Rhode Island Fishing Report – April 30, 2020

Despite some cooler than usual water, more striped bass and baitfish are showing up each day.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Rob Taylor of Newport Sportfishing Charters told me that some fresh fish have arrived in South County, with steady catches along the West Wall and in front of the salt ponds. The largemouth bite remains strong across the state; the fish are feeding at both day and night, with faster presentations starting to work better. The carp bite has picked up quite a bit, and they are starting to feed in shallower water, which is making things fun. The tautog bite is slowly improving across the state, especially in the upper bay, but we can still stand to benefit from some warmer weather. Squid have yet to really show up in big numbers, but the first few reports have started to trickle in.

Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that the tautog bite has really started to pick up over the past couple of days. There have been quite a few shorts, but the numbers have greatly increased, and some nice keepers are in the mix. Some fresh keeper striped bass are being taken, along with loads of school bass that are hitting 3- to 4-inch Whip-It Fish. White and Chartreuse jigs and soft plastics have been the best bet, as the water clarity still isn’t excellent.

Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reported that the shop will remain open on limited hours every day, and he will continue to limit the number of customers in the store to 3 at a time. The hours are not set in stone, so calling ahead is always a good plan. The shop is well stocked for both freshwater and saltwater fishermen with nightcrawlers, mealworms, trout worms, sandworms, salted clams, and squid. Trout action was strong once again this week, with some nice fish to 8 pounds being reported. In the salt, the tautog action has slowly picked up in the Watch Hill area, while striped bass fishing remains steady in the Pawcatuck River, the salt ponds and occasionally off the beaches. Squid reports have been sparse due to a lack of access, but they should be here soon if they are not already.

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Connecticut Fishing Report

Gene at Black Hall Outfitters told me that fresh schoolies have moved in and are now in the mix. Topwater action right before dark has started to improve, with soft plastics on jigheads being the ticket after dark. Fishing around the herring runs remains the key to success when targeting larger bass. On the freshwater side, anglers roaming old weed beds searching for the active fish with reaction baits have found some good bass. Good solid shoreline action is everywhere on those areas exposed to southern sunshine and higher water temps.

Josh at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic says reports of fresh striped bass continue to come in from around the state. Water temps have stalled out in the high 40s to low 50s range, so finding the warmer water is key. Bigger fish have been found keying in on herring, and it’s hard to tell in some areas if the fish are holdovers or migratory as they have blended together. Another good push of fish should be coming this week. Topwater plugs and subsurface soft plastics are hard to beat. In freshwater, largemouth bass fishing has been up and down. Jigs, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and senkos are catching almost everywhere with mixed results. Candlewood, though extremely pressured, is putting out some beautiful smallmouth on jerkbaits and hair jigs. Smallmouth fishing has been very slow in the CT River with the low main river temps, fluctuating turbidity and streamflow. Pike fishing has been quiet this week, but they should be on larger, moving baits such as spinners and swimbaits.

Andrew, at Fishin Factory III in Middletown, is still selling sandworms at a fever pace, and he told me that the river really lit up with stripers this week. Worms have been the most popular bait of choice, but fish are hitting soft plastics as well, and they are starting to rise for topwater offerings at times. The river and adjacent estuaries have really filled up with herring and are a safe bet for finding some bigger bass. The shad bite has been one of the best in years and should continue if the water clarity doesn’t take too big of a hit with Friday’s rain.

Mike Roy of Reel Cast Charters told me that the striped bass in the lower river have been staying put a bit longer than usual because of the below average water temperatures. This has made the fish pretty easy to locate day to day, and they are willingly hitting jigs and soft plastics. As the water warms, we should start seeing more movement and topwater activity.

Over at Fisherman’s World, Max reported that the striped bass fishing continued to improve this week. The Fairfield area is holding some fish, along with the Norwalk River and several of the local beaches. The bigger fish continue to come from the northern stretches of the Housatonic, while fly and light tackle anglers are finding plenty of action near the river mouth. Bigger bass are also reported from the New York area, so we should be seeing the full migration soon. Flounder catches are slowly improving, with the best results coming from those chumming clams.

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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

Striped bass opportunities continue to increase throughout Southern New England. There are plenty of fresh schoolies and small keepers out front and in the river mouths, while larger bass are continuing to work the herring runs. Word of some much larger migratory bass to our west is starting to gain steam, and a few more warm days should start sending these fish into our area. The spring tautog season has come to a close in Connecticut, but a strong May bite seems to be materializing in Rhode Island. Trout and largemouth fishing remain steady in the fresh stuff, along with a very nice American shad bite in the Connecticut River.