Rhode Island Fishing Report – December 1, 2016

Pictured above: Cesin Curi with a 15-pound mirror carp landed in the Providence area.

Tautog, cod and sea bass continue to bite well whenever the weather allows a trip; while anglers transitioning to freshwater are finding good pike, walleye and carp action.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The Frances Fleet in Narragansett has had a hard time sailing due to the holiday and some tough weather, but when they were able to sneak in a trip, it has paid off. Last Friday and Saturday saw some of the best cod fishing of the season. A new push of fish has arrived, and both trips saw high-hook take home a full limit. A number of anglers were also able to manage nine nice keepers. Many of the keepers have been around the 15-pound mark, with plenty of “gaffers” on all trips. Jigs with teasers have greatly out-produced bait, and have also provided some protection from the dogfish. Monday’s trip wasn’t quite as strong as the weekend, but most anglers managed 3 to 5 good keepers and a nice mix of sea bass. Cod trips will continue to sail Monday, Wednesday, Friday and weekends through the end of December. Captain Mike reported that the tautog trips from the weekend through Monday continued to yield boat limits. Fish to 10 pounds came over the rail on the weekend, with fish to 7 pounds taking the pool on Monday. Tautog trips will run daily at 6 AM thru December 15.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that tautog and local carp fishing have been garnering the most attention around the shop. Fall carp fishing is starting to attract a lot more anglers across Rhode Island, with a good bite coming from the Blackstone River. Tautog are still biting well, with the best reports coming from the deeper rockpiles of the bay. The Newport squid action is steadily improving, with some guys jigging up a bucket a night. Yamashita and Yo-zuri jigs in pink, orange, green and blue seem to be working the best. Cod reports from Block Island have been strong whenever the weather has allowed. Dave mentioned that he is now the only store carrying Balzer carp tackle from Germany in Rhode Island or southeast Massachusetts.

At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, reports are still very good for tautog, with several fish over the 10-pound mark coming in from the deeper parts of the bay. The cod bite is steadily improving at Block Island; while the black sea bass bite remains lights out. The South County beaches are still holding very good numbers of school striped bass, with some anglers reporting as many as 50 in a trip.

Connecticut Fishing Report

According to Hillyers in Waterford, there are still plenty of blackfish around, but you have to hunt for that rockpile with enough larger fish on it to fill a limit, as the number of shorts seems to be increasing. The black sea bass bite has died off in local waters, and the only remaining striped bass are school sized fish in the rivers. There seems to be enough of those small bass around to keep the action strong though.

At Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, Andrew reports that a number of his customers are reporting a good schoolie bass bite in the Housatonic River, with enough keepers mixed in to make things interesting. Tautog fishing should remain strong right up to the December 6th opener. Anglers are still finding good fish in 20-30 feet of water, and Andrew advises fishing mid-November spots as the water temps are still a bit higher than usual. Pike are starting to bite in the Connecticut River, and the calico bite has been very strong in most of the coves and marinas.

Jeremy, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, reports that there is still quite a bit of life in the western sound. The sea herring are just starting to trickle in, and should continue to improve throughout December. Anglers fishing in and around the harbor are catching on stander sabiki rigs. Hickory shad have also started to show up in decent numbers, and are also being caught on sabikis and small poppers. There are small striped bass in most of the rivers, outflows and estuaries; as well as in the deeper water around the islands. The schools of fish around the islands are pretty large, and it appears that a big push of fish is moving through as they migrate southwest. Once you locate a good school of fish, dropping any type of small jig should yield good results. Fish from 18-36 inches are readily available, with small diamond jigs are the top producer. The freshwater guys are buying up shiners in bunches, and have been reporting good numbers of walleye and yellow perch at the reservoir.

Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, is far from finished with his light-tackle striped bass season. Mike is still finding good number of 28- to 38-inch migratory fish out front, while the tidal rivers are full of bass of all sizes. He will continue to December 20th, as long as the weather holds up.

Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in Pine Meadow, reported quite a few good fishing reports over the holiday weekend. Dries, nymphs, wets and streamers all reportedly caught well. The Winter Caddis sz 18-24 is coming on strong in the early/mid mornings now, and Blue Winged Olives (BWOs/Olives) sz 24-26 are hatching well in early/mid afternoons. Tiny Midges are in the mix too. Conditions were decent prior to the rain, being fishable despite being very low. This rain may blow things out for a few days, but overall it was much needed and should result in better fishing going forward.

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

Tautog and cod fishing are showing no signs of slowing in Rhode Island, and should be reliable whenever the weather allows. Connecticut anglers also have one final week of tautog season, and should try to take advantage, as reports were strong throughout the holiday weekend. Those looking to transition to freshwater can find some good pike, walleye, perch and calico action in both states; along with some great fall carp action for those looking to try something different.