Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith has been doing well for fluke and sea bass on their full-day trips. Pool fish have been up in the 6-pound range and action has been steady, with a mix of shorts and keepers. The half-day trips have been slower for keeper fluke, but they are still getting a few and pretty steady action from short fluke and sea bass. Large schools of bait are moving onto the grounds, and Captain Cole thinks things are ready to blow open any day now! Check out their website for schedule and reservations.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that the reports of early-arriving bonito have continued to improve. The strongest reports are coming from the Tiverton Basin and the East Passage, but they are all around the South Shore as well. These fish haven’t been too picky and are taking epoxy jigs, Albie Snax, Whip-It Fish, and other offerings. Reports have started to pick up steam, especially around Little Compton, Newport and Jamestown. Striped bass fishing picked up in the Providence River and in the bay, as another push of fish moved in and are keyed-in on the pogies. Fresh pogies are always a safe bet in these areas, but trolling the tube-and-worm or umbrella rigs have also been working when the fish are finicky. Block Island is also loaded with big bass taking live eels and soft plastics in the usual areas. Surfcasters are still reporting good results at the breachways and beaches on darters, pencils, needlefish, soft plastics and live eels. The fluke and sea bass fishing has improved a bit more this week locally, with a good number of larger fluke being reported, mainly in the 8- to 12-pound range. The scup bite has been steady on the rockpiles in the lower bay and out front. Dave just brought in a huge selection of Lemire’s Plugworks and Alan’s Customs and will be open until 8 PM every night.
Captain Connor MacLeod at Tall Tailz Charters told me that the new moon this week brought in another push of big bass, right on schedule. There are schools of very large fish around, averaging 30- to 40-pounds plus. The early morning topwater bite has been insane! Connor is still getting a few slot fish on most trips, but you just need to know where to look, as the bigger bass are outnumbering them. Bottom fishing has been the best it’s been all season. He’s seeing quality fluke on almost every drop. The magic number is 70 to 80 feet for keeper-size fish. Chartreuse and pink jigs have been the ticket. Black sea bass has been very consistent as well. Metal jigs are catching most of the bigger fish. The Daiwa KO jig has been killing it. Epic week on the inshore grounds!
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Captain Rob Taylor at Newport Sportfishing Charters told me that the giant train has rolled on in terms of the striped bass bite. The quality of fish continues to improve, and there is no shortage of fish, both local and around the island. This latest new moon, coupled with the warm temperatures, seems to have restocked the striped bass shelves, both locally and offshore, as they settle into their summer haunts. Bottom fishing has been strong for scup and sea bass, and Rob also mentioned seeing some of the best fluke action of the season this week. Hopefully these fluke decide to hang around for the summer!
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Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report for the week: “This past week has been the week of the bonito. They’ve been a reliable target on most of our outings. Striper fishing is still pretty strong. The heat wave over the last few days made the bite interesting, but a little hard work and patience has resulted in quality fish. Bluefish have been caught more frequently, which is a good sign on days where striper fishing is a grind. The recent new moon seems to have brought more bass and bluefish to the area, so as the temperatures cool in the coming days, we should see slightly easier fishing. Bottom fishing is starting to show signs of life, especially on the fluke grounds. Finding a keeper sea bass has been somewhat of a challenge, so be willing to keep moving around. With super early pelagics and the summer bite in full bloom, reach out to us to book your kayak fishing trip ASAP!”
Eric at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown didn’t want to get ahead of themselves too early with the bonito reports, but after this week they have definitely arrived in good numbers. They have a healthy population of bonito zooming around the RI oceanfront, and it looks like they are sticking around for a bit. These bonito are early and plentiful so get out there! The striped bass bite remains strong but with this warmer weather they have started to see the transition from the spring striper spots to the summer locations. Think about deeper, cooler water and more opportunistic feeding when you are targeting them. Early morning and last light are great times to get out there and cast some big plugs like Yo-Zuri’s new pencil. Fluke fishing is another highlight; they’re seeing consistent catches of fluke throughout Rhode Island. You might have to weed through some shorts to get a keeper, but they are there. The same goes for black sea bass.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Summer fishing has taken over across Southern New England and most of the striped bass and bluefish are in their summer patterns across Rhode Island. The recent new moon brought another push of big bass and bluefish into the bay and surrounding rivers, following the pogie schools. These fish should hang around for a bit, but as it continues to warm up you need to fish the cooler parts of the day or look for activity out front. Luckily, there’s no shortage of bass out front as well. The rips and reefs across South County are holding fish and the Block Island summer giants seem to be arriving right on schedule. Bluefishing isn’t as consistent, but they are more tolerant of the warm water and that bite seemingly took a turn for the better this week.
The early-arriving bonito have remained thick enough to target across the state. The best reports were from the Tiverton area and East Passage, but these fast-moving fish can be found just about anywhere in the state at any given time. Some of them are pushing 10 pounds, and there is so much bait in the area, you can get them to eat just about anything.
Bottom fishing also took a turn for the better around Newport and parts of South County, with some of the best fluke reports of the season from a number of anglers and charters. The magic depth seems to be 70 to 80 feet, but be willing to move around. Sea bass are all over the bottom, but you may have to work a few different areas to find enough keepers for a limit. The scup bite has been strong for both shore and boat anglers, and the first rumors of recreational bluefin are still coming in, so there’s no shortage of summer options across Rhode Island!