Tautog action is going strong, while blitzes of bass, blues, albies and bonito are becoming commonplace across CT and RI.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Mike, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, reported a strong start to the blackfish season this week. They were just shy of a full boat limit on Tuesday, with anglers catching on bait rigs and jigs. Wednesday’s trip was able to put together a full boat limit of blackfish, and still get off the water in time to miss the storm. On most days they are running both blackfish trips and cod trips, and the cod trips are still producing well, with a good showing of cod and sea bass on all trips. They are hoping to get back out there on Friday and should certainly be able to for the weekend.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that there are still plenty of blitzing false albacore and stripers around, despite the recent weather. There are also some larger striped bass in the area, especially if you can locate the bunker schools. The tautog fishing continues to improve whenever the wind lays down enough to set the anchor. Dave also mentioned that a few long-time customers were able to make it offshore earlier in the week and were rewarded with some great school bluefin catches. Dave is now open on weekends only; Friday thru Sunday from 6-12.
Captain Kelly, of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett, told me that the weather kept them in port for much of the last week, but on the few days they got out there they were able to slam monster bluefish. The bluefish bite was consistent on all trips and there were small keeper bass to 34-inches or so in the mix. They will be starting their fall tautog season next week, so be sure to check the live booking calendar on their website. They still have a few weekends open, along with a good deal of weekdays.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports solid black sea bass fishing, both around Block Island and throughout local waters. The tautog bite is going strong as well, with plenty of decent-sized keepers on all the shallow reefs and rockpiles. Fishing has been limited due to the weather, but shore anglers that have battled the conditions fare still finding decent catches of striped bass and bluefish from the beaches.
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Fishing Report For Connecticut
Andrew, at Fishin Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown told me that a good deal of anglers took advantage of the window between storms this week and were rewarded with some good blackfishing. Action has been solid, and while there haven’t been too many giants, there have been plenty of keepers 5-6-pounds. Andrew is once again hosting his annual blackfish tourney, so be sure to sign up before you land that monster. There have been a few local albie reports over the past few days, and there are still decent numbers of bonito around. The Niantic area is loaded with stripers on the surface; most of the fish are on the small side, but some anglers fishing after dark have found fish to 30-pounds or so.
Josh, at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic, reports great numbers of schoolie striped bass just about everywhere in the sound and estuaries. Bigger bass seem to be concentrated to select rips, but both big and small fish are hitting plugs and plastics day and night. Albies have been very sporadic, but if you look hard enough you can find them. Bonito are surprisingly still holding their ground into mid-October. Tautog fishing has been on fire since the season opened, with fish being caught in anywhere from 4 to 40 feet. In freshwater, largemouth bass are feeding heavily in preparation for the colder months. Large swimbaits and spinnerbaits are best for big fish. Crappie and perch are schooling up tightly and feeding as well. Pike action has increased with the dropping temps, and the next couple weeks are your best chance to get a monster on artificials.
Black Hall Outfitters reports that the blackfishing has been excellent throughout the sound, whenever the weather has allowed. Finding rockpiles in 10-20 feet of water seems to be the ticket. The false albacore have started to re-appear in the central sound and appear to be spreading out.
Captain Greg, from Black Hawk Sportfishing also took advantage of the weather window this week. They had some great weather on Monday, and it translated into a strong trip. They had several jumbo scup limits and plenty of xl sea bass to go around. They are also starting to find a few nice blackfish in the mix. They also put together a nice private charter this week; with loads of bluefish, a few nice stripers and plenty of jumbo sea bass.
Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters, lost a few trips due to the weather, and mentioned that the fishing took a bit of a hit after the blow. The bait has spread out, so he has had to move around a bit to find the bass and bluefish. The positive side of things is that it appears that the winds may have dispersed the smaller fish but brought in larger fish of both species. Scup action has remained tremendous, and the tautog action should really start to fire up as the temperatures cool a bit. TJ still has openings for mid to late fall, so be sure to book ASAP!
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, reports that the recent winds seem to have really driven the fish to start feeding. The bass and blues are feeding much more aggressively, and both remain easy to find on topwater offerings. The sea bass fishing is great at the moment, with fish all over the bottom, regardless of depth. Tautog fishing has started off strong, with relatively easy limits of solid fish.
Mike, at Light Bite Charters 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. The weather doesn’t seem to have affected them too much. 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.
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Connecticut Fishing Forecast
The weather hasn’t exactly been ideal over the past two weeks, but at least it has given us enough windows to get out and cash in on the strong fall fishing. The Connecticut tautog season has kicked off strongly, and quality fish are being caught in both states. There are still plenty of nice sea bass to be taken, with many coming on crabs intended for tautog. Bass and bluefish continue to blitz all over the region, and most days you have a nice shot of stumbling upon some albies or bonito in the mix.