Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith reports strong results on both full- and half-day trips with customers catching a mix of fluke, black sea bass, and scup. Fluke and sea bass results have been especially good; it seems that some days, action is slower for one species and the other picks up the slack. At times, it may take a great deal of short fish before you get a keeper, but that is all part of the fun. That said, there are plenty of keepers to go around, with the biggest fluke of the week weighing nearly 10–pounds, along with a few fish in the 6- to 7-pound range on nearly every trip. Friday’s full-day trip this week is chartered, but there is still plenty of room available on other trips. Spots on the rail will go quickly, so book soon to reserve yours! The Frances Fleet’s full schedule can be viewed online, and reservations can also be made on their website.
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Captain Rob Taylor at Newport Sportfishing Charters continued to spend most of his time offshore, despite the closure to recreational bluefin. Anglers are still willing to catch and release, and there have also been some yellowfin and bigeye starting to show up closer to home. Most of the usual offshore haunts are home to some massive tuna feeds. Trolling bars is a good way to find them, but they are mostly feeding on sand eels right now and are responding well to jigs. While tuna fishing is catching quite a bit of attention, Rob also noted that striped bass fishing has remained tremendous this week, whenever he’s targeted them. Bass are taking topwaters even during the day and when that shuts down, they can be caught on live bait and jigs.
Jay at Pamela May Charters continues to spend most of his time inshore and is still working at some big schools of striped bass off of Newport. These fish continue to be taken on topwaters/light tackle, but we have entered a bit of a summer doldrum period, as the best fishing is right around dawn and dusk. Anglers working the reefs/rips or surfcasting overnight are also doing well. Bluefishing remains sporadic inshore, but it’s showing some signs of improvement over the past few weeks. Big schools of blues, along with bonito, can be found around Block Island. They seem to be feeding on the large schools of sand eels out there and should move further inshore very soon. Small mahi are also very prevalent without having to travel too far from Block Island. Fluke fishing is also in the summer doldrums, but there are still some keepers moving out of Narragansett Bay. However, sea bass and scup are the best bet for consistent bottom fishing right now. Offshore reports are still solid, with plenty of bluefin in the area for those who aren’t averse to catch and release. There is also word that the yellowfin have started to move in a bit, and Jay is thinking the swell from Hurricane Erin could bring them in even closer.
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Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures told me that the dog days of summer have settled in and striped bass fishing has finally started to slow down a bit. The warmer weather may have something to do with it, along with all-time-high shark activity. Bluefish numbers seem to be improving in the Bay over the past week or two; they are mostly smaller fish, but can still be a lot of fun on the fly rod or light spinning tackle. Bonito are still in the mix as well, but it is more of a blind casting game right now. Summer blackfish tends to feel strange, as they are usually associated with cold weather and water, but it might be the hottest inshore bite going right now! Sea bass and fluke are around, but be prepared to move a lot in order to strike gold and find keepers. Freshwater fishing has improved a bit, with Dustin finding some decent largemouth and surprising summer trout hitting bass lures. Mid-August can be a grind, but the fall run is right around the corner. Reach out to Dustin to book your kayak fishing trip ASAP!
Ralph at Crafty One Customs reports that he is starting to hear more reports of another push of bonito along the south shore and the mouth of the bay. Striped bass fishing has slowed down a bit this week with water temperatures rising, but some big fish are still being caught around the mouth of the bay. Working dawn/dusk or other low-light periods will increase your odds. Anglers are also reporting some gator bluefish way up in the bay, and some larger schools of smaller bluefish throughout the lower sections of the bay. Fluke fishing has been producing a few keepers for those putting in their time. Black sea bass reports have been mixed; there are a lot of short fish around, but most anglers are able to weed through them to get their keepers. Not many people have been going for tautog yet, but those that have seem to be doing well.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that tuna fishing remains popular, despite the recreational bluefin season going to catch-and-release only. Luckily, it seems that the bigeye and yellowfin are starting to show up a bit closer to home, so you should have an option to catch and release some bluefin and hopefully go home with a yellow or bigeye. Offshore anglers are also reporting strong shark fishing around Block Island. Inshore anglers and shore fishermen have been catching tautog, black sea bass, fluke and scup. Striped bass fishing has been good at Ohio Ledge, the Upper Bay and the Providence River. Find the bait, whether it’s pogies or the large schools of rain bait, and you’ll find the fish. With the warmer temperatures recently, fishing around the low-light periods of the day has also helped. Dave will continue to be open from 430 AM until 8 PM right up to Labor Day.
Captain Ryan Sansoucy of Hush Fishing Guide Service reported: “With changing climate conditions and warming waters, more shark species are moving into our area, which has opened up a wide variety of inshore opportunities to sight-fish cruising or laid-up sharks in shallow water with dead or live bait. The variety of species consists of sharks like hammerheads, bulls, and the occasional interaction with brown sharks, which are not to be targeted but are difficult to keep off our baits. We’ve even seen the occasional white shark. We are fishing with 10K to 14K spinning reels such as Daiwa Saltigas or Certates with 65-pound braid, 100-pound leader, and a crimped 18- to 20-inch wire or haywire twist on a number 12 or 15 single strand. We’ve noticed we need to keep the leader short as the sharks are super leader shy in clear shallow water. You can also use these opportunities to present the sharks with a large pink or orange flesh fly. We are also targeting these sharks using extremely large GT/tuna-style poppers, and off the backside of these plugs we are using red super hair tied to a 9/0 to 11/0 hook. With that super hair we are adding marabou or hackle with a finished palmer using pale peach or pink.”
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
The weather patterns and fishing patterns over the past few days have certainly felt like late summer, while also providing a quick preview of the upcoming fall. Striped bass fishing was a bit slower across the board, with anglers fishing around dawn and dusk, or overnight, having the most success. That said, there has been an influx of small bait moving into the area, which seems to be setting the stage for some fall-like blitzes. Those looking for striped bass should be working the lower bay around the pogie or rain bait schools. They can also look to the rips and reefs in front of Newport, and the rockpiles/breachways of South County, especially after dark. A few gator bluefish are reportedly hanging out way up the bay, while large schools of smaller bluefish can be found in the lower bay.
Bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with strong scup and better sea bass results from the deeper wrecks and rock piles. It appears the fluke are starting to transition to some deeper points as they head out of the area, and with that transition comes a good chance to get a late-season doormat. Meanwhile, anglers targeting tautog are taking advantage of the shallow water fishery, which is one of the steadiest inshore bites that we have at the moment.
Tuna reports are still good for those targeting the “catch, tag, release” midshore bluefin, and we’re hearing of a few more yellowfin and big eye this week. Mahi can be found with some regularity out near the tuna grounds, and the same could be said for those targeting sharks, which are even closer to home. Summer isn’t over yet!