Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet out of Point Judith reports that they have been doing well targeting a mixed bag of black sea bass, tautog, and scup on recent trips. The tautog fishing had been especially strong before the recent blow, and you don’t have to travel too far from home to find them, which is helpful with the east wind all week. The weather looks much better for the weekend, which should result in a number of successful trips. There are also still some nice fluke around when the conditions line up. Their full schedule can be viewed online, and you can also make reservations on their website.
Dustin Stevens at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures reported: “The albie bite continues to be hot! Bonito are also in the mix and provide a similarly awesome fight and great table fare. Big stripers are still available in the bay and along coastal waters. We haven’t seen much bluefish activity, but word is that there are still some gators around. Tautog continues to be the most reliable bite and will improve as time goes on. Black sea bass will still be around to target for quite a while; however, consistent fluke fishing is all but over. On the freshwater side of things, largemouth are starting to school up and stage in shallow water, providing freshwater guys an opportunity for their biggest fish of the year. We still have quite a bit of time to target albies and bonito while they’re around. Head over to our site and book an October spot ASAP!”
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When I spoke to Jay at Pamela May Charters, he told me that albie fishing is in full swing, with consistent action up and down the Rhode Island coast this week. There are still plenty of bonito in the mix as well, so don’t be surprised if you get a multi-species hardtail trip. Stripers can be found tight to the rocks in many of the same places as the albies, adding yet another species to the light-tackle madness. If you’re looking for bigger striped bass, the reefs and rips around Block Island have picked up this week, and big bass are showing a preference for eels. Giant schools of small bait are prevalent throughout the area, both out front and in the estuaries, so there’s no signs of it slowing down. Tautog fishing is going strong when Jay focuses on bottom fishing, and there have been some better sea bass in the mix of late as well. Jay is booked up in the coming days, but he has some availability during the last weekend of September and is starting to book tautog trips for Oct/Nov.
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Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that the talk around Rhode Island is all about the prevalence of large false albacore schools, along with plenty of bonito mixed in. These fish have been in their usual haunts inside and outside the bay in Newport, Sakonnet and Tiverton over the past week, and some of the schools around Newport have been called “unprecedented”. And while Newport has been the hotspot, there are some solid results from Narragansett to Charlestown. These fish are hitting the usual offerings, including, Albie Snax, epoxy and resin jigs, and Whip-It Fish. Anglers are also finding solid schools of striped bass in the same general areas as the hardtails. Those targeting stripers are reporting more aggressive feeds, as the days have become shorter and temperatures cooler. Anglers fishing the rips around Block Island are also reporting better striped bass results, mainly on live eels or eel-imitating plastics. Bottom fishermen are starting to target tautog with more regularity, and results have been good on all the local hard bottom. Some bigger sea bass are mixed in with the tautog, and there have been a few reports of some solid fluke within the bay and out front. Offshore anglers are reporting much better results for bigeye tuna this week as well, so when the conditions line up, it’s still worth the ride. Blue crabbing and clamming has also been productive for those who have put in the effort, and freshwater fishing is starting to regain some steam, which will continue with the upcoming trout stocking later this month. Dave is fully stocked with all your hardtail needs and is now open 5:30 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday, 5 am to 7 pm on Saturdays, and 5 am to 4 pm on Sundays!
Eric at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown reported: “It feels like fall out there! While temps haven’t fallen too much, the fish are responding to the slight drop in temperature by feeding hard. We all breathed a sigh of relief when the albies showed up along with the bonito this year. Last season was disappointing for us locally, but we are making up for it now. The bait is tiny, so reach for small epoxies, heavy minnows, and flies. If you don’t want to cast a fly rod you can give the tried-and-true float and fly a try on spin gear, which works great. Local surfcasting is continuing to improve, with most of the action reserved to the hours after dark. Big soft plastics and darters seem to be the most popular and productive lures right now. If you can make it deep offshore to the canyons, the yellowfin bite is great and there are still bluefin around for catch-and-release action. Tautog fishing gets better every day; this time of year, I like to albie fish early and hit my tog spots on the way in. We are now stocking live crabs at the shop, so stop in and stock up!”
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
False albacore mania has swept across Southern New England, but don’t let it fully distract you from all the other excellent options we have right now. Large albie feeds are still prevalent from Newport to Watch Hill, with the largest and most consistent bites being reported from the Newport area. Bonito are also still plentiful and can usually be found in the same areas. There’s no shortage of small bait in the area, so hopefully these fish hang around longer than they did last season. All signs point to a steady and extended false albacore season, which we haven’t seen in a few years.
Striped bass and some schools of smaller bluefish can be found in all their usual haunts out front and in the bay, and they continue to hit topwaters during the morning hours. Anglers looking for larger striped bass are starting to look toward Block Island; now is the time to catch those big fish on eels before they start their migration.
Bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with strong scup action and enough keeper sea bass in the mix to make it worth the effort. Fluke fishing is probably in its latter stages, but this is usually a time when you have one more chance for a doormat before they migrate offshore and the season closes. Tautog interest doesn’t usually peak until October, but those that are targeting them early are being rewarded.
Tuna reports have been quieter, but anglers heading toward the canyons are reporting better bigeye results this week. And with some yellowfin closer to home, there’s still plenty of reason to head offshore before it’s too late.
Whether you’re staying inshore, running offshore, or breaking out the freshwater gear, there is certainly no shortage of great fishing in Rhode Island right now!