The tidal rivers are alive with river herring and shad, and some quality striped bass are right behind them. Most of the local beaches have also come alive with smaller bass, and some larger bass are filtering in from our west.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Rob Taylor of Newport Sportfishing Charters told me that some fresh fish have arrived in South County, with some 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 Upper Narragansett 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 some larger “keeper” class bass have moved into the mouth of the bay, with some making it quite farup into the Seekonk and Providence rivers. Pre-dawn and dusk have been the most productive times, and the fish are still responding to bright-colored plugs and jigs. Dave also mentioned that the tautog bite continues to improve, and he has weighed in fish to 6 pounds this week taken from the Providence River. Tog are also being taken in good numbers around Newport, and there has been the occasional cod in the mix. Dave will continue to open at 5:30 Friday thru Sunday and is open 6 to 6 the rest of the week.
Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly reported the tautog fishing has started to pick up, with fish moving into some shallower water. A few warm days should help it really heat up, but it has been relatively steady. Striped bass are around in good numbers along the beaches but are mainly on the small side. Meanwhile, some larger fish are being taken around the herring and shad runs in the Pawcatuck. Squid reports are very quiet, but they should be improving any day now.
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Connecticut Fishing Report
Josh at Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic says river herring have found their way into many of the clearwater tributaries that feed the Connecticut River, and in some of those tributaries the numbers are off the charts. The striped bass bite is starting to materialize around the mouth of the river. No record-breaking fish, but solid action. This week’s big tides have brought schoolie bass into many of the estuaries too. Western sound seems to be holding most stripers 30″ or more for the time being. Shad fishing in the river has been very steady, with the best action being north of Middletown. Largemouth bass fishing has also been steady, and in some areas they are taking slow moving topwater presentations. A few anglers have had success after dark with large rat swimbaits. Smallmouth bass are still providing great action at Candlewood leading up to the spawn. Pike fishing has been hit or miss, but Zoar, Lilly, Bantam and the CT River should all be fishing well.
Andrew at Fishin Factory III in Middletown told me that school bass remain the top option in town for most anglers, with sandworms still selling like crazy! Anglers soaking those worms are finding fish up and down the river, while the anglers focusing on the herring runs are finding some bigger fish on topwaters and Danny swimmers. Word from the Western Sound is that some better fish are starting to filter in around the Norwalk Islands and points west. Trout fishing remains consistent throughout the area, especially in the Salmon and Farmington rivers.
At Rivers End in Old Saybrook, Joe mentioned that the bass fishing has been strong up and down the river. The mouth of the river is loaded with bass of mixed-sizes, larger bass are upriver in the herring runs and school bass are being taken up and down the river on sandworms. White perch action is also strong in the coves just to the north of the river mouth. Trout action has slowed a bit, but anglers are still reporting decent catches on most trips.
Mike Roy of Reel Cast Charters told me that the striped bass in the lower river have started to move around much more, but they are still biting well when you can find them. The water has warmed up enough to see much more consistent topwater action recently, and Mike has even caught a few bass that had bunker in their throats! Mike also mentioned that he has been able to get a large quantity of face cover buffs from Humminbird and Minn Kota that they will be able to provide to their clients.
Over at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk, Max said the herring runs have started to slow down a bit in the Western parts of the state. It seems a good number of bass have been dropping down the rivers and are starting to run the beaches. Bass from 16 to 26 inches or so have been running the beaches, the harbors and around the islands over the past few days. There have been some bigger fish in the mix as well, including a 32-pounder that fell to a bunker chunk near the islands. Guys fishing Mojos closer to New York waters are getting steady action of fish to the mid-30-inch range. Flounder fishermen are finding a few in the harbor, while fluke action will remain better on the NY side until we warm up a bit more.
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Striped bass opportunities continue to increase throughout the state. 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. Tautog action appears to be hitting its stride in Rhode Island, with strong catches in shallow water. The shad runs are still producing good catches, while largemouth and smallmouth fishing remains strong in our lakes, ponds and rivers.