Rhode Island Fishing Report – October 12, 2017

Fall fishing at its best is upon us, with tautog season open in all states and a great shallow water bite going on. There is also no shortage of striped bass, bluefish and false albacore blitzes across New England.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

TheThe Frances Fleet in Narragansett once again had to deal with some less than ideal weather last weekend and through the early part of the week. They did not let it completely hamper the cod results, however. While it was tough sailing over the weekend, all trips managed to put anglers on a couple quality cod a piece, with many of the fish falling in the 10-12 pound range. The end of this week looks a little rough weather-wise, but so far the weekend looks like it might provide a couple nice days for sailing. On Sunday the 15th, the fleet will start their fall tautog trips, which will set sail at 6 AM. The daily cod trips will also start to sail at 6 AM by this weekend, but be sure to check in with the office for updated sailing schedules and to make reservations.

Another strong false albacore season continues on, according to Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence. Large schools of false albacore have been reported from all over the area every day this week. The Bristol and Warwick areas have been very strong, along with the Newport beaches. The tautog bite really seemed to kick into high gear this week, with fish aggressively feeding and moving into shallower water each day. All the usual spots around the bay, Newport, Beavertail and even the lower Providence River are holding good fish. Also, just like clockwork, the October full moon kicked off a strong striped bass bite at Block Island. Some large fish were caught on the moon tides over the weekend, and the bite persisted into this week.

At Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, the Rhode Island fall run seems to be in full swing. Cod fishing off the southeast side of Block Island has been very consistent, with many catches of 10+ pound fish. Inshore, there is all sorts of bait in the area both large and small, and it is keeping the bass, blues and false albacore in the area. The false albacore are reported to be very aggressive, and have been relentlessly feeding on all different sized offerings. Large bunker schools have moved out of the estuaries and rivers, and can be found all over western Rhode Island and Fishers Island Sound. When you locate the bunker, it is a good bet that 40-inch class bass and bluefish to 10-pounds aren’t far behind. There is also a great abundance of smaller striped bass feeding on smaller bait along the shoreline. Large scup are still being caught, while tautog fishing is greatly improved. Black sea bass season remains closed in Rhode Island and federal waters until the 22nd.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that the false albacore reports remain consistent, and the best action has been between Watch Hill and the south side of Fishers. Reports were pretty good from eastern Connecticut last weekend, but those pods of fish seem to be smaller and spread out. It makes hooking up much more difficult, but at least fish can be found just about anywhere throughout Rhode Island and CT. The striped bass bite has been good right around the mouth of the river, as some bigger fish seem to have moved in and are demolishing the bunker schools. Boat guys throwing large plugs or livelining are catching, and surfcasters working the local beaches after dark are also finding fish to the 30-pound class. Bluefish to 15-pounds can be found working the same areas, but there’s no telling when a blitz will pop up. Blackfish season opened Tuesday, and both the weather and fish seemed to cooperate. Andrew will have the shop stocked with crabs all weekend, and he is running a $10 winner takes all tog tournament.

Gene, over at Black Hall Outfitters in Old Lyme, told me that everyone seemed to take their “sick day” on Tuesday to get out for the CT blackfish opener. The sound was loaded with boats and most reports seem very strong. 6-8 pound fish were plentiful, and there seemed to be no shortage of keepers for those who bounced around a bit. Gene was out there yesterday as well, and was able to get a limit fishing with green crabs on 1 ounce jigs in 10-15 feet of water. Remember to check in with the shop and sign up for the TogTober tournament this weekend, if you plan on heading out. In other news, the albie schools seem to have tapered off a bit in the eastern sound. They are still popping up from Groton to Old Lyme, but the schools have thinned a bit. Have your gear ready while you our blackfishing though, as you never know where they may pop up!

Captain TJ, of Rock n Roll Charters, reports that the big full moon tides of last weekend really helped the striped bass bite. The overall bite improved quite a bit, and the sizes of fish seemed considerably larger. Sea bass fishing has been a little tough, with short fish dominating the catch, but scup fishing has picked up the slack in a big way! TJ is now booking blackfish trips as well, and he will continue running through November 19th.

James, at Norwalk Islands Fishing, reports that while the unseasonably warm weather has slowed the topwater bass and bluefish action, the albies are going strong. Blitzes are common tight to shore, as well as out in the mid sound, and they are eating small rain bait. This should continue for a few more weeks if all goes well. Despite slower bass action, there have been some reports of aggressive feeds on juvenile snapper bluefish in the rips at certain tides. The blackfish season also started off with a bang, and it seems everyone is doing well on shallow structure, generally using asian crabs. It helps to crack the crab open to draw fish in and get them into a frenzy The cooler overnight temps on the horizon should really turn all species on.

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

Tautog action really seems to have hit its stride, with great action coming from shallow water. With Connecticut now open, all of the local states are open and you can work rockpiles from CT to Fishers Island and Rhode Island. Some bigger striped bass seem staging up for the fall run before they head out for the season, with strong reports coming from all the usual fall hotspots. The false albacore bite also continues to roll on, and it may be a good weekend to hook up with these speedsters one last time before the inevitable colder weather moves in.