Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith continues to do well with squid and have also seen some of their first fluke of the season. The squid trips this week were a success once again. Those who were dialed in easily got full buckets, while even those who struggled a bit still went home with plenty of squid. Squid trips will be sailing this Friday and Saturday night, but make sure you book ASAP, as the available spots won’t last long. They also had their first fluke trips of the year earlier this week, and a good crew of anglers made the trip and found some quality fish. Long lines and Gulp were getting the job done, and it should only get better from here. Make sure you book soon!
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence reports that striped bass fishing has continued to trend in the right direction, with a push of bigger fish showing up this week. Anglers targeting striped bass are doing best on fresh pogie/mackerel chunks, worms, and clams in the upper bay and rivers. Anglers throwing large plugs at the breachways after dark are also starting to report better catches. Squid fishing has continued to be consistent for both shore and boat anglers across the state. Dave is also expecting to hear some of the first weakfish reports any day now. Tautog throughout the bay are getting more active, but the short fish are still greatly outnumbering keepers. More sea bass have been mixed in with the tautog, which portends well for the season opener in a few weeks. Scup fishing really improved this week, and is reportedly great in the lower bay for anglers fishing worms, squid, and clam tongues. Mid-bay reports are improving as well at Colt State Park and Rocky Point. Dave will be open until 7 PM Friday and Saturday for those who need to load up on gear or bait for the weekend.
Captain Connor at Tall Tailz Charters is back on the water for the season and provided the following report: “The weather is slowly getting warmer and so is the bass fishing. It seems like each trip we’re seeing more and more fresh migratory fish. Most of the bass are in the 30- to 40-inch range and we’re catching them on flutter spoons and topwater plugs. Further up the bay, there are some bigger fish over 40 pounds feeding on pogies. The tautog bite is starting to slow a bit compared to last week. We’re still getting our limit, but we’re having to cull through a lot of pregnant females. Most of the better drops were in shallower water of less than 30 feet. Along with the tog, we’re getting jumbo dinner plate-sized scup as bycatch. Things are just heating up here in RI and about to bust wide open!”
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Captain Rob Taylor at Newport Sportfishing Charters had an interesting spring slam this past week. Striped bass, blackfish, squid, and even his first monster bluefin of the season hit the deck of the Reel EZ! The bass bite has been lights out, with a steady increase in numbers and size, including his first push of 40-pound bass of the season. Most of the usual early season bass hotspots are holding fish at one point or another throughout the day, so you shouldn’t have to work too hard to find them. Squid fishing has been as steady as ever, while bottom fishing for tautog is consistent. You may have to weed through a number of short tautog to make a limit, but you should be able to find some keepers on most of the shallower rockpiles/wrecks in the bay, along with some bonus dinner-plate scup. Rob hasn’t heard much about fluke but based on the number of squid in the area, it should be a solid early season bite.
Ralph at Crafty One Customs reports that fishing is excellent in the bay right now with anglers catching a variety of species. The squid fishing is red hot with solid catches from shore and boat. Fishing for striped bass is heating up and some larger bass are starting to show with fish into the 40-pound class caught this past week. Tautog fishing is very good with many limit catches reported. There is a good amount of bait around with squid, mackerel and pogies in the bay so the predatory fish should stick around for a while.
Jay at Pamela May Charters saw some good worm hatches over the past week. The combination of moon, warm weather, and tides led to some strong light tackle and fly fishing for striped bass. If you’re looking for bigger bass, the bite in the bay is still going strong. Another push of bunker into the bay this week brought a wave of larger bass to 40 pounds or so. Jay hasn’t done any tautog charters yet but has a few scheduled this weekend. Word is that you can find some nice white chinners in the bay, if you put a little time in weeding through some shorts and bouncing around.
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures also chimed in about the improving striped bass bite in Narragansett Bay. An abundance of bunker in the area has led to increased activity with some larger fish showing up. A combination of live-lining bunker, and throwing topwater plugs and large soft plastics have been the go-to offerings for Dustin. Tautog is also a solid option, as it’s currently at its spring peak and should remain steady until the end of the spring season. Squid fishing has also been red hot throughout the state but could start to slow as the bluefish and scup take notice, so get out soon! Dustin also added that the weakfish bite has really started to fire up over the past 24 hours, so there is no shortage of options. Fishing is improving by the day, so be sure to reach out to Dustin to book a 1- to 4-person kayak trip ASAP!
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
As we continue to transition into late spring patterns, we’re seeing signs of some species shifting into summer mode as well. Striped bass continue to be prevalent throughout Rhode Island, with the numbers and sizes improving quite a bit this week. Big bass are taking notice of the pogies that have entered the Bay, and quite a few large schools of fresh bass are also showing up along the beaches. Anglers fishing the bay are finding plenty of bass on live bunker, soft plastics, topwaters, and flutter spoons. Anglers fishing the rocks and breachways after dark are doing well on large swimming plugs, and there have also been some bass being taken on the fly around the worm hatches.
Weakfish reports have intensified like wildfire over the past two days, and anglers are hoping they hang around for a while. Squid reports improved once again and are quite consistent, and with that, we’ve heard of a few early-season fluke reports. If the squid numbers remain this good, we should continue to see a vast improvement in fluke fishing.
Scup reports were strong from the mid-bay, lower bay, and just out front, with plenty of anglers scoring dinner plate porgies this week. Tautog fishing has been steady on the shallow reefs and rockpiles under 30 feet, especially in the bay. You have to weed through a number of shorts, but there are keepers to be had.
Freshwater anglers are reporting quality largemouth catches, especially in the herring ponds, and trout fishing is still productive as well.