Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith has started to run their fall mixed-bag trips, leaving the dock at 7 A.M. These trips generally see a nice mix of black sea bass, cod, scup, and some fluke. The weather is starting to cooperate nicely, and the last few trips have been great. Most anglers have been seeing a limit of black sea bass, plenty of scup, and some nice cod, and ling. These trips offer a great opportunity for anglers to come home with a nice bag of filets for the dinner table. The schedule for the coming weekend looks a bit rough, so be sure to check their website for updates. Their full schedule can be viewed online, and you can also make reservations for upcoming trips on their website or by calling the office.
Ralph Craft at Crafty One Customs continues to see an uptick in tautog fishing which should be in full swing by the time of the Rhode Island Tog Classic, which is scheduled for October 13th. Registration is now open at ritogclassic.com and some of the many online raffles have already been added to the site. Fishing for striped bass in the bay has been producing fish ranging from sub-slot to 40 pounds plus. The bass are starting to feed more aggressively and are being caught using a variety of methods, including topwater in the mornings and evenings. There have been a few bluefish around, but for those looking to target them they can be tough to find. False albacore and bonito are being caught in the bay and all along the south shore, providing great fun on light tackle—although bonito still greatly outnumber the albies. There are still some fluke being caught inside of the bay along with good numbers of black sea bass and scup.
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures had another solid week of striped bass fishing, with continued topwater blitzes fueling some great dawn and dusk fishing. Bonito fishing is still going strong. The albies haven’t arrived in full force yet, but they have started to pop up sporadically in their usual haunts from Narragansett to Newport. Tautog fishing is getting better and better and should continue to improve as the cooler weather rolls in. Black sea bass and scup are a solid option for bottom fishermen if the tautog aren’t cooperating. With morning blitzes of stripers, blues, and bonito, Dustin is expecting an awesome fall run. He has limited fall run spots available if you’re interested in trying for albies from the kayak. Check out his website for details!
Jay at Pamela May Charters told me he had another strong weekend of bonito fishing, with plenty of big bluefish in the mix. There are also solid numbers of striped bass feeding on the same schools of peanuts as the bonito and bluefish. If you’re looking for some quality bass in skinny water, and/or on topwater, it seems that dusk has been best this week. The albies made a quick appearance off Narragansett in the usual hotspots, but they have been very spotty, and up and down. There is plenty of bait and the false albacore fishing could very well blow open after this swell. Bottom fishing was also strong over the past week, including some nice keeper sea bass if you can get through the shorts, and plenty of large scup.
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Eric at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown reported that the local fall fishing has continued to accelerate in Rhode Island! They are currently still in the midst of some of the best bonito fishing they’ve ever seen. Mixed sizes of bonito can be found along the coast and in the southern parts of the bay. Small minnow plugs seem to be the ticket for the larger bonito, while the smaller fish are being taken on epoxy jigs. Albies are scarce, but if you get a shot at them, there is a great chance it’ll be the biggest one you’ve ever caught. Tautog fishing keeps getting better with many large tautog starting to move into their fall locations. A nice push of mullet has entered the area, so they are expecting to see the bass get fired up for the fall run any day. If you get a weather window, make sure you get out and do some bluefin fishing. The jig bite is still hot and as long as the weather doesn’t get too bad, it should stay hot for a while.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that things remained pretty similar to last week, with continued strong fishing. There are still bass in all their usual late-summer haunts out front, and those fish are starting to take notice of a recent influx of mullet. The upper bay and the rivers have been even better and will likely see another improvement with the approaching nor’easter. Bottom fishermen are reporting plenty of sea bass and scup, along with a nice bump in cod catches on the deeper structure. Tautog reports continue to improve, and the anglers that are targeting them are cashing in on a good bite and low fishing pressure. Mixed sizes of tuna are still being caught with regularity, and most anglers reported an uptick in action for bluefin on the jig or poppers. Anglers traveling further offshore are finding some large bigeyes and steady yellowfin action. As many of you know, Dave is currently undergoing a medical procedure. The shop remains open, but he is on limited hours. They’re open 7-10 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and will be open from 6 a.m. to noon on Sundays.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Scant reports of false albacore have anglers gearing up for the fall run to blow wide open. The upcoming nor’easter may make things difficult for the next couple of days, but we’re all hoping that it accelerates the arrival of albies, instead of doing the opposite and blowing them further offshore. In the meantime, bonito are still plentiful across the state, along with a few big schools of Spanish mackerel. There’s no shortage of small bait in the area, and the number of blitzes of mixed species has multiplied like crazy this week. Striped bass and bluefish can still be found in all their usual haunts out front, and in the bay, and remain prevalent on topwaters. Unlike the last few weeks, the topwater bite, especially for striped bass, has been best at dusk compared to dawn. It was also reported that the first push of mullet has entered the area, so we should see some bigger bass key in on them as the fall run rolls on.
The bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with strong scup fishing and improved sea bassing this week. The cod numbers seem to be improving as well, which portends nicely for the upcoming fall season. The sea bass really seem to be putting on the fall feed bag, with reports of big keepers in shallow and deep water. Tautog interest doesn’t usually peak until October, but those that are targeting them are being rewarded for getting the early jump on things. Tuna reports had started to slow down a bit but seem to have picked up again pre-storm. Over bluefin from 60 to 75 inches have been prevalent nearshore, while some quality bigeye and yellowfin have been easy enough to find further offshore at the canyons. The next few days will be tough for those in smaller vessels, but with a little bit of luck, the nor’easter pushes more fish in, and we see a full-blown fall run start up very soon.