Rhode Island Fishing Report
Ralph Craft at Crafty One Customs said that customers have reported doing very well targeting green bonito inside of the bay and along the south shore beaches. There have also been a few false albacore around but they are much harder to find. Fishing for striped bass continues to produce well throughout much of the bay and there are some bluefish around, but they have also been difficult to find. There are still some fluke being caught and the sea bass fishing has been excellent. Tautog reports are slowly picking up as more anglers turn their attention to this fall favorite. Registration is now open The Rhode Island Tog Classic, which is scheduled for October 13th, at ritogclassic.com. There are also plenty of online raffles already live on the site.
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith has picked up their full-day mixed bag trips after a few days tied to the docks due to the weather. These trips leave the dock at 7 A.M. and generally see a nice mix of black sea bass, cod, scup, and some fluke. The weather forecast is looking much better after Thursday, and the trips have been solid whenever they’ve been able to get on the grounds. Most anglers have been seeing a limit of black sea bass, plenty of scup, some nice cod, and hake. These trips offer a great opportunity for anglers to come home with a nice bag of filets for the dinner table. Their full schedule can be viewed online, and you can also make reservations for upcoming trips on their website of by calling the office.
Captain Rob at Newport Sportfishing Charters has used the recent tough weather as a reason to stay close to home, and it has worked out nicely. The recent blow has helped to kickstart the mullet run and Rob has cashed in with plenty of local bass to 40 pounds, most of which are being caught on topwater. There are a few schools of bonito and false albacore crashing the party as well. Word from the bottom fishermen is that the sea bass, scup, and cod bite is still steady on the deeper structure, while tog anglers are finding some nice fish across multiple depths.
Captain Connor at Tall Tailz Charters had a bit of a roller coaster week on the fishing grounds. With nonstop northeast winds, getting offshore has been tough. Thankfully, the inshore bite has picked up the slack, and they’re seeing some fall fishing at its finest! They’ve been casting to blitzing bass, bluefish and bonito every day and seeing 40+ fish per trip. Slot-sized bass to fish over 45 inches has been the norm. There has also been a nice mix of bluefish from cocktails to gators. All of the aforementioned species are mainly feeding on silversides and peanut bunker. When they’ve had enough run and gun fishing, Connor has been doing some ‘casual togging’, which has been very good! The jig bite has been consistent with easy limits of fish to 8 pounds.
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, but the false albacore numbers haven’t blown up just yet. The albies haven’t arrived in full force yet, but that 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 the 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 also found some improved fishing thanks to the blow over the weekend. The South County shore was lit up with stripers and bonito, along with the much-anticipated arrival of more false albacore. The numbers weren’t insane, but the bait school sizes were, so things should only continue to improve as the water cleans up. Large bait schools are all over the state, so if you’re not seeing anything right away just keep moving around and your bound to find some funny fish. The tautog are waking up as well. Jay was catching quality tog, sea bass, and big scup on the same jigs they were tossing to the albies and stripers. All signs point to the inshore fall run firing up right on time.
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Eric at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown reported: “Fall started with a bang here in Rhode Island. Surf fishing has picked up significantly with darters and needles being the go-to lures. This rough weather has the fish fired up and ready to eat. If you find some picky fish, downsize your lure or use a casting egg and fly setup. If you get out on a boat you’ll likely find some massive schools of feeding bass. There won’t always be birds on them, so look out for nervous water and patches of bait in the water. Albies are here! They haven’t been very cooperative when it comes to catching them but they are here so get out there and give it a try. Our Albie Shootout runs until mid-October and we are giving away some amazing prizes. This tournament is eligible for anglers from NJ north to Maine and covers albies, bonito, and Spanish macks. Bottom fishing keeps picking up as well. There aren’t many fluke around right now, but large sea bass and tautog have moved into their usual haunts. Great way to spend some time after hitting the fall run bass and hardtail fishing!”
Before the blow, Brian Mawdsley got out with his friend Mike Querfeld and took his 21’ Seacraft to the shipping lanes, where they sealed the deal on a fat, 69-inch bluefin tuna.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that the recent blow has really set up some great local fishing, just outside the bay and across parts of South County. The striped bass are feeding heavily pre-migration, and due to an abundance of mullet, you can often find bass to 40-pounds in the shallows and/or topwaters. In these instances, topwater lures and big soft plastics have been getting it done. If you’re not seeing them actively feeding, a fresh chunk or eel will almost always work. Bonito numbers are still strong, and word is that the false albacore numbers have improved a bit since the weather. Tautog fishing has been excellent for those trying on the days they aren’t getting blown off the anchor, and bottom fishermen are still finding plenty of scup and sea bass. Dave has recovered from his surgery but won’t be back to work for a few months at least. In the meantime, his friend and Orvis certified light tackle/fly guide Rene Letourneau will be manning the shop part-time. They’ll be doing some fixed hours and some pop-up hours, so be sure to check the OST Facebook page for updates on hours.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
The recent nor’easter has slowed offshore reports but seems to have really kickstarted the inshore fall run. Large schools of peanuts, silversides, and mullet have fired up some intense topwater action just outside of Narragansett Bay and up and down the South County shoreline. There is no shortage of striped bass in that mix, including some big fish over 40 pounds, which are hot on the tails of the mullet. Bonito numbers remain steady, while the false albacore and bluefish remain tougher to find, although there were more reports of both species this week. The bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with strong scup and improved sea bassing remaining status quo. Reports from the deeper reefs were quiet due to the weather, but the headboats are reporting better cod numbers over the past few days. Tautog interest has started to increase, and those that are targeting them are being rewarded with a nice pick of fish on jigs in shallow water. Tuna reports were quiet this week, but the bite is likely far from over. I expect to hear increased reports of quality bluefin, relatively close to home, as the weather improves over the weekend. It seems that a little bit of fall weather has kicked the fall run into gear, be sure to get out there and cash in this weekend, now that the weather has started to settle.