Rhode Island Fishing Report- September 26, 2019

The albies have spread out in some parts and are making things a bit more difficult, but bonito and larger striped bass are picking up the slack!

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Mike, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reported that things started off well this week, with a successful cod and sea bass trip on Sunday. The weather cooperated for the most part and they were able to manage over 40 cod to 20-pounds. Sea bass to 5-pounds and scup around 3-pounds were also in the mix. Things became a bit tougher as the week went on, due to the strong winds and dirty water, but the weekend schedule is starting to look better.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that bass, blues and false albacore continue to blitz daily on peanut bunker and silversides all over the state, including in the Providence River area. The albies are eating well, and it shows, with most of them coming in at some pretty impressive sizes. Most of the bass are schoolies, but there are still a few 34-38-inch fish showing up with some regularity. Bluefish of all sizes are still showing up in the Providence River, but the action seems to be better in the mid-bay and out front. Dave will be open at 5 am on the weekend and 630 during the week, and he will also be having a major sale on rods going on through the weekend!

Captain Kelly, of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett, told me that some slow tides this past week made it a bit of a challenge to find bass early on, but they came back strong, with plenty of fish in the 30-40-pound range. The sea bass bite continues to be strong, with steady action of fish in the 18-21-inch range. The tuna mayhem south of the island has wound down, but sharking remains strong with plenty of blues, threshers and makos. Their October weekend dates are close to being sold out, but there are still weekdays available and a few weekends open in November.

Captain Wade, of Booked Off Charters, told me that the east blow from last week, and the resulting swell hurt the fishing a bit. The tuna bite has died off, and the striped bass bite around the island remains a bit inconsistent. On a positive note, the shark fishing remains very good, with some nice mahi in the mix; while the bottom fishing for sea bass, tautog and cod has been steady all week. The bottom fishing will remain consistent, and Wade is confident the bass fishing will improve and he should have a few more shots at tuna before all is said and done.

Captain Brian, of Big Game Sportfishing, reported that the black sea bass fishing remains strong, and they were able to find some nice fish around 5-pounds. There have still been plenty of scup in the mix, and some bonus weakfish showed up this week. The striped bass bite has slowed down, along with the local tuna bite; while the cod bite seems to be intensifying.

Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly in Westerly, said that blitzes are common all over the place, with blues, bass and hardtails being caught out front along the beaches and inside of the ponds. The ponds are providing nice light-tackle action, without having to go out in the high swells we’ve had all week. There are some larger striped bass around, but it’s tough to get past the small bass and blues. Your best shot at a big bass remains after dark, with large eels or plugs. Tautog fishing is off to a pretty solid start and should only improve as the season rolls on.

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 false albacore action was great early last week but hit a lull through the weekend. Hopefully the fish were just continuing to spread out and we aren’t seeing a weak run. Reports have been quiet the last few days due to the wind, but the few reports he’s heard have been encouraging, so maybe things are trending in the right direction for the weekend. There has still been some bonito showing up from East Lyme to New London, so the hardtail anglers should be able to find something. The bass and bluefish action has consisted of mostly smaller fish over the past few weeks, but some pods of bunker have been spotted moving out of the rivers, and it has resulted in some larger fish on the reefs the past few days. Sea bass action has been strong, specifically in deeper water; while the scup action has remained steady from the eastern sound to Watch Hill.

Mike at Light Bite Charters told me that albies finally showed in fishable numbers. Bones are still around and willing to eat. Gator blues have shown up in the mix as well. Locally we’re still raising some big striped bass on topwater. All we need is the weather to cooperate and keep the cold fronts away.

Josh, at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic, reports solid striped bass action over the past week. Pop-up blitzes of schoolies with small keepers mixed in are appearing along the entire shoreline from Old Lyme to Watch Hill. Bigger fish are hitting topwater offerings at low light, and big soft plastics or eels after dark. Albies seem to be hit or miss in CT. waters, but more consistent in RI, the Cape, and Montauk. Bonito are filling the void here, with some bigger specimens in the mix. The Spanish mackerel have pulled a disappearing act within the past week. Small blues are everywhere, bigger ones are west of the Connecticut River and in Narragansett Bay. Scup and sea bass action is still going strong, look for nice sea bass up much shallower over the next few weeks. On October 13th, join the TBO kayak fishing team for “Hobie First Cast”, an event which allows you to fish from a pedal driven Hobie kayak. Your entry fee for the event can be used towards purchase of a kayak! Call or email for details!

Black Hall Outfitters reported strong false albacore and bonito fishing throughout the sound, although the fish have spread out and the fishing seems to be the better on the far eastern and western ends. Reports have picked up from the Stonington area, while a nice push of fish recently moved into the New Haven-Milford area. Striped bass fishing has picked up quite a bit this week, specifically on livelined bunker. The local reefs have produced multiple 50-pound fish this week, and fish to 36-inches or so have been seen attacking bunker schools in the middle of the sound. Big bluefish have also located the bunker schools; while sea bass fishing continues to impress throughout the sound.

Captain Greg, from Black Hawk Sportfishing reports that they had another good week of fishing, despite having to contend with some weather. The weekend trips were perfect, with better weather and excellent fishing. There are still plenty of sea bass and scup, and now is the time to stock up before the season winds down. They will be running a few more night bass trips as well, so be sure to check the website for full scheduling.

Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters, said that the stiped bass bite continue to improve daily. There is more bait showing up each day, and some bigger bass are right behind. The bluefish action is so ridiculous right now that it makes the bass fishing difficult at times, but it is a blast to take part in regardless. Scup action remains red-hot, with plenty of numbers and plenty of “hub-caps”. TJ is looking forward to blackfish season, and still has some openings from the start of the season, until he is done sailing at the end of November.

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 becoming more active, and Mike thinks it’ll continue to pick up in a big way as the water temps finally start to take a drop. A huge amount of smaller bluefish can be taken on top throughout the sound, and there are still some legit gators around if you can find the bunker schools that are hanging around out front.

Joe, at Diorio Guide Service, told me that the striped bass fishing remains strong, with good fish coming on live bunker and topwater plugs. The false albacore bite has slowed down quite a bit locally, but Joe says you can still find them if you’re willing to look around a bit. The good thing is that the bonito bite is picking up the slack, as the eastern sound continues to put up more bonito than it has in years. The sea bass bite remains nothing short of amazing and is giving anglers an opportunity to fill the cooler, while waiting for hardtails to pop up.

Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Connecticut.

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

The false albacore mayhem across CT from early last week, has slowed considerably, but there are still some around if you know where to look, and there are plenty across Rhode Island if you need to make the trek. Based on the water temperatures and the amount of bait, it is more likely than not that we get another strong push of albies, and it can happen any day now. There are plenty of bonito to play with in the meantime, and the striped bass and bluefish are continuing to blitz all over the place; with bigger fish showing up in the mix over the past few days. Bottom anglers can look forward to some great sea bass action, along with tautog and cod action in Rhode Island.