Rhode Island Fishing Report- November 2, 2023

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The Frances Fleet in Point Judith has been putting their customers on a steady bite for tautog and black sea bass. There have been quite a few short fish coming over the rails but those who putting in their time are able to work through the shorts and end the day with a nice pile of keeper fish. Both jigs and rigs have been producing well and customers should be prepared to fish both depending on location and conditions. They will also be running cod and black sea bass trips out around Block Island as the weather permits. You can view the full schedule and make reservations on their website. 

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, but the bait has been getting harder to find so anglers are turning to large plugs and soft plastics. Tautog fishing has been excellent for anglers throughout the state, and over the past week a good number of double-digit fish were reported. There are still a good deal of scup and sea bass in the mix as well, so there’s no shortage of full coolers. Another bonus this week was continued solid squid fishing, with good reports from the anglers who are targeting them in the Newport area. The Rhode Island DEM has continued fall trout stocking, and you can check their website for stocking updates. Fresh pogies have been harder to get, but Dave has all the other bait and tackle you may need, including plenty of green crabs. He 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 the local striped bass fishing remains very good, with anglers reporting strong catches from both the shore and boat. Even though it is starting to get late in the fall, the exceptional fall striped bass fishing doesn’t seem to be slowing down. There are also still a few false albacore showing up locally, but they are starting to thin out. The tautog fishing has continued to improve with easy limit catches for most, and a good deal of fish over 10 pounds. There are still quite a few large sea bass in the mix as well. Ralph has switched over to his winter hours and will be open Wednesday through Friday 9-5 and Saturday 9-3. He will be closed Sunday through Tuesday.  

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

Connor, at Tail Tailz Charters provided the following report for this week: “It’s been all tog every day for us. Some days have been better than others but we’re getting relatively easy limits with some quality fish in the mix. With the Full Moon tides this week, the fish have been very active this week, but we’ve had to use slightly heavier jigs to 2 oz and the conventional rig. White crabs and spider crabs have been producing for us, but the go to greens are still getting it done. This week’s biggest fish was over 19 pounds, on the jig, and most trips are seeing at least a few double-digit fish! The temps are finally starting to drop and it’s beginning to feel like hardcore tog season. We should be in for a November to remember at this pace!”

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. While Rob has been focused on tautog, he noted that there are still plenty of striped bass in the area feeding on peanut bunker, so it’s not a bad idea to have some light striper gear handy while you’re sitting on the tog anchor. 

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. With some better weather this week, limits have been easier to manage, and the overall quality seems to be improving. He told me that the topwater/light tackle action has remained strong thanks to all the peanut bunker that are still in the area. Stripers of mixed sizes are still prevalent and there are still some gator bluefish in the mix as well, while the false albacore seem to have thinned out.  

Dustin at, Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures reports that the tautog and black sea bass fishing has been going strong for him, and likely will continue of the next few weeks. A lot of black sea bass are being caught while targeting tautog, so it’s pretty easy to fill coolers and find both species. Striped bass activity is still fairly solid, as there are still some nice blitzes of schoolie to slot class fish that have not migrated from the area just yet. Another fun option right now is squid fishing. Results have varied from day to day, but most trips are seeing at least some squid, and this is the time of year to target them! Freshwater fishing has also been decent. Largemouth, crappie, and trout have been caught regularly in local waters. With bottom fishing at its peak there is still time to get on the water. Reach out to Dustin about a fishing trip ASAP! 

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

The story of the past week has been of up and down extremes in terms of weather, but luckily the fall run fishing has remained as steady as ever. The main focus of Rhode Island anglers has been a strong tautog bite, that is providing easier limits, and more consistent big fish, as the calendar flips to November. The weather is starting to feel more like tautog weather as well, but the water temperatures are high enough that anyone who still has access to a boat should have weeks of solid togging ahead of them. Besides the tautog, the sea bass and some larger scup haven’t left the area just yet, so full coolers will be plentiful this week. Bass and bluefish of mixed sizes can also be found blitzing along the south shore, and out in front of the bay, with peanut bunker being their main focus. Some bigger bass can still be found up in the rivers if you can locate the pogies, although that has been a bit more difficult since the cold front came through.