Pictured Above: A nice bass from Booked Off Charters.
The fluke migration is on with some keeper fish starting to show up in local waters. As the water warms, we should start seeing much more consistency. The same can be said for the larger striped bass, as they start to settle on our reefs and rips.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Matt, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, took a long ride in search of fluke last weekend and was rewarded with a good day. They managed close to 80 keepers, with high-hook taking a limit of fish to 8-pounds. Monday’s trip saw similar results once the drift picked up over a knot, with the bucktail and gulp combo being the ticket. The half day trips have been a bit slower, with up and down results from the local beaches, but some nice fish to 7-pounds have been in the mix. Both the half day and full day trips should be sailing through the weekend. Captain Greg reported a much-improved night on the squid boat last Sunday and they should be sailing on Friday and Saturday evening.
Captain Brian, of Big Game Sportfishing, reported that the fluke fishing was strong last week with a good number of keepers, but it has trailed off a bit over the past few days. They have also made a few attempts at cod and found some quality fish, along with a ton of shorts to pick through. Fishing for striped bass up inside Narragansett Bay is really starting to pick up with some bigger fish into the 40-pound class being caught.
Captain Wade, of Booked Off Charters told me that the fluke fishing slowed down a bit this week. They had to bounce around a bit more than last week and were able to put together a few productive trips, including one day which saw a fish just shy of 11-pounds and multiple in the 8-9-pound range. They had much more productive striped bass fishing this week with fish to 39-inches, so they will be adding some more bass fishing to the mix in the coming weeks!
Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly reports that the fluke fishing has been good for the most part with the best reports still coming from Block and Montauk. The south side of Fisher’s and the local beaches are starting to hold fish, but that bite hasn’t been very consistent just yet. There has been some good bass action along the Watch Hill reefs, especially for light tackle anglers throwing soft plastics or flies. Worm hatches are starting to materialize in the salt ponds as well, which has also been rewarding light tackle enthusiasts.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that some big bass finally appeared in the Providence River and the Canal fishing has really picked up over the past few days. Al Gag’s Whip It Fish, Alan’s Customs and Bill Hurley Canal Killers are the top performers in the Canal at the moment. Dave also mentioned that the fluke fishing is getting more consistent throughout the state and the scup fishing is improving nicely.
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Connecticut Fishing Report
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown told me that the water temps are finally starting to rise in the river, but the cooler nights the past few weeks has kept some good bass around locally. If you’re out there throwing big plugs around dawn or dusk, you have a good shot at finding some fish to 25-pounds. The bass fishing has been spottier out front, but most of the local haunts are starting to hold a few better fish. Sea bass action is picking up at Six Mile and most of the rockpiles to the south of the reef. Fluke reports have been hot and cold depending on the day, as the fish are moving around with the bait movements. Block and Fishers have put up some good fish at times, and local hotspots are just starting to see some fish.
Chris, at Black Hall Outfitters told me that they saw some great sea bass action this week, with most of the action coming from under 60 feet of water. Some better striped bass seem to be settling onto the reefs and the action has slowed a bit on the flats. The bunker schools haven’t started moving into the river yet, and there have been some bass to 50-pounds feeding on bunker out front. Local fluke fishing remains tricky, but anglers traveling into NY waters are still being rewarded with some good action.
Rivers End in Old Saybrook reports that the striped bass fishing was pretty good over the past week. There are still plenty of fish in the lower river taking Sluggos and sandworms. In the sound, there has been a pick of fish in The Race and some smaller fish at Plum Gut. A few fish have started to take eels on the shoal and around Six Mile. Bluefish reports have been quiet, besides a slug of smaller fish at Millstone. There have been some local fluke reports around Two Tree and Six Mile, but it has been hit or miss for the most part. Sea bass reports are also good around Six Mile and the first reports of local scup are starting to come in from the same areas as the sea bass.
Josh, at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic says striped bass fish is getting hotter by the day. Sizable fish are being reported just about everywhere one would expect. Bigger fish are still in western sound. Bluefish reports are also coming in from all directions, locally the best chances to get some plastics chomped are western sound and eastern Long Island. Fluke fishing has materialized locally, with keepers coming from the Millstone area and Black Point, but the doormats are across still the sound. The 2019 TBO Trifecta Challenge is July 12-14 and is the largest saltwater kayak tournament in New England with over $15K in prizes. The target species are striped bass, bluefish, and fluke. Registration is now open!
Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that the porgy fishing remains excellent with most patrons getting their limits pretty easy. Their nighttime squid trips have also been very productive. Buckets have been filling up with relative ease, and they anticipate adding more dates to the schedule. Night striped bass trips should also be coming soon, so be sure to check with the office for scheduling updates and reservations for the bass or squid trips.
Captain TJ, of Rock N Roll Charters reports that the striped bass action is still very good, with many of the schoolies moving out and some smaller schools of larger fish moving in. 30-pound fish have started to hit the deck this week and some reports of 50-pound class fish have been out there. Fluking has started to get a bit more consistent, but you still must work through quite a few shorts to find a limit. Sea bass have been very cooperative, good action, good numbers of keepers and there have been some eye-popping porgies hanging with them—they boated an 18.5-incher this week!
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, is still finding some great success fishing the rivers for striped bass. He and his clients have had good numbers of school to small keeper sized bass on light tackle and the fly. He also poked around the reefs this week and was greeted with some good of fish in that same class. The early returns on the sea bass fishing have also been very encouraging.
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. The bite has consisted of mostly schoolies, but some good numbers of 30-34 inch fish have filtered in recently. Fluking in local waters remains dominated by shorts, but the sea bass action blew up. Joe was able to find quick limits of sea bass over the past few days.
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Best bets for the weekend
While reports have been a bit on the inconsistent side, there is no doubt that the fluke are starting to make their way into local waters as they follow the clouds of bait. As the water warms, more and more fish will arrive, and we should start to see some consistent action soon. It’s a similar story with striped bass, with good numbers of better fish settling into their summer haunts each day. Sea bass action has taken a big step in the right direction across CT and RI, and the scup seem to be showing up right behind them.