Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith is still offering both full and half-day fishing trips, where customers target a mixed bag of fluke, black sea bass, and scup. Other species such as bluefish, striped bass, and mackerel will often also make an appearance. Recent trips have seen better numbers of keeper black sea bass coming over the rails along with a decent number of keeper fluke and some big scup. Their full schedule can be viewed online, and you can also make reservations for upcoming trips on their website or by calling the office.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that the recent heat and humidity, coupled with the constant fog in the mornings has hampered reports this week, but there’s plenty of good fishing going on for those who are getting after it. The striped bass bite has hit summer mode, which includes working dawn/dusk hours locally, along with a consistent slug of cow bass out at Block Island. Most of those bigger bass are coming on live eels, but topwaters are working around dawn/dusk, and trolling could be productive mid-day. Bottom fishermen are reporting excellent scup fishing all over the state, especially during the early morning and early evening timeframes. Fluke fishing has been hit or miss locally, but it’s consistent for anglers heading offshore in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The tuna bite has been tougher for the recreational anglers than the commercial anglers, as the rec. fish still seem to be much further out, but those making the run to the canyons are reporting great action on the troll.
Connor at Tall Tailz Charters has had an excellent stretch of fishing since the holiday. Each day he’s seeing fish from 30- to 40-pounds without having to travel too far. The topwater bite has been excellent on the shallow rips in the early morning hours, while live baits and slow-trolled offerings have been taking care of business during the day. Fluking has been solid around Newport as well, but you have to be willing to put some time in to find the right bottom. Right now, the sweet spot seems to be around 50 feet of water, but that could change from week to week. Sea bass are plentiful on all the rocky ledges. The bay is still holding tons of bait and feeding bluefish. The offshore bite remains puzzling; the nearshore tuna bite has been bleak to say the least. Most of the action has been just shy of the canyons and beyond. If you’re able to make the trek, they’re loaded with giant bigeye, yellowfin and bluefin tuna. Overall, there are tons of awesome fishing opportunities throughout the state.
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Captain Rob at Newport Sportfishing Charters told me that the giant train has rolled on in terms of the tuna bite. The quality of striped bass continues to improve, and although some bigger bass have moved on, there is no shortage of fish, both locally and around the island. Bottom fishing has been strong for scup and sea bass, and while the wind has made fluke drifting tough on the outside, there has been a decent enough bite in Narragansett Bay to make it worth targeting flatfish. Tuna fishing has been a bit perplexing, as the big mass of fish seems to be way offshore still, but there are enough big fish around to make it worth a look for those that are ready to battle with a giant.
Jay at Pamela May Charters told me that the striped bass fishing is currently as good as he can remember. Throughout the mid-bay and west passage there are as many 28- to 34-inch fish as you can handle. The salt ponds are loaded with schoolie-size fish, which has been great for light-tackle/fly enthusiasts. Block Island is in full summer mode, with tons of 30- to 40-inch fish at the north rip and cows all over southwest ledge. Jay recently had some topwater feeds on southwest ledge that are better than he’s ever seen, including 40-pound fish coming out of the water to blitz on mackerel. These instances have been more common this year, and provides better action on topwater plugs than eels, which no one is going to complain about. Fluke are harder to find inshore, with the exception of some nice keeper-class fish in the mid Bay, sea bass are plentiful, but shorts are a sure thing; meanwhile, scup fishing is absolutely on fire for those looking to fill the cooler or use them as striper bait. Jay also mentioned that tuna fishing is tough for rec. anglers, as those fish are still a ways offshore, but giants have been keeping the commercial anglers busy.
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Dustin at RI Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report this week: “After a few weeks of hit or miss striper fishing, the last week or so has proved to be very consistent on the striper grounds. Most days have consistently produced quality under-slots and keepers, while some days produced mostly over-slot fish. We’re still not seeing a ton of bluefish but they are being caught here and there. Fluke and black sea bass fishing has been solid, but we have had to work for limits on both species. Scup fishing is great and a good secondary bottom fishing option if the others aren’t producing. Largemouth fishing is decent, with jigs, frogs, and early morning or evening topwater being the tickets to summer success. There is still time to book your kayak fishing trip this summer or get an early start on what should be an epic fall run. Head over to our website today!”
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Summer air and summer fishing patterns have brought on some solid striped bass fishing, relatively steady bottom fishing, and the first of the big tunas being caught not too far from home. Bass can still be found in the Bay around the pogie schools, but as it continues to warm up, you’re much better off looking just outside. The rips and reefs in front of Newport are holding quality fish and the Block Island summer giants have settled in nicely. These fish are starting to see a lot of pressure, so you may need to start working finesse presentations or low-light hours, but there is no shortage. Those low-light hours, coupled with the fog banks, have also resulted in some of the best topwater fishing for big bass that we’ve seen in a while. Bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with strong scup and sea bass reports from all the rockpiles. The fluke bite has been better out around Block Island, but there are enough fish in the lower Bay and just out front to make it worth your while. Tuna reports have been strong for both yellowfin and recreational bluefin out around the canyons, and some much bigger fish are starting to show themselves closer to home. Another week or so of warm weather and increasing bait numbers should result in more consistent tuna action within range for most.