Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith lost a few trips recently due to the weather, but when they were able to sail, they’ve seen strong results. There was a good deal of improvement in the fluke fishing, which saw anglers limiting out on both the full- and half-day trips. Sea bass fishing also remains very good, with plenty of limits, along with plenty of dinner-plate scup. Their full schedule can be viewed online, and you can also make reservations for upcoming trips on their website of by calling the office.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence reported that the water temperatures and oxygen levels are better in the Upper Bay and in the rivers, and that has started to bode well for striped bass fishing. A fresh push of pogies have made their way into the rivers, and there should be a good slug of striped bass right behind them. Anglers are also still finding plenty of quality bass out in front of Newport, and along South County. Bottom fishermen are reporting a few nice fluke catches before they move out, and sea bass and scup fishing is consistent, while tautog reports continue to improve each week. Mixed sizes of tuna can be found in good numbers to the east and west of Block Island. Most of the usual haunts are holding fish, but for the best action try to avoid the fleets. The heavy traffic at spots like The Gully this week have greatly hampered the action.
Captain Connor at Tall Tailz Charters provided the following report after another strong week on the water: “Fishing this week has been stellar. The big bass are chewing hard out front. Both live baits and trolling the tube have done well for us. We’ve also been doing well casting in the shallows for big bass as well as gator blues. We’ve had multiple fish over 40 pounds on light tackle this week, along with a nice push of 10-pound-plus bluefish. Bottom fishing has been great, with easy limits of scup and sea bass, mostly on jigs. The nearshore tuna bite is holding strong after poor weather earlier this week. We’re starting to see more and more over-size bluefin tuna on each trip. Both the jig and troll are catching well, while the Chatterlures side tracker in rainbow and calamari are producing best on the troll. Daiwa SK and SL jigs, along with the 10-inch RonZ are doing best for the jig.”
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Captain Rob at Newport Sportfishing Charters has continued to work his way offshore and told me that the tuna bite has picked right back up where it left off after last weekend’s weather. Most of the usual offshore haunts are home to some massive tuna feeds. And while tuna fishing is catching quite a bit of attention, Rob also noted that the striped bass fishing has remained tremendous this week. Bass are taking topwater plugs early on and can be caught all day long on live bait and jigs. Rob hasn’t done much bottom fishing this week, but sea bass reports have greatly improved, while fluke fishing also seems to have seen a slight uptick in action.
Eric at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown sent over the following report: “August fishing is on! We are getting a constant stream of positive fishing reports from just about every fishery here in Rhode Island. Big bass can be found more readily from the surf and the dawn and dusk boat bite has been consistent. Bonito took a short break during the last storm but reappeared in even greater numbers. Tautog fishing started off slow, but we’ve seen some customer photos of really nice fish from the past week. Offshore, it’s a steady jig or troll bite but we have seen a couple tuna taken on bubble poppers—we’re hoping that surface action continues to improve.”
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures reported that it was a tough week for most kayak fishermen to get on the water due to the conditions, however the fishing was solid whenever they were able to get out. Striped bass fishing continues to be relatively solid. There have been a lot of 30-inch-class fish on topwater offerings during the morning hours, along with some bigger fish taking subsurface presentations. Bluefishing has been more consistent as we get closer to the fall run. Bonito have been tougher to find over the last week, which is usually a great sign that albies will be here in no time. Bottom fishing continues to be hit or miss for fluke and sea bass, but tautog has been a solid back-up plan and will only get better as the water temps cool down. With albies, fall run stripers and blues, and blackfish on the horizon, there is still time to book your kayak fishing trip. Head over to Dustin’s website to get more information.
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Jay at Pamela May Charters spent more time inshore this week and told me that the sea bass are plentiful, with a strong ratio of keepers coming in on the deeper wrecks and reefs. Fluke fishing has seen a little uptick in action, as they’re starting to transition out to deeper water as well. The swell over the weekend dirtied things up, but Jay was able to find some big bluefish on topwaters. The striped bass fishing is still solid too, with the best action coming on topwater offerings in the morning. Bonito have been filtering in pretty well, but the bite has slowed a bit since the storm swell. This latest round of storms should help push more bonito and false albacore into the area as the water clears up, though. Jay has some prime weekend spots available for the hardtail run, so check their website to book before it’s too late!
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
While it is far from the end of the summer, the last few mornings have reminded anglers of fall, and the recent fishing activity is providing the same reminder. An influx of small bait has moved into Rhode Island waters, serving as a reminder of what’s to come over the next several weeks. The bonito bite across Rhode Island has slowed down, which could be due to the storms, but can also be a sign that false albacore are working their way in and are bullying the bonito out. It won’t be long now!
Bigger bass have started to filter into the bay and the rivers. These bass are in hot pursuit of the fresh schools of bunker that have entered the same area. The rips and reefs in front of Newport and the rest of the South County area is holding fish, and with these cooler overnight air temps, the fishing has been best around the low-light hours. Bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with better sea bass results from the deeper wrecks and rock piles. Fluke fishing has been difficult, but anglers targeting tautog are reporting much better results this week.
Tuna reports remain steady in all the usual areas, with bluefin of mixed sizes coming on the jig, troll, and occasionally, topwaters. These fish aren’t too hard to find, but staying away from the fleets has been the best piece of advice from most anglers. We might not be in full-blown fall mode yet, but we may actually be in a better spot, with the inshore summer fishing remaining strong and the beginning of fall fishing patterns simultaneously taking place.