An already strong start to the fluke season has seemed to improve this week, scup took off, and both sea bass and striped bass have gotten more consistent.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Quality, more so than quantity, was the name of the game aboard The Frances Fleet in Narragansett this week. Saturday’s trip saw a nice pick of sea bass, with both trips nearly reaching a full boat limit, but the fluke bite was on the slower side. The size of the fluke was able to make up for the slightly lower than usual numbers, as most of the keepers came aboard were around the 5-pound mark. Sunday’s trip saw much better fluke results, capped off by long-time customer Sandra Tompkins taking the pool with a beautiful 9-pound plus fish. Between Sandra and her husband, they were able to take home 7 quality fluke for the table. Numbers were a bit up on Saturday with about a half dozen limits on board, and most fish were over 4-pounds, with a good deal coming in the 6-7 pound range. Tuesday’s trip again was on the slower side overall, but a 10-pound fish took the pool, once again proving that the quality is there. Last weekend’s nighttime bass trip showed some positive signs, with fish to 20-pounds coming aboard. The next bass trip is scheduled for Wednesday July 5th, by reservation.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the lower Providence River is continuing to produce bass to 43 inches, so things don’t quite appear to be ending up there just yet. A few of his customers also reported that there is still some good bass fishing in the Cape Cod Canal, and a couple of cows were landed this week. Based on these reports it seems we are still a bit behind schedule for striped bass fishing, so take advantage of it before it changes. Scup have invaded local waters, and shore anglers are getting them across the rocky coastline and off the docks in Newport. The fluke bite remains strong in most of the usual haunts and the sea bass bite is improving at Newport, Narragansett and around Block.
The guys at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown told me that the fluke action remains strong and is what a good majority of the anglers are targeting at the moment. Most pieces of good structure in around 50 feet of water are holding some nice fish from Newport to Westerly. Black sea bass numbers seem to be a bit down this year across the region, but local reports from Newport and Jamestown have been encouraging. A few local sharpies are finding some nice bass off the rocky shore after dark and along the reefs; while word is a few bigger bass have just started to move onto SW Ledge.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reported that the fluke fishing along the local beaches has shown no signs of slowing down over the past week. 6-8 pound fish remain pretty common, and there was also an 11.8-pound fish weighed in last week. Large schools of sand eels are moving up and down the beaches, and fishing underneath these schools seems to be the ticket. Some decent black sea bass are being caught here and there, but numbers remain down early on. Scup action seems to be getting better, as reports from both boat and shore anglers are improving. The best striped bass action remains around the salt ponds and breachways, although most of these fish are on the smaller side. The number of better fish on the local reefs also seems to be increasing, albeit slowly.
Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew at Fishin Factory III in Middletown told me that he had another successful trip on Tuesday putting a 2 man limit of fluke over 21 inches and a nice pile of sea bass on the boat. Overall, fluke reports are up and down, with some spots getting picked over and an abundance of shorts, but those who keep pounding it and are moving around are finding relatively easy limits. There have been some quality fish in the mix as well, with a couple 8-9 pounders weighed in over the weekend and a 10.90 that was just weighed in this morning! Andy noted that you should be looking for good structure and the big clouds of bait on the machine; that combination is resulting in good fish for most. Andy also mentioned that the sea bass fishing in CT has gotten off to a slow start, with a lot smaller fish than usual, but things are really starting to get going in South County. Standard bait rigs have been working for fish, but the key to the bigger sea bass has been the Shimano Flat Fall Jig. The mass migration of porgies into local waters seems to have happened this week, with good reports from Harkness, Hammo and Watch Hill. Striped bass fishing is best described as inconsistent but improving; some much better fish were reported in the sound this week, but they are moving around and it is tough to dial in a large school of them.
Jon, at Hillyers in Waterford, said that fluking has continued to pick up locally, and it seems the number of larger fish is on the rise. Fish in the 21-24 inch class are showing up with more regularity in spots such as Two Tree Channel, Black Point and Sara’s Ledge. Sea bass reports have been up and down in CT, but Rhode Island and New York seem to be fishing much better. The early striped bass reports seem to be changing quite a bit from day to day, but overall are very good compared to the last few years. Race Rock, the Sluiceway, Barts and Millstone have all put up some quality fish at some point this week. Bluefish remain scarce, but should be changing soon; while the scup bite has improved locally and at Fishers.
Captain Tj of Rock and Roll Charters saw a bit of a dip in the striper action around the new moon, but it is not due to a lack of fish. They still landed quite a bit of keeper fish, but it was harder to dial in the bigger fish with the short and strong tide windows. Bluefish are starting to fill in quite nicely; numbers are increasing daily and they are big! The sea bass action remains red hot in the central sound, with a ton of keepers and lock and load action.
Stephanie Ortiz, of The Fancy Fluke, told me that the striped bass action remains strong for now out west, and there is likely another 2-3 weeks of very steady action out there. The fish are still in relatively shallow water, but should be transitioning to deeper water soon. Fluke and Black Sea Bass remain steady but not particularly hot and heavy. They are seeing lots of fish 20-22″ in size, no jumbos to speak of yet. Scup sightings are popping up left and right. We have yet to see a strong mid-summer bite, but Porgy fishing can prove successful this time of year and is sure to improve in the coming days. We suggest drifting and chumming clams for these bottom fish. Stephanie also mentioned that the First Annual Fancy Fluke Women’s Fluke Tournament presented by Diane’s Bait, Tackle & Charters was a complete success. Over 40 Lady anglers came together from all over New England to join in the fun. They look forward to making this a tradition and growing the tournament each year. Flows, conditions and weather all continue to rapidly improve- total flow in the permanent Catch & Release (C&R/TMA) is down to medium-high & clear 514cfs and steadily dropping (normal/medium flow for today would be 745cfs), with 177cfs at the Riverton USGS gauge (by Rt 20 bridge), and the Still River adding in 337cfs and dropping. Warm weather this week (60s to 80s!) is warming up the cold water and getting the hatch cycle started up- a good Baetis (Blue Wing Olives) hatch was reported in the permanent C&R yesterday, and there were even a few rising. Expect bug activity and fishing to both pick up noticeably this week. Once water temps hit 50 degrees plus for a few days, expect to see the Hendrickson hatch start (I’d guess somewhere in late April for the permanent C&R/TMA).
The river has been stocked everywhere outside of the permanent C&R/TMA areas, and it’s pretty much loaded with brown, rainbow & brook trout, even a few tiger & golden rainbow trout…
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
The summer saltwater season appears to be getting close to full force just in time for the holiday weekend. Fluke, scup and sea bass (most regions) are red hot; while striped bass is steadily improving and bluefish are filtering in at a strong pace. Summer tautog will be opening in CT to add yet another option, so make the most of your time off!
How’s the fishing at the wind turbines?