Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith has been getting out to the tautog grounds whenever the weather allows, and early results have been good. Most anglers have been taking limits of tautog on both jigs and rigs, and there have been plenty of sea bass and smaller tautog in the mix to help keep the action steady. The grounds seem to be full of life and they anticipate things improving. They will also be running cod/sea bass trips when the weather cooperates, so be sure to check their website for a reservation on one of the many trips.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence reports that the late fall run remains steady across Rhode Island. Larger striped bass are prevalent throughout the bay, Providence River, and Seekonk River. These fish are on the hunt for pogies, so fresh baits have been getting the job done, along with Gag’s Whip It Fish. Tautog fishing has been excellent for anglers throughout the state, and there are still a good deal of scup and sea bass in the mix. The Rhode Island DEM has continued fall trout stocking, and you can check their website for stocking updates. Dave fresh pogies, eels, and sea worms in stock, and is open 7 days a week, with reduced hours mid-week. You can check in on his Google page for updated hours.
Ralph, at Crafty One Customs reports that there are still plenty of striped bass and bluefish in local waters. Fish can be found in the bay, the rivers, and across most of the South County beaches. Most of these fish are feeding heavily on peanut bunker and other small baitfish, so light tackle and fly anglers are still cashing in. Tautog fishing is heating up by the day, with bigger fish being reported daily. There’s still a good deal of shallow water tautog fishing ahead of us, before they start transitioning to deeper water.
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Connor, at Tail Tailz Charters provided the following report for this week: “This week has been more of the same. Tog, tog, tog! The bite has been very good. Some tides are fishing better than others but overall, it has been very productive. With the weaker tides between the moons, I’ve been able to fish light jigs from 1/2 to 1 ounce. White legger and glow patterns have been working well. Each trip we’ve got our limit with a number of double-digit fish in the mix. A steady mix of green crabs and white crabs has been the ticket. As usual for this time of year we’re getting a nice pile of seabass and cod as bycatch. There’s only better fishing to come as the water temps continue to drop!
Captain Rob, at Newport Sportfishing Charters has also focused his attention on tautog and results have been excellent. They have been finding limits on all trips, with a good deal of double-digit fish to 12-plus-pounds in the mix. Both jigs and rigs are getting the job done, as the fish are spread out through multiple depth ranges. It will only get better from here, as the water cools down and the crowds thin out a bit.
Jay, at Pamela May Charters told me that tautog is in full swing, and he’s been doing well working some smaller humps away from the crowds. The weather doesn’t look ideal this weekend, but should also help keep the tautog grounds from being too crowded. He told me that the topwater action has been consistent, and he’s had great success finding stripers blitzing on schools of small bait. The false albacore bite seemed to have died off, but popped back up recently, with some fast and furious action. They may filter out of the area soon, but the bass should be hanging around for a bit longer!
Dustin at, Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures told me that the albies popped back up a bit this week, but it seems as though the end may be approaching, as the schools seem to be thinning out. Striped bass and bluefish are a safer bet, as large schools of both species can be found blitzing along the south facing beaches. Togtober is in full effect, as the bite has been improving every day, and there are still good numbers of black sea bass in the mix. Dustin has a few dates still available in November for those looking to get one last late season kayak or shore trip in, so be sure to book a trip soon!
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Improved tautog fishing and continued light tackle action continues to provide Rhode Island anglers no shortage of options. Bass and bluefish of mixed sizes can also be found blitzing along the south shore, and some large specimens of both species are tailing pogies in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers. The false albacore made another hot and heavy appearance this week, no telling how long they’ll hang around, but they’re not done just yet. The area is still loaded with small bait, so we should have no shortage of blitzing bass/bluefish in the coming weeks, even if the false albacore move on. Tautog fishing is here to stay, with consistent reports of double-digit fish across multiple depths this week. Sea bass fishing has also improved across a wide range of depths, including plenty that are coming as by-catch while toggin’.