fish. On Friday November 25th and Saturday the 26th they will be holding our Black Friday Sale. They will be open on Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Everything in the store will be discounted 20% or more.
At Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, Andrew reports that blackfish action is really the only thing still going strong out in the salt, but the bite is still very good in around 20-30 feet of water. The striped bass bite has dwindled, but some schoolie action can be found in the mouth of the Connecticut, and slightly better action has been reported from the Housatonic. The Connecticut River pike bite should be kicking up soon, and Andy has all the supplies you need for a good pike season.
Ian, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reports that the bass blitzes have begun to intensify as the water temps have continued to drop. Look for diving birds and you can expect to find large schools of schoolie bass pushing bait and they will hit any smallish offering you can get into the melee. Bigger bass reports have been coming from points west—New Rochelle and Rye—these fish are taking diamond jigs and average in the low-30-pound class. The bass reports from the Housy are still on the slow side. Big blues are also still on the menu; the best action has been in the vicinity of Hempstead, but way out in the middle. Bunker chunks have been the best bet for these 12- to 18-pounders, but diamond jigs are also scoring well. Blackfishing continues strong; no really big fish reported this week, but keepers are more than plentiful with lots of shorts as well. The fish are still up shallow—try 15 to 25 feet—and if you’re not getting bit, move to a new spot. Believe it or not there are still porgies being caught at Middle Ground, and these porgies are BIG and have some big sea bass hanging around with them. Herring are starting to show in the rivers and harbors now and the Sabiki Rig is catching them.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
The weather seems to be settling down just in time for the holiday weekend. One more shot at blackfish should be on the agenda for the die-hard salt guys. It is also a great weekend to start thinking about some fall pike, trout and carp fishing on our local rivers.