Rhode Island Fishing Report- October 10, 2019

The storm is going to put a delay on the CT tautog opener, but strong fall fishing was here earlier this week and should pick right back up later this weekend.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Mike, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, was not able to get out on the water this week due to the weather, but the fishing was strong before the storm and should remain that way when everything settles next week.
 
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the action has been strong around Point Judith, with blitzing false albacore and school striped bass all over the place. There are also some larger striped bass in the area, especially if you can locate the bunker schools. The tautog fishing is heating up across the state, and a few anglers even reported landing albies and bonito while anchored up for tautog!

Captain Kelly, of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett, told me that the striped bass were a bit sparser this week, so they had to really work for some keepers. Luckily, there are still plenty of big bluefish around, including a few around the 15-pound mark. Sea bass and scup are still running strong, with plenty of action and fish for the cooler. The fall tautog schedule is almost fully booked on weekends, but they still have some weekdays available. Be sure to book ASAP!

Captain Wade, of Booked Off Charters, told me that he has had some decent luck with striped bass the week, but the action has been up and down. He is now setting his sights on tautog and is looking forward to getting out there and getting after em when the weather breaks!

Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly in Westerly, reported some good local fishing prior to the wind this week, for both boat anglers and surfcasters. The bluefish and striped bass have been pushing bait tight to the beaches, giving the surf anglers a bit of an edge. The false albacore numbers increased quite a bit last weekend, and hopefully improves once again after the storm. Tautog action has been slowly increasing, while big sea bass and scup are still easy to find.

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 there were a few murmurs of local albies recently, which is a pleasant surprise after some down time. Reports have remained strong from Point Judith, but increasing reports have showed up from Watch Hill, Fishers, Stonington and a few around Waterford. We’ll see what this storm does to the hardtails. The CT River is loaded with school bass from the mouth, north to the East Haddam area. There are plenty of schoolies out front as well, along with a few bigger bass here and there on the reefs. Sea bass action has remained steady, and everyone is pumped up for blackfish season; although many may have to wait for the gale force winds to move out of the area. Reports have been strong for Rhode Island, so things should be good in the sound after the storm blows through.

Josh, at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic, reports good action from striped bass over the past week. Big fish seem to be concentrated on select rips and rock piles, but schoolies are just about everywhere; including beaches, points, rivers and creeks. A couple of kayak anglers reported huge schools of small bass blitzing way up the CT. River. The river is full of bait, not only juvenile shad and herring, but peanut bunker as well. They are further upriver than you would think, and all predatory species are keying in on them. False albacore have been very sparse in the eastern sound, but there are good schools in the western sound still. Bonito are still hanging around, but it will be interesting to see what this week’s weather pattern does to the inshore pelagics. Bottom fishing for scup and sea bass is still going strong, with populations of fish in both shallow and deep water. Hickory shad have moved into various creeks and tributaries, providing some good light tackle fun. In freshwater, largemouth bass are on the feed, and willing to take some large offerings. Northern pike action has increased with the dropping temps. TBO’s “First Cast” kayak fishing event is still on for this Sunday, Oct. 13th, weather and conditions permitting. To find out more about this event, call or email!

Black Hall Outfitters reports that a few brave anglers made it out for the blackfish opener Thursday, and despite the wind, catches have been very good. Easy limits have been reported from 10-20 feet of water on jigs and bait rigs. The striped bass bite was strong this week in the central sound, with fish taking soft plastics on the surface and bucktails down below. The false albacore finally made an appearance in local waters once again this week, and everyone’s hoping it stays that way after the storm.

Captain Greg, from Black Hawk Sportfishing reported another week of steady action in the waters around Block Island. The scup and sea bass fishing actually improved once again, and limits of both species are getting even easier to find. One trip last week was extra memorable, as they not only got limits of monster scup and sea bass, they also managed a beautiful mako shark! Their recent nighttime bass trips have been up and down, but the good trips have seen some nice fish to 35-pounds. They will continue to sail daily after the storm and will likely add more nighttime bass trips. Be sure to check their website or Facebook page for full schedules.

Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters, reported that the bass fishing improved once again this past week, with another nice slug of larger fish moving into the area. It still takes a bit of work, but if you move around a bit and put some time in you can find trophies. In the meantime, there are plenty of smaller bass and big bluefish all over the area that are helping to keep anglers busy. Scup and sea bass action remains steady, and TJ is looking forward to the kickoff of tautog action this week; although we may have to wait out the weather for a day or two. TJ will run until the end of November and has a new heated cabin for everyone to enjoy, so be sure to book soon before it’s too late!

Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, said the transition into fall weather has really jumpstarted the fall run. Bass and blues have been fired up all week, taking topwater’s, flies and soft plastics readily. And everyone is hoping for an albie encore, keep your fingers crossed. He also said they are anxiously awaiting the blackfish opener and have been booking combo trips for tog and striper. Give a call soon to reserve yours!

Mike, at Light Bite Charters in Norwalk in Norwalk, told me that the albie feeds have been strong down in the western sound. The fish have been a bit picky but have been feeding heavily on peanut bunker. Hopefully the upcoming weather doesn’t clear them out, we’re all just going to have to wait and see. Striped bass have been blitzing heavily as well, with good numbers of fish to 28-inches. Some larger bass and gator bluefish can be found around the bunker schools, but you need a big presentation to get them to feed at times. 24/7 Mully’s in white or pink seem to be working best, even when the fish are picky.

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

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

Scup, sea bass and tautog are biting well in Rhode Island, and we will likely see similar results in CT next week. The false albacore finally showed up in better numbers once again around Watch Hill and into the eastern sound; now all we can do is sit around and hope that the nor’easter doesn’t blow them right back out. Small striped bass have continued to blitz all over the region, while larger bass can be found on the reefs and rips; there’s no reason to believe that will change at all after the storm. The Connecticut tautog opener has been a bit anti-climatic due to the tropical storm, but luckily it appears we should be clearing up towards the tail end of the weekend and into next week.