Rhode Island Fishing Report- June 27, 2019

A slow start to the fluke and striper season appears to be steadily (albeit slowly) improving. Bigger fluke are showing up across the region, and a small influx of bunker quickly brought some bigger bass to the region.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Greg of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reported some steady, while occasionally slow action on the full day fluke trips this week. They braved the rain on Tuesday and found a steady pick of fluke and sea bass. On one particular drift, long time mate Cotes managed the biggest fish of the season at 15.10 pounds! Most of the boat has been seeing a limit of sea bass to 5 pounds, and the keeper to short fluke ratio seems to finally be swaying in the right direction. Captain Mike is reporting good action on the half-day trips, with many limits of sea bass and very solid fluke results.
 
Captain Wade of Booked Off Charters told me that they ran all over last week for cod, fluke and stripers. Striper fishing has been hot and cold in terms of sizes, but most days have been productive numbers-wise. The fluke fishing is similar and continues to be condition dependent. One day they ended up with 32 keepers, with multiple fish in the 9- to 11-pound range, but the next day the weather changed and things were slower. As the weather warms and settles, things should continue to improve on the fluke grounds. Cod fishing has been steady whenever they have tried, with a good bunch of keepers to 20 pounds.

Big Game Sportfishing provided a quick and promising report from the past week, detailing some quality striped bass and fluke action. Last weekend they were able to put together a trip that consisted of a fast action striped bass bite full of fish to 40 pounds. Following the striped bass action, they transitioned to fluke and found a nice pile of keepers to 8 pounds. The bite is heating up for sure, be sure to get in on it!

Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly in Westerly reports that the striped bass fishing has picked up locally over the past week or so. A better class of fish has moved in, with both shore and boat anglers reporting fish over the 40-inch mark. Fluke fishing has been steady along the beaches, but it still takes some time to put a quality bag together. Scup are pretty thick on most of the reefs and rockpiles, and the early season sea bass results consist of quite a few shorts, but enough big knot heads to go around!

Captain Kelly of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett in Narragansett, reports that there have been quite a few small bass around that have been providing some great action. Even better, there have been some hefty bass occasionally in the mix over the past few days. They’ve seen fish ranging from 18” to 50”, and it seems the warming trend has brought in more bait and bigger fish. Black sea bass is open, and many anglers are finding limits, although the shorts are still outnumbering the keepers. A good push of bluefish hit the island, and they are ranging in size from 5 pounds to 15 pounds. The fluke bite has slowed a bit, but the sizes have improved, which is always a fair trade-off.

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

Fishing Report For Connecticut

Andrew at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown told me that anglers fishing around the mouth of the river have reported better bass fishing over the past ten days or so. A few trips are still disappointing, but most reports are starting to sound encouraging. Some decent sized schools of bunker have finally pushed into the river, and that seemed to be just enough to start turning the bass light switch on. Good reports of fish to 50 pounds have also come from The Race, and many of those fish will likely end up settling onto the eastern sound reefs soon enough. Fluke fishing has picked up in the sound, with the best results coming from the New London area. Sea bass action remains best to the west of the river, while scup action is much more consistent on the usual hotspots.

Jos, at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic in Niantic says the striped bass fishing has been up and down, with schoolies dominating the catch in eastern sound. There are select rock piles that are putting out good fish on large soft plastics at night, but it is slow fishing. Western sound is still holding the larger fish as well as the bigger schools of bunker. Bluefish, mostly small, are being caught just about everywhere. Reports of bigger fish are coming from Long Island’s north shore and Jamaica Bay. Fluke fishing has picked up, with reports coming in from Two Tree and Bartletts mostly, but they are just about everywhere. Most anglers are searching deep waters but getting off the beaten path in 20 feet or less can pay off. Sea bass has been good and getting better in the sound, with anglers finding good bites out deep on bucktails and slow pitch jigs. Freshwater bass fishing remains solid as we head into the time of year where largemouth will hit just about any lure, and smallmouth are very aggressive too. Carp fishing remains strong along the Connecticut and Housatonic Rivers, with fish being caught in the 30-pound range this week.

Chris at Black Hall Outfitters told me that their Fluke Fest was a resounding success, and local spots provided some of the best fish at the weigh in. The area east of the Connecticut River to Rhode Island is fishing well right now, with the New London to Fishers triangle probably being the steadiest. Big baits are taking the biggest fish, so go large for a doormat. BHO is now carrying the M3 Spoons and they have really been a hot product, with monster fish falling to these lures. After the conclusion of the tournament some anglers shifted their attention to sea bass, and reports have been great from all over the sound. 80 feet of water, small Gulp tails and 1/3 Savage Swim Squids seem to be the ticket. Striped bass fishing seems to be in a holding pattern. Steady as she goes until we get some real schools of bunker in our local waters. Fish are being found, however, with eels and chunk bait taking the main stay of the fish.

Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that their recent nighttime striped bass fishing trips have been excellent. The weather has cooperated and fish to 45 pounds have shown up on each trip. They will be posting more trips soon, so be sure to check the website. Scup fishing remains tremendous, with easy limits of big fish, and some sea bass is now in the mix. Heather from the office reports that we have a few dates open for charters, but they are filling up fast, so be sure to call the office soon to grab a spot.

Captain TJ, of Rock N Roll Charters reports some red-hot bass fishing this week; there has been plenty of action, plenty of keepers and fish to the mid 40-inch class. Fluking has been on the slow side, but seems to be steadily improving as the water warms. Scup fishing is tremendous, with plenty of monster hubcap fish; while keeper sea bass continue to show up on just about every trip as well.

Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, told me that bass fishing continues to improve in both quality and quantity. He’s finding some nice bass on live eels and bunker, while also getting a bunch of nice fish on artificials. Sea bassing remains very consistent, and a good slug of bluefish have moved into the area, although they remain on the small side. Mike is still taking reservations for summer trips, so be sure to book before it’s too late.

Joe, from Diorio Guide Service, told me that the fishing in the lower Connecticut River has continued to improve. A decent push of bunker arrived recently and has made finding big bass much easier. A livelined bait is a steady producer, but topwater action remains tremendous. Better numbers of bass have finally started to show up on the reefs, and sizes are steadily climbing up to the 40-inch mark.

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

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

Bottom fishing fans can finally get ready to embrace the summer, with great scup action, steadily improving fluke action and the sea bass season opening across the board. Striped bass action has been strong in the Connecticut River, across Rhode Island, Western Long Island Sound and at The Race. The eastern sound has been lagging a bit behind as always, but with fish coming in from all directions it won’t be long now.