Rhode Island Fishing Report- October 6, 2022

Rhode Island Fishing Report 

The Frances Fleet in Point Judith lost a few days due to the relentless winds, but a nice stretch of fall weather seems to be settling in now that Ian is out of the way. Prior to the weather, they had a nice mix of cod, fluke, black sea bass, scup, cunners, and even a few late season flounder when they’ve made it out to the grounds. With the weather settling down, they will continue to sail whenever possible. Reservations can be made online or by calling the office, and the trips fill fast, so be sure to book asap! 

When I spoke to Jay, at Pamela May Charters, he told me that he has continued to pick away on the inshore light tackle bite on the few days which were calm enough to get out. Everyday trip to be a little different than the previous, but albies are still showing themselves on most trips, and there has been no shortage of striped bass. Light tackle and fly fishermen have no shortage of action when the weather cooperates, and there are still some big bass willing to take live baits, and/or big plugs along the inshore reefs. Jay hasn’t turned his attention to tautog fishing just yet but plans to start hitting them hard once the limit increases on October 15th.  

Captain Conner, at Tall Tailz Charters also lost a few trips this week due to the residual winds from Hurricane Ian. When he has gotten out, most of his inshore trips have been run and gun, with plenty of albies out front and inside the bay. They are feeding on a variety of bait, so as always you should try to match the hatch, but most of the fish have been on peanuts and/or silversides, which makes things relatively easy. Conner has also been finding plenty of striped bass and bluefish in the mix while they have been on their albie hunts. The Daiwa Zakana jigs in 20- to 40-gram weights have been top producers for the false albacore, and just about anything else you’d want to catch this time of year. Conner is going to be turning his attention to tautog very soon, and he still has some open dates available, so be sure to book a trip before it’s too late.  

Dustin, at RI Kayak Fishing Adventures, reports that the fall fishing remains consistent in both the fresh and saltwater. False albacore and bonito are being caught regularly, and there are still plenty of big stripers and bluefish in the mix. Bottom fishermen are finding plenty of black sea bass, and the tautog fishing continues to improve as we work our way into October. Freshwater fishing is also going strong, with plenty of healthy largemouth being caught on a number of different presentations, as the fish start to feed heavily before the winter. Dustin still has some dates on the calendar for kayak and/or shore fishing trips, so be sure to check out www.rikfa.com to book a trip! 

Ralph, at Crafty One Customs reports that fishing for false albacore continues to produce well inside the bay. The have been more fish in the bay than anglers remember seeing in years, including way up inside the bay, which has provided some relief from the winds. Striped bass fishing has started to hit fall run mode, with some larger bass being caught from both shore and boat anglers this week. Tautog reports have been strong whenever it hasn’t been too windy to anchor, with a nice push of larger fish this week. This coming weekend will feature the Rhode Island Tog Classic on October 9th, and the weather looks like it’s going to cooperate nicely!

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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

The remnants of Hurricane Ian and it looks like we’re in store for a much-needed stretch of better weather across New England.  

The water will continue to clean up as we make it through the weekend and false albacore reports have remained relatively consistent across Rhode Island. Bottom fishermen are reporting better sea bass action and improving tautog action each day. Bass and bluefish also remain plentiful across the Ocean State, so be sure to head out with your albie gear in hand but have your bass and bottom fish gear stowed and ready at a moments notice.