Pictured above: Just one of many quality bluefin taken aboard Booked Off Charters this week.
The false albacore have arrived in good numbers across both states; while those looking for meat are scoring sea bass and scup all over, along with a good tog bite in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Mike, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett in Narragansett, reported some improved fishing on the full day trips this week, whenever the weather has allowed. Monday’s trip saw a nice mix of scup, cod, sea bass and fluke; while Tuesday’s trip nearly reached a sea bass limit for the boat, with fish to 5-pounds. The wind machine put a halt on some of the late week trips, but the weekend is looking more promising.
Captain Kelly, of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett, told me that the keeper striped bass were a bit elusive this week, but they had non-stop sea bass action to make up for it. There are quite a few shorts in the mix, but they are still getting limits of fish to 21-inches. They also had an excellent offshore trip earlier this week that included fantastic school bluefin action of fish to 50-inches. The fall tautog trips are filling up fast, so be sure to book one soon!
Captain Wade, of Booked Off Charters, reported a great inshore tautog trip late last week, with 21 keepers. It is certainly a sign of a strong upcoming fall season. Cod and sea bass action remains strong, but the striped bass bite has been hot and cold. The most exciting news of the week is the excellent bluefin bite. They have had very strong action, with most fish over 47-inches and in the 70-90-pound class. They have been getting doubles on every trip, including a pair last week that they couldn’t stop! It has been one of the best bites in years, and everyone’s hoping it continues.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports some strong local inshore action. All out blitzes of bass, bluefish and false albacore have been a common occurrence, and should continue based on all of the peanut bunker in the area. Larger striped bass are being reported from the south side of Fishers, and there are still a few keeper fluke off the local beaches. Sea bass and scup action has been excellent, and the tautog fishing is improving daily!
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Fishing Report For Connecticut
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown told me that the false albacore showed up in a big way this week, with some big feeds as far west as Clinton. There are still some green bonito in the mix locally, and strong bonito reports are still coming in from the South County beaches. Small bass and blues are also blitzing up and down the coast in some of the same areas. A few bigger bass are being taken after dark around New London, while the Fishers area seems to be the best big bass area at the moment. Scup action has been tremendous on the usual reefs and rockpiles, and the snapper blues are biting well in the river. The blue crabbing seems to have come on strong this week, and we should have a few more strong weeks to go.
Black Hall Outfitters told me that the local false albacore action has been red hot the last few days, with some huge pods of fish from Clinton to New London. They are keyed in on peanut bunker and have been eager to chew most offerings. Striped bass fishing has been solid on the local reefs, with enough 40-inch fish still around to keep things interesting. Smaller fish have been blitzing on top throughout the day, with Rebel Jumpin Minnows being a strong producer. Bluefish of mixed sizes are blitzing all over as well and will eat just about anything. Sea bass fishing saw an uptick this week, with some larger fish coming in shallower water.
Captain Greg, from Black Hawk Sportfishing said that the wind made things a bit tougher this week and they had to stay closer to home. That didn’t hinder the fishing much though, as they clobbered the scup and had a nice mix of sea bass, bluefish and a few fluke. They have also started to run some more night bass trips and are finding fish in good numbers. They will continue to sail daily at 7 am and will continue to add night bass trips, so be sure to check the schedule.
Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters, said that the striper action has been on the slower side, but the bunker is showing up more and spreading out so things are slowly improving. Bluefishing is still as good as it gets, with fish of all sizes. Sea bass catches are still on the rise if you can key them in. TJ recommends moving around if you’re not catching right away. If you find the right piece of structure, you will find a limit in short order. Scup action is still red hot, with easy limits. TJ is running the boat through November and still has some openings, so be sure to book soon.
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. False albacore action has been picking up as well in local waters, and with the amount of peanut bunker around, they probably won’t be leaving anytime soon.
Joe, at Diorio Guide Service, told me that the local albie fishing really picked up this week. There were some epic blitzes and feeds earlier in the week. It seems to have slowed down by Thursday, but they are likely just spreading out and more should be arriving. The amount of small bait in local waters should ensure the hardtails hang around for some time. There are still quite a few bonito around, as well as Spanish mackerel. Joe also said that some large pods of bunker can be found from Saybrook to Niantic, and it is resulting in some big bass at dawn and dusk on topwater lures and livelined baits. Sea bass limits are still easy to find locally as well.
Captain Mike, at Light Bite Charters in Norwalk, told me that the bass bite is still strong inshore, with plenty of keepers showing up. Bonito, Spanish mackerel and a few false albacore have entered the area and are feeding ferociously on peanut bunker and silversides.
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
It’s time! The hardtails are here in full force. Not only are there plenty of false albacore to keep anglers busy in CT and RI, but there are more bonito and Spanish mackerel than we have seen around here in a long time. Small stripers and blues are blitzing all over the top as well, so it’s time for full fall run topwater action. Sea bass action remains very strong for the bottom fishermen, while the fall tautog season is shaping up to be a strong one if the recent bite in Rhode Island is any indication.