While summer bottom fishing remains steady, an influx of bonito along with the first murmurs of false albacore has everyone dusting of the light tackle!
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Matt, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, put together a solid week on the full-day fluke boat. On Monday, they had a great combination of draft conditions and weather conditions, and it resulted in one of the best fluke days of the year. Over 100 keepers were taken, and there plenty of limit catches around the boat. Two fish eclipsed the 10-pound mark, and there were quite a few in the 8- to 9-pound range. Wednesday’s trip saw very similar results in terms of quantity and quality; meanwhile, Captain Greg has been pounding away at the sea bass on the half day trips. They have had easy boat limits of knot head sea bass to 5 pounds.
Captain Wade of Booked Off Charters told me that they had a good week of fishing with most trips focused on fluke and sea bass. Sea bassing remains red hot, with easy boat limits of big fish. The fluke fishing could be a grind at times but grinding it out has been resulting in some high-quality catches. One of their recent trips saw 26 keepers to 11 pounds! The bass fishing remains good when they have targeted them, with plenty of keepers to 40 pounds or so.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that bonito have made their way east and they are being caught in Newport, Narragansett, and Charlestown. The first reports of a few albies have popped up in the Newport area and Martha’s Vineyard, so everyone is gearing up for the frenzy! There are plenty of blues in the upper valley and along the coast, while the striped bass fishing continues to be great around Block.
Captain Kelly, of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett, told me that they have been focusing on sea bass this week and the action has been prolific. Fish up to 20 inches have been common, while big scup and blues are plentiful as well. Tuna have been elusive inside of 30 miles, but there is still plenty of shark action. Makos are showing up with good regularity, but it is tricky to find a keeper at the moment. Visit their Facebook page for pics, reports and a booking schedule. They are starting to book fall tautog trips, along with cod trips on the new vessel with the heated wheelhouse.
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Fishing Report For Connecticut
Andrew at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown told me that the bunker has really filtered in well and the snappers are starting to pile in as well. A nice slug of big bluefish has hit the mouth of the river and are keyed in on that bunker. Striped bass fishing has picked up a bit from Niantic to Groton, with some decent fish coming on topwater plugs at dawn and dusk. Fluking seems to have slowed down recently, but there are still some quality fish in the eastern sound. Black Point, Bartletts and the area inside of Fisher’s Island are all holding some fish, but you need to start looking deep (100 feet or so). Sea bass action has been strong locally as well as around Block, and the same can be said for scup. The blue crab action is steadily improving in the lower Connecticut River marinas and estuaries, specifically those closer to the mouth.
Black Hall Outfitters reports that the big news in local waters is the influx of bonito and Spanish mackerel. Bonito are thicker than they have been in years, with heavy concentrations around Fishers and Watch Hill, along with good numbers from Saybrook to Niantic. The Spanish macks are more concentrated to the west, and there are still chub mackerel everywhere. Some big fluke are still in the area, and they are keyed in on big baits. If you can get down with M3 spoons and gulp, you will likely see some action. Anglers fishing deeper water are doing well with 3-wayed snappers. Bluefish have moved in well, and snappers are starting to fill in the creeks and backwaters. Schools of larger blues are all over the surface, no monsters, but fish to 30 inches are being caught.
Captain Greg, from Black Hawk Sportfishing reported another great week of bottom fishing. The Montauk and Block Island area are producing some huge sea bass and scup, along with the occasional fluke. Locally, the sizes aren’t quite the same, but the quantities are great, with limits being easily attainable. Bluefish action remains spotty, with certain tides and areas producing at times. They will continue to fish daily at 7 am during the week, while weekends see a 6 am and 1 pm trip. Their schedule will change slightly after Labor Day, so be sure to check their website!
Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters, reports that the striped bass have been a bit tougher to get to because of the mass of small bluefish in the area. There are some true gators in the mix as well, and TJ thinks it’s one of the stronger masses of bluefish in years. There’s no shortage of bait out there, with everything from squid, butterfish, silversides, anchovies, etc. The scup bite keeps getting stronger, while sea bassing has been steady and some bigger fluke are starting to show up again.
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, told me that bonito are also showing up more consistently and there are plenty of schoolies in the mix on topwater plugs. Bigger bass are starting to take topwater plugs at dusk, as well as eels and bunker after the lights go down. A huge pile of smaller bluefish has moved into the area over the past few days and is providing some excellent light tackle action.
Joe, from Diorio Guide Service, told me that the striped bass fishing at Block has been as strong as ever, with cows all over and a nice influx of smaller, aggressive bass. Eels and soft plastics both continue to produce equally well, and there are large schools of bass along the RI shoreline that are taking topwater plugs. The bonito numbers are excellent, especially from Watch Hill to Point Judith, and there are some better schools showing up in the eastern sound as well.
Captain Mike, at Light Bite Charters in Norwalk, told me that school bass and small blues are thick inshore, as they feed on the large mass of peanuts in the area. There are some nice gator blues in the deeper water, but they tend to move around so locating them can be tricky at times. Bonito haven’t shown up yet, but they are just to the east, so they should be filtering in soon!
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Striped bass action is strong at the Block and along the Rhode Island beaches, and it has started to pick up in the Eastern Sound. Sea bass and scup action remains as solid as ever, and the big fluke may have decided to come out and play one more time. All that being said, the talk of the week revolves around the funny fish. Bonito are all over the place, in some of the best numbers we’ve seen in a while, and the chub mackerel don’t appear to be going anywhere. The big news, however, is that some false albacore have popped up in eastern Rhode Island, so we should be seeing a widespread blowup in the next 10 to 14 days. Get ready ladies and gentlemen!