Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith reported a fantastic weekend of fishing, followed by some increased fluke action during the early portion of this week. The weather was beautiful all weekend and carried into the week, and they saw steady action on all trips. Both the half-day and full-day trips were busy with plenty of fish hitting the deck. Anglers saw a mix of fluke and sea bass, with many reaching their limits and filling coolers throughout the weekend. The highlight of the weekend was a 9-pound fluke brought aboard during a half-day trip. Encouraging results were also seen early this week with great drift conditions and hungry fish. Monday and Tuesday saw a great showing of both keeper and short fluke, along with plenty of sea bass to play with. With the bite still going strong, now’s the time to get out and enjoy some top-notch fishing. Spots are filling fast, so give them a call or book online to reserve your place.
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures told me that despite being in the dog days of summer and having to work harder for results, they are doing well with big striped bass. Sharks are still a nuisance in terms of eating hooked stripers, and have sent the bass into hiding in shallow water at times. That said, hooking up with these brown sharks on eels or baits intended for stripers is usually a good time. They haven’t seen much bluefish activity recently, but when they do, it tends to be at dawn and dusk. Fluke fishing has slightly picked up, and while there are more keepers to be had, don’t expect a limit. Sea bass fishing has also become somewhat challenging but again, putting in the work has paid off for some. Although it’s early, the good news on the bottom fishing grounds is that the tog bite is hot! Freshwater is definitely a struggle in the summer heat, so either get out early or late for largemouth success. While most people are dreading the end of summer, Dustin is looking forward to some great fishing opportunities ahead. Reach out to book your kayak fishing trip ASAP.
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Captain Rob Taylor of Newport Sportfishing Charters spent most of his time offshore this week. The weather cooperated for the most part, and so did the tuna. 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. The majority of the fish being targeted are still in the recreational class, from 30- to 60-inches, but the giants are showing up as well, including a 97-incher that Rob caught this week! He hasn’t found any yellowfin in the midshore waters just yet but expects to start running across them any day now. While tuna fishing is catching quite a bit of attention, Rob also noted that the striped bass fishing has remained tremendous this week. Bass are taking topwaters during the day and when the surface action dwindles, they can be caught on live bait and jigs.
Jay at Pamela May Charters spent most of his time inshore and is still working on some big schools of striped bass off Newport. These fish continue to be taken on topwaters and light tackle, which is a good time for everyone on board. White Albie Snax and Heddon Spooks have been the hot lures. Bluefishing remains sporadic, but it’s showing some signs of improvement over the past few weeks. Offshore reports remain strong, with plenty of recreational bluefin still in the area. He also mentioned that the mahi seem to be moving closer and closer each trip, under any piece of floating structure. Bonito reports have been steady enough across Rhode Island, but the numbers have seemingly blown up around Block Island, so Jay’s predicting another big push of inshore topwater action very soon!
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Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that tuna fishing remains the hottest story in the area. Fish in the 30- to 80-pound class continue to be found in just about any of the good water from Montauk to Block. If you’re not finding them on the jig, you can likely find some action by trolling daisy chains or spreader bars. Purple remains a hot color, along with green, squid, and rainbow. Back inshore, the local striped bass fishing took another turn for the better. An abundance of rain bait and another push of adult pogies have entered the upper bay/Providence River. This influx of bait, combined with some cooler weather at night has sent another slug of striped bass to both locales. Out front, not much has changed with most of the reefs and breachways across South County producing consistent bass results for boat and surf anglers. Surfcasters are reporting good results on eels and needlefish state-wide, while metal lips and darters are catching around the breachways. Bluefishing has been hit or miss, with the best results coming from the Providence River. Scup fishing has been very good in the lower bay, and their numbers have continued to increase in the Providence River. They are being caught with some consistency at Sabin Point and Salter Grove. Other staples of Rhode Island summers, clamming and crabbing have hit their stride. Dave has a full supply of clam rakes, crab traps and crab nests in stock. Ocean State Tackle will be open from 4:30 AM to 8 PM daily, until Labor Day.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Summer weather and fishing patterns persist inshore with excellent striped bass fishing and relatively steady bottom fishing, including the opening of tautog season. But the midshore tuna fishery is still garnering the majority of attention for local anglers.
Bass can still be found in the bay, especially with more pogie schools around, along with the smorgasbord of rain bait. The rips and reefs in front of Newport are holding quality fish and the rest of South County is providing some strong bass fishing, especially for anglers hanging eels or big plugs off the breachways. There have been steady bonito reports around the state, and the false albacore shouldn’t be too far behind. Bottom fishing has remained steady with strong scup and improving sea bass reports from all the rock piles. The fluke bite has been up and down, but the diehards are still finding some big ones. Tautog season opened up on the August 1, and early indications are positive from those that are fishing on the shallow inshore rockpiles.
Tuna reports continued to be very consistent from southwest of Montauk to the southeast of Block Island, and the numbers intensified, likely due to some better weather this week. 40- to 60-inch bluefin have been prevalent, but there are some much bigger fish in the mix, including quite a few giants landed this week. Trolling the usual presentations, especially in purple, has been getting the job done, and is a great way to find the fish. However, the jig bite has really picked up and is the preferred method for most anglers. All the usual jig styles like Daiwa SLs and UVTs, as well as RonZs in pink and/or sand eel patterns, have been getting the job done. Yellowfin and bigeye tend to be a bit further offshore, but with warming water, we should at least be seeing the yellows in midshore waters soon.