Rhode Island Fishing Report- June 13, 2019

Bigger striped bass are showing up throughout the area, while sea bass and scup action has made up for a lack of steady fluke action in CT.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Matt, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, had a bit of a tougher week on the fluke grounds this week, as the fish have moved around a bit and some waves of dogfish have moved in. Most trips resulted in decent numbers of fish, but many more shorts than the previous weeks. Despite this, they were able to manage a couple keepers per drift and the keeper fish have been good quality. Two fish over 10-pounds were taken Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday’s trips saw a couple fish in the 7-8-pound range.

Captain Brian, of Big Game Sportfishing, reported that the fluke fishing has slowed down quite a bit, as the bait has moved out and the dogfish have moved in. On a positive note, the striped bass fishing around the island has picked up the slack for the fluke. The fishing for bass has improved steadily over the past few days, with more fish in the 30-pound class showing up. After catching limits of bass and releasing some bigger bass they moved on to cod fishing and have been able to find a good mix of fish to 12-pounds.

Captain Wade, of Booked Off Charters told me that they also had to switch things up this week due to the large concentration of dogfish. There is still plenty of bait in the area, so the fluke bite should fire back up when the dogfish move on. They ended up focusing more of their time on striped bass and managed some fish up to 40-pounds. Wade was also encouraged to report that there are more small bass all over the area than they have seen in years! Offshore reports are picking up, with school to medium size bluefin within day trip range, and some great reports of marlin, mahi, yellowfin, bigeye and bluefins from The Edge.

Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly reported that the fluke reports were trending much better from the Montauk area than Block this week, while the local beaches are producing mainly small fish with a few better keepers. The striped bass fishing is steadily improving out front, with reports of fish to 40-inches chasing squid on the Watch Hill Reefs. Surfcasters are finding fish on the beaches, breachways and inside the salt ponds, but the bulk of those fish remain small.

Captain Kelly, of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett, reported that the striped bass have returned to the island in full force, with several fish over 40-pounds landed this week. Bluefish have been starting to show up as well, with a few eclipsing the 10-pound mark. After getting their fill of striped bass they transition to fluke fishing and have been able to pick away at a few quality keepers. The dogfish have become and issue, but they should be moving on soon. Check out their Facebook page for up to date reports, and a live booking calendar for open dates.

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Connecticut Fishing Report

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown told me that the bass fishing still seems to be lagging a bit behind locally. There is a decent slug of fish in the lower river, but the majority are in the 20-30 inch range. The reefs and rips are starting to hold some fish, but results vary from day to day and fish over 20-pounds haven’t been common. Local fluke fishing is slow and a number of the early season hotspots are very inconsistent. A few fish have come from Fishers, Two Tree, Montauk and Block; hopefully we will see more widespread quality reports as the water approaches the low to mid 60s mark. Sea bass action is still going strong west of the river in the usual hotspots such as Six Mile and Southwest.

Chris, at Black Hall Outfitters that some keeper fluke seem to have moved into local waters in the 30-40 foot range over the past few days. It’s far from lock and load, and the wind has made things difficult, but things are trending in the right direction. Striped bass fishing has also taken a baby step forward in terms of consistency, with some larger fish on the reefs and rips. Eels seem to be the top early season producer, but topwater action has been good as well. Scup fishing has been very hot lately with “hubcap” class fish all over. Early offshore reports have been good for those who have made the trek. Longfin albacore, yellow fin, blue fin, and big eye are all present on the troll. Seems like skirted ballyhoo and green squid bars did ’em in last weekend.

Rivers End in Old Saybrook reports that the bass fishing has come on strong in The Race, Plum Gut and the Sluiceway. Small bass are feeding on bait all over the surface in these locations and are readily hitting topwater plugs. The lower CT River has been giving up some bigger fish on topwaters and soft plastics; while the most consistent bluefishing remains around Millstone. Sea bass action remains strong west of the river, with some nice catches coming from Six Mile and Southwest. Scup action is started to improve as well, and the action has been best in the same areas as the sea bass.

Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that they had excellent porgy fishing all week, with boat limits all around. They started sailing for CT sea bass and results have been mixed. Some anglers had limits while others struggled, but the quality of fish has been good. The nighttime striped bass trips have been improving each time they sail, with tons of short fish and a handful of nice keepers. Their full time schedule starts on Monday, so be sure to check their website for all the scheduling details.

Captain TJ, of Rock N Roll Charters reports that the bass fishing was much better this week in terms of quality. They are seeing quite a few fish over the 40-inch mark and most of those fish have been released to grow and breed! The bluefish are slowly starting to show up, but the cool water isn’t helping things. The scup and sea bass action is as strong as ever, and that shouldn’t change anytime soon! TJ still has openings for the coming season, but they are filling fast, be sure to schedule soon!

Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, told me that things are really starting to wake up out there, with more and more keeper bass each trip. Large schools of small bait are starting to inundate the area and keep the bass active. Mike has started to see some nice bluefish in the mix; while the sea bass fishing has been excellent, with easy limits. Mike still has a few openings in the upcoming weeks, so be sure to schedule soon!

Joe, from Diorio Guide Service, told me that the striper fishing has been very consistent in the lower CT River and the adjacent rips out front. Each trip is seeing larger bass than the previous trip, and most of them have been eager to hit large topwater plugs. Temps are slowly climbing out front and we should start to see some consistent schools of larger fish on the reefs any day now. Fluke action has been up and down, but sea bass action has been lock and load on the deep rockpiles to the west of the river.

Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Connecticut.

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

The consistent fluke action that most anglers look forward to in early June hasn’t quite materialized yet, but fortunately there appears to be plenty of bait around and enough big fluke being caught to show signs that things should blow open shortly. Get out there and get after it, as the early bite tends to be one of the best of the season. Striped bass action is improving throughout our range, with quality fish being taken at Block, around Newport, Western Long Island Sound and some of the reefs and rips in the eastern Sound. Sea bass and scup action has been making up for the fluke inconsistency in CT, and there are still some nice cod to be had in Rhode Island.