Striped bass action continues remains steady at the island, and action across Connecticut has taken a turn for the better; while summer bottom fishing action has reached its peak in terms of fluke, scup and sea bass action.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Greg, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reports that the full-day boat has been seeing steady limits of some big sea bass, with many eclipsing 5-pounds. The fluke fishing has been up and down, with the beat remaining the same; good drifts have equaled some good fishing, but poorer drifts have been less successful. There have been some nice fish to 10-pounds, and every couple days they seem to find a nice pod of doormats. The bass trips haven’t been outstanding, but keepers to 15-pounds have been easy enough to find. Those bass trips will continue to sail Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 7 PM, and they will continue to run fluke marathon trips on Mondays. Summer cod trips have also been added to the schedule, and results have been pretty good.
Captain Wade, of Booked Off Charters said that the fluke fishing has been a bit of a grind, but they have been making up for it with smaller sea bass and jumbo scup. When the fluke fishing has proven slow, they started to transition to cod and have found some encouraging results. Last weekend they got out there around 10 AM and found a steady bite, which resulted in 20 keepers to 20-pounds!
Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly reports that things remain strong locally and around the island. Fluke fishing around the local beaches can be frustrating at times due to the shorts, but those who grind it out are finding some nice keepers. The south side of fishers and the eastern end of the sound has been providing a better shot at quality fish. Striped bass fishing remains steady around the Watch Hill Reefs and Fishers Island; while Block is still red hot for the nighttime anglers. Scup and sea bass fishing has been great locally and even better around the island, where everything seems to be bigger.
Captain Kelly, of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett, reports that the offshore action has been tremendous, with plenty of makos, blues and the occasional thresher shark around. Another push of big bass around the island has kept things interesting. The daytime and nighttime bite are still producing consistent catches of fish in the 30-50-pound range. Dogfish remain an issue, but if you can get through them you can still find some big fluke; while sea bass and scup continue to easily help fill the cooler. Be sure to check their FB page for scheduling; August is booked, but there are still some dates available in September.
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Fishing Report For Connecticut
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that the lower river bass bite finally slowed down, but it may have resulted in some more fish on the local reefs. Things aren’t quite lock and load out there, but the consistency has picked up quite a bit. The Block Island bound anglers continue to buy up eels in droves, and most are coming home with pics of multiple trophy fish! Fluking has been strong in the eastern sound on any structure over 60 feet or so. Misquamicut has produced some great fluke as well, but it’s a bit tougher due to all the shorts. We’re getting to the point that you can pick up a sea bass limit without trying while you are fluking, and if you want some real stud sea bass look to Block Island or some of the deeper Rhode Island wrecks. Bluefish reports are starting to pick up in the sound, but it’s hard to dial them in from day to day. However, bonito are starting to get a little easier to dial in, with some solid reports from New London to Watch Hill.
Chris, at Black Hall Outfitters, told me that it has been a quiet week, but the bluefish enthusiasts have been happy to report a serious uptick in action and in size. Apparently, a big slug of 10-12-pound bluefish have finally found their way to the sound and can be found just about anywhere. The problem is, they seem to be moving around quite a bit, so it’s hard to find consistency from day to day. Shark reports are good offshore and are starting to pop up inshore; including a report of mako blowing up the aforementioned bluefish outside of Westbrook. I think were at the point now that we should expect the unexpected.
Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing told me that the fantastic porgy fishing continues. Not only are the fish enormous, they are ferocious; often hitting the offering before it even hits the bottom. There are some sea bass mixed in on the same grounds, and there are some slammer sea bass on the deeper pieces of structure. Boat limits of both species have been easy to come-by, and there are just enough big fluke in the mix to keep things interesting.
Josh, from Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic, says despite the heat, the striped bass fishing has been stellar leading up to the new moon. If you plan on releasing your catch in this heat, it is advised to quickly subdue and release your fish without removing them from the water. Big bluefish have returned to CT waters! Gators have been reported from the CT. River and west. Find the big bunker schools and you’re in. Topwater is tough to beat for big blues. Porgy and sea bass have been steady as usual. Fluke has been up and down, with lots of shorts. There have been whispers of bonito in Rhode Island and even a report of a small school popping up in Black Point. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. In freshwater, bass fishing remains steady. Nighttime or early morning is best, but small rivers that hold smallmouth can have some red hot action in the middle of the day. Pike are best left alone during these warmer months with water temps at 80 or more.
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, told me that the rain bait has really started to push into the sound, which has resulted in some awesome fishing! It has resulted in some very strong bass blitzes at times and much more steady bluefish action. Quality bass have been blitzing on small bait throughout the sound and a nice push of big bluefish has really set things off. Mike’s seeing a consistent pick of bass and 10-12-pound bluefish during the day, with some 30-40-pound fish coming out to play after dark. Chub mackerel and bonito are also starting to show, and are providing some nice ultra-light action.
Joe, from Diorio Guide Service, told me that the striped bass bite remains consistent at Block and around Montauk. He continues to find big fish consistently and saw at least 1 50-inch fish on just about every trip. The massive amount of bait has also helped things out; Joe has seen sharks all over the place between Fishers and Block, along with chub mackerel and a pretty steady bonito bite recently.
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Water temperatures have remained much cooler than usual for August 1st, and it has graced us with continued, solid fluke fishing. While the fluke action has been far from lights out, there are plenty of keepers to be had, as well as plenty of monster sea bass and scup to help fill the cooler. Striped bass action continues to take the cake at Block Island, and things have gotten much more consistent around Watch Hill and in the eastern sound (finally). Cod action is better than usual in the summer, and the same can be said for shark and tuna action; which remains steady relatively close to home.
You mention tuna fishing close to home but where is that in the report?????
With how awful of a past few years of inshore tuna we have had to throw something out there like that with nothing behind it is more than irritating