Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith had to cancel a few trips this past week due to the weather but when they were able to get out, customers have been doing pretty well targeting fluke on both the full and half day trips. Keepers can be hard to come by at times, but there is generally plenty of action all day long. Party and charter sea bass season has opened up as well, and the early action on the sea bass grounds has been very encouraging. Half-day trips leave the dock at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. and are a great option for families looking to spend a few days out on the water without committing to the longer full day trips. Keep an eye out for the upcoming Nantucket Fluke Trips and they will be offering Whale Watching trips soon as well.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that the rumors of early arriving bonito have, in fact, been accurate. Reports have started to pick up steam, especially around Little Compton, Newport and Jamestown. The inshore striped bass bite is still solid on most days, but the fish are often scattered, so you may need to spend some time locating the bait. Surf casters on the South Shore have seen more consistent results recently while throwing darters, metal lips, and needlefish. Block Island is likely still producing larger bass consistently, but the wind and fog over the past few days has kept a lot of anglers closer to home. The fluke and sea bass fishing has improved a bit more this week locally, with a good number of larger fluke being reported this week, mainly in the 8-12-pound range. The scup bite has been steady on the rockpiles in the lower bay and out front. They can still be found around mid-bay as well, but the best reports are south of the bridges. Dave will continue to be open until 8 PM Wednesday through Saturday.
Captain Ian, at Ranger Charters has been spending most of his time cashing in on the strong bass bite across Rhode Island. A glut of quality fish have started to take up residency on the reefs around the Newport area, and word from the South Shore reefs has been just as strong. It has been consistently strong in terms of size and quantity, with fish ranging from slot to 40-pounds in the same areas. While it has been better on the reefs out front, there are still enough bass up in the bay to provide some refuge on the snottier days. Ground fishing has also been steady with a better than usual early black sea bass bite, along with an improving early fluke bite.
Tyler at The Saltwater Edge in Newport reports that the big influx of inshore bonito has been the talk of the town, with huge numbers showing up considering we’re still in mid-June. These fish range in size to small “French Fry” size to double-digit fish, so it isn’t just a push of smalls. There’s so much bait in the area that you can throw just about any offering at them and get them to eat. They’ve been spitting up everything from squid, bay anchovies, sand eels, and silversides. The striped bass bite has been consistent inshore on the reefs and rips, and there are still a few bigger bass patrolling the upper bay. If the wind allows you to get offshore to the Block Island area, you’re likely to find some much larger bass and bluefish feeding on sand eels on the surface. Tuna anglers are starting to gear up to head offshore as well, as they’re starting to hear about the first recreational class tuna showing up. Fluke fishing has improved around Sakonnet, and there’s a few solid fish being caught off the south shore. The sea bass and scup bite is red hot as well, and there’s enough squid around to keep that bite going strong.
Captain Connor at Tall Tailz Charters in Newport provided the following report for the week; “The fishing this week has been lights out. The striper bite remains hot. We haven’t caught as many slot fish but there’s been no shortage of 20–40-pound bass. The early morning top water bite has been excellent. Live lining live bait and 3 ways on the bottom has been working best. The new moon next week should bring in a final push of migratory bass as well as a variety of bait. Bottom fishing has been excellent as well. The fluke bite has really turned on now that we’re in between moon cycles. We’ve limited out on the past two trips with fish to 8 pounds. The opening of black sea bass came at the perfect time as the keeper sea bass seem to be all over the high spots out front. The bigger sea bass have been coming on the jig opposed to bait. Reports of rec tuna are coming in as well! The bite is on in RI!”
Ralph, at Crafty One Customs, is still getting reports of some good striped bass fishing taking place inside of the bay. The fish are becoming a bit tougher to catch during the day, but anglers continue to do well under low light conditions and after dark. Along with the bass, anglers are reporting a few bluefish which have been mixed in size. Fluke fishing is holding up well with most anglers finding at least a couple of keepers for their efforts. Seabass are around and scup fishing is really starting to heat up.
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Dustin, at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures, told me that the solid striped bass bite rolls on across Rhode Island. With so much bait around of all types, he’s enjoyed quite a few blitzes and topwater mornings. Blues are starting to get more prevalent, however for Dustin and his clients, stripers are out numbering them. Due to a lot of his recent trips being striper trips, they haven’t had a ton of time to focus on the bottom bite, however those putting in the time are being rewarded with keepers. Bonito have been around and have actually been plentiful enough to target, but like any species every day is different. With the summer bite in full bloom reach out to book your kayak trip ASAP!
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Summer fishing patterns have started to take over across Rhode Island, and those tried-and-true patterns should only get more consistent with the first real heat wave of the year on the way. One summer visitor, bonito, have shown up early and with a vengeance. Bonito in good enough numbers to target are all over the state, with the largest concentrations being around Little Compton and Newport. Some of these fish are pushing 10-pounds, and there is so much bait in the area, you can get them to eat just about anything. Striped bass continue to be prevalent throughout Rhode Island, with the local reefs and rips being the areas you want to target. The reefs around Newport are all holding fish from slot class to 40-pounds, and the reefs as far west as Sugar Reef are also said to be fishing well. Bigger bass and some gator bluefish are reportedly hanging around Block Island, and they are gorging on the sand eels out there. Fluke reports have seen a bit of an uptick, with another push of fish showing up at Block Island, and some bigger fish showing up around Sakonnet, Newport, and occasionally on the south shore structure. Plenty of squid can still be found across the state as well, and that has resulted in a very strong sea bass and scup bite on all the humps and rockpiles. The first recreation sized tunas are starting to be spotted off our waters as well, so I anticipate writing more about that in the coming weeks.