Rhode Island Fishing Report
Reports from the Frances Fleet in Point Judith have been very good on recent squid trips where many customers are filling a 5-gallon bucket or more of nice-sized squid! Squid fishing has been very good so far this year and trips are selling out quickly, so be sure to make reservations on their website if you would like to get in on the action. Everyone’s always asking how long the bite will last, and no one really knows for sure, as it remains hard to predict. The fleet will keep going after them as long as they’re around. Fishing on the fluke trips is also starting to pick up, including a much better bite on the half-day trips that sailed this week. The water has started to clean up, and it equated to many more keepers being landed, with the biggest going 9-pounds! Be sure to check their website for their full schedule of upcoming trips and to make reservations.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence reports that the inshore striped bass bite is still good, but the fish have spread out a bit. They can be found at a number of locales throughout the bay, but it may take some bouncing around. A lot of the pogies got blown out of the bay during the last rain, so the bass dispersed. The water is starting to clean up though, and we should start to see more bait and tighter schools of bass. On a positive note, anglers targeting bass are consistently finding gator bluefish in the same areas, so they’re still hanging around. Using bait is always a safe bet, pogies if you can find them, or mackerel chunks, clams and squid. There’s also a steady bite on flutter spoons and on the troll with tube-and-worm or umbrella rigs. There still seems to be a healthy weakfish bite on small swimming plugs/soft plastics, with the best results coming from upper Narragansett Bay and Mount Hope Bay. There is also still plenty of squid, with anglers filling buckets on the regular in Newport, Tiverton, and out front in South County. The fluke and sea bass fishing is starting to improve in the lower bay and out front, especially around the squid schools. Spro bucktails dressed with squid or Gulp have been producing the best of both species. The scup bite has been steady on the rockpiles in the lower bay and out front, but they are being reported as far north as Rocky Point. Freshwater anglers are still reporting good trout results on worms, shiners and powerbait, while largemouth anglers are catching on Senkos and Yum Lizards. Dave will be open until 7 PM Wednesday through Saturday.
Captain Connor MacLeod at Tall Tailz Charters has been taking advantage of one of the best portions of the fishing season that Newport has to offer. The tautog bite has been solid on most trips, but those fish are moving up and down the bay to spawn, so you may have to spend a little time finding a piece that has chewables. The striped bass bite has also steadily improved. There are loads of migratory fish entering the area every day, but there has also been a big push of big fish running up through the Bay on the tails of pogies. With the massive amounts of fast-moving bait around, the bite could get inconsistent from day to day, but there is no shortage of bass and blues in the area. Word is that the scup and fluke bite is starting to improve as well, with steady scup reports from all over the area and fluke reports trickling in from Block. Be sure to reach out to Connor to book a summer trip before it’s too late!
Ian at Ranger Charters sent in a quick report for the week. He told me that he had mostly been targeting striped bass in the bay over the past few weeks. This week, some of the bigger concentrations of bass have moved out of the bay and can be found on the hard structure out in front around Newport. The bottom fishing really started to take off this week though, and that has been Ian’s focus the last few days. The Block Island fluke bite has really picked up, with Ian managing limits of quality fish on his last few trips. He told me that the sea bassing out around the island is picking up as well, but you still have to target them in deep water.
Captain Rob Taylor at Newport Sportfishing Charters told me that the bass bite has continued to improve, and he’s seen another increase in quality this week. Another nice push of some big bluefish has also moved in, and he’s seen some of the biggest and most consistent bluefish action that he’s had in a few years. Squid fishing should start to slow down at some point, but it’s been as solid as and as consistent as ever over the past few nights. Bottom fishing for tautog is consistent enough to make it worth a trip before the spring season ends. Weeding through short tautog is still part of the process, but a few of Rob’s clients were rewarded for their patience with some nice keepers this week. Rob also mentioned that the fluke fishing went from decent to “very very good” around Block and is also decent in the lower bay around the squid schools.
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Ralph at Crafty One Customs reported another week of great fishing up inside of the bay. Striped bass reports remain very good with bass falling for a mix of live bait, soft plastics, and topwater lures. This is prime time for bass fishing inside of the bay and there are some big fish around. There are also some big bluefish in the area, and you’re liable to run into a few gators right along with the bass, or run into a random, large school of blitzing blues on any given day. Tautog reports are still holding up well and fishing should remain productive through the end of the month when the season will close. Squid fishing continues to produce well with solid reports coming from both shore-based and boat anglers. That squid seems to be attracting some of the fluke in, as reports have improved in the lower bay, not just Block Island.
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures reports that the striped bass fishing has been relatively consistent over the last week, despite some up and down conditions. The quality bassing, even when conditions aren’t ideal, is a strong sign for the season to come! Dustin has seen mainly low 30-inch-class bass, but there have been some much larger fish in the mix this week. Dustin caught fewer bluefish this week, but they are still in the mix and seem to be moving around quite a bit. The same can be said for weakfish, which are still around, but more spread out. A little patience and some willingness to move around should get you on the board for either species. The tautog fishing is still going strong and will continue to be solid right up to the close of the season this weekend. Dustin hasn’t gone out for black sea bass or fluke, but a few credible sources have reported much better local results over the last few days. With the last week being pretty solid across the board for multiple species, Dustin is optimistic for an excellent June. Reach out to us as soon as possible to book your kayak fishing trip!
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
While summer temperatures aren’t quite here, they are right around the corner, and it is starting to feel like summer fishing is upon us. Striped bass continue to be prevalent throughout Rhode Island, with some much bigger bass continuing to enter the bay when the pogies are around, along with more migratory fish showing up along the beaches. A continued influx of big bluefish this week also seems to be a trend. The blues are moving around quite a bit, but they are often being caught in the mix alongside big stripers and can occasionally found in big schools blitzing on the surface. Weakfish are also spread out quite a bit, but are still being caught, especially in the upper bay.
Squid reports improved once again and are quite consistent, and they seem to have attracted some quality fluke, which should pick up the bottom fishing slack nicely. Fluke, along with black sea bass and scup, are starting to show up in better numbers in the lower bay and out front. Block Island area fluke reports really intensified this week, with the headboats, charters, and private anglers all seeming to find big keepers if they made the trek to the island. The tautog season wraps up this weekend, and if you’re looking to stay closer to home, it may be worth targeting them one last time before the late summer.
Freshwater anglers are reporting quality post-spawn largemouth catches, and trout fishing is still going strong.