Striped bass, bluefish, sea bass and scup all remain steady, but the hardtails are garnering the most attention. Bonito remain more prevalent than ever and the false albacore are starting to fire up some voracious feeds across Rhode Island.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Mike, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, was able to put together another nice string of successful trips earlier this week. They have been able to stay relatively close to home and pick up a nice mixed bag of fish. Monday’s trip saw a boat limit of sea bass, a pile of nice sized scup a few fluke to 7-pounds and a few cod. Tuesday’s trip was more of the same, and the sizes got even better! The sea bass limit was easily obtained with fish to 6-pounds and took fluke to 31-inches! Captain Matt also reported a strong tuna trip this week, which included 22 fish on the troll and a few more on jigs. They still have plenty of room on the upcoming tuna trips, so be sure to reserve a spot soon!
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the false albacore fishing fired up before the rain this morning. There have been quite a few albies and bonito in the Newport/Jamestown area, with good reports around Fort Adams. As of this morning there were some consistent catches popping up around the west wall, so they appear to be spreading out. The bluefishing remains good in the Upper Bay and the Providence River, and there are still some nice keeper bass mixed in.
Captain Kelly, of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett, reported a good amount of bonito and albies just outside the Harbor of Refuge, and is helping to kick up the fall inshore fishing. The striped bass action remains consistent, along with the bluefish, scup and sea bass action. Reports from local tautog anglers have been tremendous, so the fall season seems to be shaping up nicely. Their fall tautog dates are going fast, so be sure to book soon and enjoy the enclosed heated cabin!
Captain Brian, of Big Game Sportfishing, reports some solid striped bass fishing this week. They have had multiple trips that include 30+ big striped bass, with most being released. Most of the trips are seeing non-stop action in the morning, and after they have their fill, they transition to sea bass and cod. Sea bass limits remain very easy to find, and the cod action seems to be picking up once again.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports that the local fishing remained strong this week after the seas settled down. Large schools of schoolie striped bass have been feeding tight to the beaches, and there are still quite a few small bluefish in the mix. The bonito season continues to be the strongest one in years, and there is now a good deal of false albacore mixed in. The best action for the funny fish remains to the east, around Point Judith, but they seem to be spreading out throughout the state. Fluke fishing isn’t quite over along the local beaches, with strong reports from Weekapaug and Quonny; while the sea bassing remains excellent.
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 the striped bass bite continues to be strong on the rips and points to the east of the Connecticut River. Low light periods around dawn and dusk have been strong with fish taking pencils and spooks, while darters and GT Eels seem to be the top producers after dark. Fluke action has been strong at Montauk and remains decent at Block; while the scup and sea bass action remains strong all over. Bonito action has been good across Rhode Island, and a nice pod of albies have been hanging out around Point Judith for a week or so. The snapper bluefish have been getting bigger and the bite is steady in the CT River tributaries.
Black Hall Outfitters told me that there are still a ton of small striped bass around and they are blitzing on small bait most mornings all over from Westbrook to Old Saybook. Bluefish and a few Spanish mackerel have been in the mix, and most are feeding on peanut bunker. Bigger bass are feeding on the adult bunker around the river mouths and can be taken on livelined baits or fresh chunks. Sea bass limits are still being caught, but you have to work a little harder locally. The funny fish are the talk of the shop these days, with bonito being taken as far west as Avery Point, with false albacore not far behind.
Josh, at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic, says the striped bass fishing has held strong over the past week, and improving in some areas, with big fish very tight to shore. Use caution while throwing those large, expensive soft plastics, as cocktail bluefish are just about everywhere, with bigger blues in the race and occasionally showing up inside the CT River. Albies have been reported in CT. waters, but not yet in numbers. Rhode Island is going off, with schools in the bay and out front of the beaches. Bonito are still going strong and have pushed further west into the sound. Spanish mackerel seem to be around Niantic in pretty solid numbers this year, being caught on epoxy jigs and albie flies. In freshwater, bass fishing is excellent, with largemouth and smallmouth feeding up for the coming change in seasons. Pike fishing has really picked up with the shorter days and cooler nights. The water is still warm, but they are in the usual haunts and willing to chew.
Captain Greg, from Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that the Montauk-Block Island trips remain excellent, as both areas are simply loaded with multiple species. Jumbo sea bass and scup are common, along with a nice assortment of fluke, bluefish, mackerel and stripers. They will continue to sail daily at 7 AM, and they will be posting more nighttime striped bass trips very soon. Check the website or check in with Heather from the office for schedule updates and reservations.
Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters, reports that the bluefish bite remains as strong as ever in terms of action. The sizes aren’t always tremendous, but there are plenty of 3-6-pound fish and a few to 10-pounds and over. The amount of bluefish is still hampering the striper bite a bit, along with most of the stripers being tightly keyed in on bunker. Generally, if they locate some bunker schools they are scoring good catches of bass to 20-25-pounds. Scup action is red hot, and the sea bass action is still consistent, even though it is requiring a bit more moving from spot to spot.
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. Murmurs of false albacore are starting, and Mike is anticipating an early albie run; combine that with the amount of small bait, and it should be a good one!
Captain Mike, at Light Bite Charters in Norwalk, told me that not much has changed over the past few weeks out west. Snapper blues are keeping the kids busy, while larger cocktail blues are also abundant. The bass bite is still good but can be spotty at times. Schoolies are pretty common but finding bigger fish has required jigging deeper water or fishing bunker during low light periods. There is a ton of small bait in the area, and Mike is hoping the upcoming storm sends in some hardtails!
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Connecticut.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
The effects of Dorian receded quickly, and the fishing didn’t seem to skip a beat. Striped bass action remains good, with schoolies feeding on small bait all over the region; while larger bass are being taken around the bunker schools and after dark in the eastern sound rips. Sea bass limits remain easy around Block and are still being find locally; and the same can be said for scup. The hardtails seem to be the talk of the week though; with bonito being extremely prevalent, and false albacore starting to show up and spread out.
The bonito were on fire Tuesday in Cape Cod bay captain Bob of Tigger Too charters got me right on fish and kept it that way my whole charter