Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith has picked up their full-day mixed bag trips and has been seeing a lot of nice fish coming over the rail on their fall mixed bag trips. Full-day trips leaving the dock at 7 a.m. The last few days have seen better cod action in terms of both quality and quantity. On these trips you can expect to catch a mix of black sea bass, cod, and scup. The real excitement is the anticipation of the upcoming tautog trips. Looking ahead, they will be adding tautog trips starting around October 12th. 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 reports that the striped bass fishing has continued to be a major draw in the area this week, especially for shore fishermen. Shore anglers are reporting good bass fishing in Pawtucket, all the up to the waterfall. There have also been good numbers of fish in the bay, all the way up to the Providence River. These fish in the Bay are heavily concentrated on bigger bait, so both shore and boat anglers are cashing in on topwater plugs, big swimming plugs, and fresh chunks. There are also some decent schools of bluefish, bonito, and a few false albacore along the Newport coastline and South County beaches. This is providing some good light-tackle action for boat, kayak and surf anglers. Inshore anglers are also paying more attention to tautog recently, and the reports have been excellent both out front, and throughout Narragansett Bay. These fish can be found throughout a variety of different depth ranges, but most anglers are preferring jigging in 30 feet or less at the moment. Anglers who still have the tuna bug are reporting a good giant bite SW of Block and around Montauk, and there have been enough small fish around to keep rec. anglers busy as well. Freshwater anglers are cashing in on the recent trout stockings, and the stockings are slated to continue in the upcoming weeks.
Ralph Craft at Crafty One Customs said that fall fishing in the bay is really picking up with a lot of different options for anglers to pursue. Striped bass and some bluefish have been chasing bait in tight to the rocks and beaches making for some get fishing for both boat and shore anglers. There have been a few false albacore and some mackerel around as well. Tautog fishing is getting better by the day and there are still some black sea bass and scup around. The Rhode Island Tog Classic is coming up this weekend, on October 13th and is guaranteed to be a good time. You can enter and check out a bunch of great raffles at www.ritogclassic.com.
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Captain Rob at Newport Sportfishing Charters once again targeted the big bluefin this week. Most trips were successful, with some serious giants hitting the deck, along with some nice unders. While tuna has been the main focus the last few days, Rob also mentioned that the inshore striped bass bite is still going strong and is still being fueled mainly by the mullet run. The mullet run and some big piles of peanut bunker have continued to drive some nice topwater blitzes. Rob will be turning his attention to tautog shortly, as reports have been very strong from other local anglers this week. Rob also noted that the sea bass fishing is “super”, with a nice mix of fish in the same areas as the tautog, as well as on the deeper structure/cod grounds.
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Captain Connor at Tall Tailz Charters has started his transition into fall tautog fishing and early reports have been strong. Despite some tough wind this week, Connor has had the bite dialed in, with easy limits and a couple nice double-digit fish caught and released. The fish are coming across a wide range of depths, mostly shallow, so the jig bite has been a favorite of most anglers. Most trips are also seeing some solid sea bass in the mix as well. Connor has not done much striped bass fishing this week but noted that he has run across some nice blitzes on many of his tautog trips, so they’re certainly still out there.
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures sent over the following report for the week: “The stereotypical fall run is in full swing. The striper blitzes over the past week have been nothing short of incredible. Some blues are mixed in, but recent blitzes have been mostly stripers up to high 30-inch class. The epic bonito run has slowed down a bit, but a few are still around. You’ll probably hear this from me every week for the next month or two, the tog fishing has been awesome and shouldn’t slow down. Seabass are really active and can be caught while togging with green crabs or jigging. For those interested in kayak fishing trips, the good news is we don’t necessarily close, so there is still plenty of time to fish this fall/winter. Head over to our website and check us out!”
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Jay at Pamela May Charters reports that things settled down a little from the past few weeks, but there is still plenty of action. Stripers are still around but they’ve become much more scattered, generally, if you find the birds, you’ll find the fish. Piles of stripers, blues, and bonito, big chubb mackerel, and some hickory shad have been in the mix. The false albacore have been around here and there, but nothing like years prior. Luckily, the bonito season continues to be one of the best ones ever, as they’re still around in great numbers. The same can be said of the bluefin season, with strong reports of mixed sized fish just south of Block Island. Tautog is rocking in shallow spots, and will only get better, especially when it goes up to 5 fish per person on October 15th.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Some frosty mornings and strong winds are making things feel more fall-like, while the fishing is has felt fall-like for a few weeks now. With the exception of the continued lack of false albacore, the beat has rolled on consistently for anglers fishing southern New England. The striped bass are on the feed bag heavily, as they prepare for the fall migration. Reports from the Upper Bay have remained steady, and there have also been reports of increased bass activity in the Pawcatuck River. Fueled by larger bait, you’re likely to find some bigger bass feeding in these estuaries. As you move south, you’re apt to continue to find large schools of bass around the mouth of the bay and along the beaches. One of the stronger mullet runs in recent years has continued to fire up blitzes of quality fish, along with some giant schools of smaller bass feeding on small bait.
The bonito reports have quieted a bit, but you’ll generally come across a few chances at them on any given day. The same can be said for bluefish, which are scattered throughout the area as well.
Tautog fever has started to take over across Rhode Island, with more angling interest translating into more reports of double-digit fish this week. The fish could be had both in the bay and out front, with keepers coming from a wide range of depths. There are plenty of sea bass in the same areas as well, along with some cod on the deeper structure.
The tuna bite has also fired back up as the weather has settled down, with good reports of bluefin, from giants to footballs, for most anglers pursuing them.
Another staple of October fishing is fall trout fishing, and the DEM has started up their fall stocking program this week.