Rhode Island Fishing Report- September 5, 2024

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The Frances Fleet in Point Judith had another strong week of fishing when they were able to get out. Sea bass fishing has remained very good, with plenty of limits, along with plenty of dinner plate scup. There has still been a solid number of keeper fluke in the mix, and most trips are seeing a few nice tautog as well. 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 things remained pretty similar to last week, with continued strong fishing. There are still bass in all their usual late-summer haunts out front, but there have also been a few more bass in the bay and rivers, along with some reported blitzes around Colt Park and Ohio Ledge. Bottom fishermen are reporting a few nice fluke catches before the move out, sea bass and scup fishing is consistent, while tautog reports continue to improve each week. Mixed sizes of tuna are still being caught with regularity, with the majority coming on the jig and pop. There have also been a few more yellowfin in the mix this week as well. As many of you know, Dave has a medical procedure in the coming weeks, he will remain open until then, but will be only offering window service to avoid any complications.  

Eric at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown was happy to report that the hardtails have officially arrived! Whether you’re targeting bonito, Spanish or chub macks, or the freshly arriving false albacore, the Rhode Island shoreline has you covered. The usual suspects: Albie Snax, Hogy Surface Erasers, and Mag Minnows have been getting the job done for all species. If you are looking for big bass from the kayak, try trolling a tube and worm rig with a Fishbites trailer—the big bass love it and there are plenty of them around. Bottom fishing remains consistent with some large black sea bass, a few nice fluke, and improved tautog fishing both inshore and out front this week. Tuna fishing has been another consistent bite, with the majority of fish taken on sand-eel-style jigs. There are also increased reports of yellowfin tuna over the past few days, which has everyone excited.  

Captain Connor at Tall Tailz Charters provided the following report: “Fishing this week has once again been nuts. With the fair weather, most of our trips have been on the nearshore tuna grounds. Each trip we’ve been catching quality fish with many more over-sized tuna being caught with regularity. The troll bite and jig bite have both been very consistent. Reports of nearshore yellowfin on the chunk have been trickling in as well. Hopefully that bite blows up soon. We’ve also been able to find a few hammer mahi on the pots close to home. When we’re fishing inshore, we’ve mainly been targeting stripers. The bass bite has been lights out, with loads of big fish. I’m mainly fishing tube and worm and seeing fish to nearly 50 pounds with some regularity. Mixed on the edges of the bass schools are gator bluefish, which are always a blast! The sea bass jig bite is still holding well for us when killing time around the slack tides.” 

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Captain Rob at Newport Sportfishing Charters reported that things have remained status quo since last week, with solid fishing opportunities throughout the area. Most of the nearshore tuna haunts are home to some massive feeds. Bluefin of mixed sizes can be found on the jig, troll, pop, or bait, and there have been increased numbers of yellowfin entering the fray as well. While tuna are catching quite a bit of attention, Rob also noted that the striped bass fishing has remained tremendous this week, whenever he’s targeted them. Bass are taking topwaters during the day 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 been steady, and the tautog fishing continues to slowly improve as we approach fall. 

Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures told me that striper fishing has been solid lately, with a lot of morning blitzes creating some great topwater opportunities. Bonito fishing is going extremely well. He’d say it’s the best it’s been in a long time! While the bonito fishing is great, the albies are a little late, and haven’t arrived in full force yet, but should fire up at any moment. Tautog fishing is getting better and better and should continue to improve as cooler weather rolls in. Black sea bass and scup are both solid options for bottom fishermen, especially 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 September spots available if you’re interested in trying for albies from the kayak. Check out their website for details! 

 

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Jay at Pamela May Charters told me that the bonito are back in full force and have been feeding heavily on peanut bunker. They’re still waiting for the arrival of false albacore, but they’re likely right around the corner. In the meantime, the bonito, along with slot-class stripers and some big bluefish have been providing excellent topwater feeds. Bottom fishing was also solid over the past week, with some nice keeper sea bass if you can get through the shorts, along with plenty of scup, and a few straggler fluke.  

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

Early signs of the hardtail invasion are showing, and by the time I write this report again next week, I think we’ll have the full smorgasbord of hardtail options readily available. We’re already seeing all the options in Rhode Island, with plentiful bonito and mackerel, along with the arrival of our first few false albacore. 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 they’ve been fired up on topwater over the past few days. Bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with strong scup and better sea bass results from the deeper wrecks and rockpiles. Fluke fishing is probably in its latter stages, but this is usually a time where you have one more chance for a doormat before they migrate. Most anglers have the topwater and/or tuna bug, but those targeting tautog are starting to see much better numbers as we approach the fall season. Tuna reports have been up and down, mainly because of the weather and crowds, but most anglers that are targeting them are at least finding a few. There has been a nice influx of yellowfin this week as well, which is always a nice late-summer effort before the fall really settles in. The next few weeks are very promising, with real tuna biting consistently, false tuna ready to bust the door down, striped bass and bluefish entering fall mode, and tautog taking another step towards the fall bite.