Rhode Island Fishing Report – May 28, 2020

Pictured above: Anthony Lombardo with a beautiful Rhode Island weakfish

Striped bass numbers and sizes continue to increase across Southern New England; while bluefishing seems to be trending way upwards compared to last season and a strong weakfish bite is reported throughout the region.
 

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the tautog fishing remains good across the state, and with only a few days left in the season, you should take advantage this weekend. Striped bass are moving all over the state as well, and they are active. The best reports are coming from the East Bay, Upper Bay and the lower Providence River. Fish are falling to pogies, umbrella rigs, and the tube and worm. The scup bite is starting to pick up around Colt State Park, which is now open. Anglers are starting to catch some fluke, but it isn’t lock and load just yet. Dave also mentioned a strong weakfish season seems to be materializing, with fish being caught at different locations throughout the state.

Weekapaug Bait and Tackle is reporting striped bass and bluefish all over the local beaches, breachways and in the salt ponds. The ponds seem to be holding a good amount of fish, with worm hatches happening consistently throughout the week. There are some whispers of fluke fishing picking up locally, with a few keepers showing up along the local beaches. The squid are around in decent numbers, so the fluke fishing should start firing up soon. Tautog action should remain strong through the weekend as we approach the close of the spring season.

Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reported some better fishing as the water temperatures continue to rise favorably. Smallish stripers and blues are all over the reefs and along the beaches, with some better fish starting to mix in over the past couple days. The river is still loaded with bunker and is producing a nice mix of bass and blues as well. The salt ponds are loaded with fish as well, and the worm hatches should be right around the corner. Some fluke are starting to show up in 30-40 of water but anglers are reporting a slow pick still overall. Cod fishing is going strong on Sharks Ledge, along with a few decent reports closer to home. Squid fishing has been on the slow side, but there does seem to be plenty of schools of them in the area.

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

Connecticut Fishing Report

Andrew, at Fishin Factory III in Middletown, continues to sell bait at a fever pace, with worms and bunker often being sold out by noon or so. Anglers are certainly fishing and most seem to be catching very well. Fluking is starting to pick up south of Fishers, and there are still a few showing up around Montauk. Peconic is putting up some beautiful scup, but the fluke bite seems to have died off. The CT sea bass opener has been a success, with some great fish coming from Six Mile and some of the surrounding reefs. Big striped bass have been tough to come by in the river this week, but there have been plenty of shorts and small keepers, and they remain very aggressive. Most mornings/evenings it isn’t too difficult to find at least a few bass that are willing to smash a topwater plug. The shop will be holding their annual fluke and sea bass tourney again this year, with a great cash prize and an optional sea bass Calcutta. Entry fee is $20 for the fluke contest and $5 for the sea bass Calcutta.

At Rivers End in Old Saybrook, Joe reports that a big slug of bluefish have made their way into the lower CT River this week and are actively crushing topwaters and destroying soft plastics. Striped bass reports have been quiet in the sound for the most part, but there are still plenty throughout most of the river. Sea bass action has been very good on most of the local reefs and rockpiles, with good numbers and some high-quality fish. Fluking has been quiet locally, but Fishers and Montauk are still producing some decent fish, including a 7.5-pound fish they weighed in this week. Weakfish catches have been good in the usual hotspot but are also being found in decent numbers across lesser known spots.

Gene, at Black Hall Outfitters told me that local surf and kayak anglers are reporting some hot striped bass action, with fish taking topwaters around dusk and soft plastics after dark. Herring imitators are key right now, as most of the larger fish are still being taken near the herring runs. Small striped bass are patrolling the sound and actively eating small soft plastics and swimmers. Meanwhile, some large schools of bunker have been seen mid-sound, so we should be seeing some larger bass shortly. Gene is also hearing of some outstanding sea bass action from the western grounds, and they are also starting to see some better fish on the eastern sound reefs. “Hub-Cap” scup are also starting to join the mix in many of the same areas as the sea bass. Fluke reports are spotty, but small picks of better fish are coming from Fishers, Montauk, and Niantic Bay.

Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, was delighted to report that he has been having his best bluefish spring in years, which is great when you consider they were borderline non-existent last spring. The topwater striped bass bite has been consistent, with some decent slot fish starting to show up. Bottom fishing continues to improve as well, with decent scup catches and some great sea bass action.

Joe, at Diorio Guide Service, was also happy to mention that he is back on the water and booking clients, and that they have been cashing in on the abundance of spring bluefish this year. He is also seeing tons of school bass, with some larger ones in the mix lately. Sea bass fishing is also very strong, with easy limits coming close to home. Joe has some open dates for June so be sure to check his website/Facebook page for more details.

Mike, at Light Bite Charters in Norwalk, reports that there are still plenty of school striped bass across the western sound providing great light tackle and topwater action. Some larger fish were in the mix this week as well, with fish from 20-30-pounds being caught on the troll, jig and with live bait. With the quickly increasing water temperatures, we should see a large influx of bigger fish over the next week or so.

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

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

The weather has finally warmed and it appears summer fishing is right around the corner. Some large schools of bluefish have shown up in Rhode Island and CT, which is a pleasant sight after last year’s poor season. Some better striped bass are still in the rivers, while school to slot-sized bass are all over out front. Bunker is showing up across our range, so we should be seeing some larger bass soon. CT anglers could try fluking and also take advantage of some great sea bassing; while Rhode Island anglers could try fluke and/or take advantage of the last weekend of tautog season.