Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith had a busy week between the wind and the raindrops. They did lose a few trips with the weather, but when they’ve gotten out, the results were pretty good. Some days were definitely better than others, but that’s how it goes. A new body of fluke seemed to show up on the beach with lots of action on shorts and keepers. The high hook lately has been just shy of a limit, and some nice sea bass have rounded out the catch. The full-day trips have been seeing sea bass limits and a few fluke, but the fluke bite has varied from day to day. Some trips have seen better fluke fishing and a slower sea bass bite. It’s kind of coinflip, so be prepared for anything. It looks like some nice weather is approaching and the fleet does still have room on their upcoming trips. Be sure to book soon though, as they are filling up quickly with the holiday weekend.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that the bonito reports stayed relatively solid this week. The fish are spread out across the state, with a better bite picking up along the south shore. Boat, kayak, and shore anglers have all cashed in on the bonito bite this week. These fish haven’t been too picky and are taking epoxy jigs, Albie Snax, Whip-It Fish, and other offerings. Some big striped bass are in the Bay once again and can be found blitzing on small bait; they’re eating topwater plugs and soft plastics. Anglers in the Bay using the tube and worm, umbrella rigs, or fresh pogies are finding success as well, especially on the outgoing tide. Surfcasters are still reporting good results at the breachways and beaches on darters, pencils, needlefish, soft plastics and live eels. There are reportedly still plenty of bluefish in the same areas as the stripers, as well. The local fluke fishing took a turn for the better this week, with fish to 13 pounds being reported. Black sea bass fishing has also been very consistent out front, even if you have to weed through shorts. The scup bite has been good in a number of areas, specifically Prudence Island, Rocky Point, and Sandy Point. The bite is reportedly slower around Colt State Park. There are still squid around for the few anglers that are targeting them. Meanwhile, freshwater anglers are reporting good bass fishing. Dave said the shop will be open 4:30 AM to 8 PM on weekends and holidays, and 5 AM to 8 PM Monday through Friday.
Captain Connor MacLeod of Tall Tailz Charters told me the fishing this week has been killer. He has been putting a bit more focus on fluking recently, whenever the conditions are right. The best action for bigger fluke is still coming in 70 to 90 feet of water, with the flood tide generally fishing much better. Pink, white, and chartreuse-colored jigs have been outfishing everything else. The bass bite is still very consistent, too. He’s noticed more schools of slot and just-over-slot fish lately. Big fish are still scattered all over. Live baits and topwater reign supreme for the big girls, but he did get a few fish around 35 to 40 pounds on the tube. Water temps are right where they should be after this week’s mini heat wave; 68° – 69° out front, and the fish are chewing!
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Captain Rob Taylor of Newport Sportfishing Charters has continued to pound the big stripers in local water, including a 50-pound fish caught by Jim Appleton on his 79th birthday! Safe to say, the quality of fish continues to improve. Block Island is holding a nice slug of big bass, but the local waters in and around the bay have been good enough to not have to steam too far every day. Bottom fishing has been strong for scup, sea bass and fluke. The fluking is about as consistent as it’s going to get inshore, even though there will still be some ups and downs. There seems to be a push of larger sea bass moving in as well, so the keeper/short ratio has improved quite a bit!
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report for the week: “Action has been pretty steady across the board. We’ve seen a decent number of big stripers on recent trips, which is always a great thing. Slot-size fish are very prevalent as well. The bluefish bite has been hit or miss, but when they’re around, you’re going to catch a lot of them. Bottom fishing has been decent. Keeper fluke are easier to come by than keeper sea bass, which is a surprise, but the word is that the sea bass are starting to trend bigger this week. Also, big scup (14+ inches) are being caught at a pretty good pace, which is another solid bottom fishing option. We’ve been seeing a lot of tautog while bottom fishing, so that’s a good sign for the fall. The bonito bite has cooled off a bit over the last few days but I’m sure they’ll be back around any day. The summer fishing has been going great for us so reach out to book your kayak fishing trip ASAP…the fall run is right around the corner!”
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Danny at Crafty One Customs said that the recent heat wave put a bit of a damper on the striper bite but it seems to be waking back up in the bay over the last day or so, and anglers targeting them at night are still finding some nice fish. Fluke reports have been fairly good from areas out around Block Island; there have also been some decent reports from areas within the bay and along the South County beaches. There are good numbers of sea bass and scup around, too. Bluefish seem to have thinned out, but a few are being caught here and there. There hasn’t been much happening yet for tuna, but they should start to show soon.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
As we head into Independence Day Weekend, we are starting to see fireworks in the summer fishing scene across Southern New England. In Rhode Island, another push of big striped bass has entered the Bay, despite the recent heatwave. If you can find pogie schools, you’re likely to find some of these bass, but they are also reportedly blitzing on small bait lately. There’s no shortage of bass out front either. The rips and reefs in front of Newport are holding quality fish, and the Block Island summer giants have settled in nicely. These fish are starting to see a lot of pressure, so you may need to employ finesse presentations, or work low-light hours. If you must work the mid-day hours, don’t be afraid to turn to the tube and worm or flutter spoon. Bluefishing isn’t as consistent, but there are enough around to keep things interesting, and they are generally mixed in with the bass.
Bonito have spread out and are being reported from all around the state for boat, kayak, and shore anglers. Bottom fishing seems to be hitting its early summer peak, with solid fluke reports from Block, around Newport, and around the South County beaches. Not only has there been more consistency, the overall size of keepers seems to have improved. Schools of sea bass are all over the hard bottom out front, and while shorts are abundant, there have been some larger fish in the mix since last week’s report. As expected, the scup bite is hot and heavy in most of the usual areas.
The tuna reports are starting to wake up to the south as the weather improves, and while things have been relatively quiet, we should be pretty close to everything popping off out there.