Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet out of Point Judith was happy to report that they finally had some bluebird days on the tautog grounds this week, at least in comparison to the weather we have had for most of the fall. These trips have resulted in limits for most of the anglers on board, and they once again saw triple-digit numbers of keepers hit the deck. Green and white legger crabs were both getting the job done, and anglers were doing equally well on jigs and rigs. The fleet still has plenty of late-season spots to hit and they haven’t even fished around the island yet, so the bite should keep going strong if the weather holds up.
Dustin Stevens at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report: “Although it has been really cold and we are almost into December, there is still some solid tautog action out there, as we have been putting together some decent stringers. As the tog bite starts to wind down, holdover striped bass are on the horizon from now through March. Freshwater fishing is reliable with trout and panfish biting really well. The largemouth bite is solid in slightly deeper water as well. We will be open for trips all winter long, so reach out to book your kayak fishing trip ASAP!”
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Captain Rob Taylor at Newport Sportfishing Charters continues to get after it on the fall bottom fishing grounds. No surprise, but the tog bite has been as strong as ever. Rob had a couple fish in the mid-teen range late last week, which isn’t as surprising as it sounds, with the pinnacle of Newport tautog fishing taking place right now. Rob also mentioned that he saw an encouraging uptick in quality cod and sea bass this week. It seems that as the tautog really start to transition deeper, a nice slug of bigger sea bass and cod are rounding out the catch.
Jay at Pamela May Charters told me that fishing remained status quo this week with a few blitzes of small bass around, but most of their attention is focused on tautog. Tog fishing is still producing steady results, with most anglers leaving with full coolers and a great day of fishing. The tautog are still spread out across different depths but are starting to transition to deeper water, and the overall size of the fish continues to improve. That bite should remain strong right up to the end of the season. Jay is also hoping to put in a little bit more time chasing the remaining stripers, as he anticipates some bass to start dropping out of the bay. The water temperature only dropped a bit this week, so Jay thinks we should still have plenty of time left.
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The Saltwater Edge in Middletown reports that fishing for tautog remains very good in, around, and just outside the bay, with limit catches reported by most of their customers. There have been quite a few double-digit fish caught this season, and it’s been nice to see a lot of these fish returned to the water after a few quick pictures. There are still striped bass being caught in the bay and along the south shore beaches. Squid reports have been very good around Newport and around Block Island for boaters. Anglers are also catching squid from shore, but results have been a little less consistent from shore than by boat.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that fishing has been good as weather conditions have remained steady over the past few days. Tautog fishing has been very consistent, with anglers finding good results on rigs and occasionally jigs, on most of the later season pieces of structure. Striped bass fishermen are still reporting some fall run fish around, with the best results coming from anglers tossing plugs at night from the South County shoreline. The push of late season squid has continued as well, with strong reports from across the state, but the best results are still coming from the Newport area. Dave will have crabs, squid jigs and everything else you need for some weekend fishing. The shop will be open 6 AM to 3 PM on Saturday and 6 AM to 2 PM on Sunday. Dave also offers shipping on squid jigs/supplies to New England, New York and New Jersey. On the days that he is closed, he offers pre-arranged shopping appointments.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
While most anglers may feel like the saltwater season is wrapping up, the much-needed improvement in weather, along with great late-fall tautog fishing, is keeping ambitious fishermen busy. The tautog bite remains red hot; the bay has been fishing well on those days when you need a bit of a shield from the wind, and all of the deeper wrecks and rockpiles out front are also fishing great. Tautog continue to transition to slightly deeper water, so while that may hurt for anchoring purposes, it helps produce a better bycatch if the tog are uncooperative. Improved numbers of big cod fish and knothead sea bass are showing up on the tautog grounds this week.
Striped bass fishing has been inconsistent, but a plethora of small bait is keeping some fish around. Out front, it seems that the best bet for finding some bass is around Narragansett, and around the mouth of the bay, as fish continue to drop out. Otherwise, look inside the bay or the salt ponds for late season/holdover fish.
Late season trout fishing has been excellent across the state following the RIDEM fall stocking.