The Frances Fleet is showing improvement for both fluke and black sea bass. The fishing is still a little off compared to prior years, but they’re seeing more bait on the fluke grounds and catching more keeper-sized fish every trip, so it’s trending in the right direction. They are currently offering both full- and half-day trips and will be adding some whale watching trips to the schedule soon. Squid fishing is about wrapped up for the spring season. Check their website for updated trip information and to make your reservations.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the big news this week — besides continued steady striped bass fishing — was a significant increase in scup action within the bay. Anglers are reporting strong scup catches from Colt State Park and Rocky Point Park. On the striped bass front, there are still some keeper bass in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers, along with a pile of 20- to 23-inch fish that have moved into the Seekonk to the north of the Henderson Bridge. That upper bay bite has been better under the cover of darkness and tends to slow after the squid and worms move out around daybreak. The mid bay is holding strong for anglers tossing topwaters at dusk and trolling or dropping flutter spoons during the day. There are also loads of bass out front from Rhode Island to Block Island, though these fish are generally keyed in on sand eels and can be finicky — be ready to exercise some patience and switch up your offerings. Fluke fishing saw another slight improvement this week, with solid reports from a few different areas throughout the bay. Squid are still around, although the bite is getting a bit more inconsistent, while some nice blue crabs are showing up in the lower bay and providing a different option. Freshwater anglers are still finding strong trout action on mealworms, PowerBait, and nightcrawlers, while the largemouth are eating medium shiners and Yamamoto worms. Ocean State Tackle will now be open daily from 4:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
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Rob, at Newport Sportfishing Charters, stayed focused on striped bass this week and has seen another step up in quality and quantity. The mid bay is holding strong, and there are fish from Narragansett to Block Island. With that kind of numbers, even when the fish get finicky, you should be able to find some willing to eat with a little searching. Bigger bait continues to enter the bay, and while numbers and locations can vary from tide to tide, some feeding bass are never far away. These fish are being caught on the usual methods — jigs, eels, spoons, and the troll — but the topwater bite on the south side has been very strong this week. Decent numbers of big bluefish are still mixed in with the bass on most occasions, and they’ve been much more willing to hit topwater plugs throughout the course of the day. The bass fishing has been too good this week to really focus on anything else, but reports of fluke and sea bass have improved inshore, with the Sakonnet area reportedly fishing best lately.
Captain Connor MacLeod, at Tall Tailz Charters, provided the following report for the week: “More of the same this week — the bass bite remains stellar. The higher concentrations of fish are on the sand eels and can be found anywhere from 15 to 100 feet of water. Matching the hatch has worked best for us, so jigging small-profile jigs like Daiwa Zakana metals and 4-inch Ron-Zs have worked best. When the fish are pushing bait to the surface, glide baits and Docs are reigning supreme. We’re getting every size fish you could ask for, from schoolies to 40-plus pounders. Feeding under the bass and the mass of sand eels have been some hammer black sea bass, scup, and even fluke — if the stripers are eluding you, be sure to bring your bottom fishing gear! The two jigs that catch any species you want are the Daiwa Zakana KO and the Jigging World Giko.”
Jay, at Pamela May Charters, told me that things have blown open on the striped bass front. Bass of mixed sizes can be found out front from Newport, across South County, and out to Block Island. These fish are mostly keyed in on sand eels, so they can be challenging at times, but it’s generally not too difficult to find some willing to eat. The sea bass and fluke are also keyed in on the sand eels, and there has been a bit of an improvement for both species along the South Shore this week.
Eric, at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, told me that they continue to see solid fishing for striped bass, which should carry into this weekend as we come off the new moon. There is an abundance of bait around the islands — including sand eels and squid — which can make the bass difficult to fool at times, but there are plenty of fish around. You can expect to find some bluefish around as well, often mixed in with the striped bass. Squid fishing is holding up surprisingly well, with some of the best reports of the season this past week. It’s unlikely the squid bite will continue much longer, so get out for them soon if your freezer isn’t already well stocked. Fishing for fluke, black sea bass, and scup is starting to heat up locally, and they’re feeding heavily on sand eels and squid, so adjust your baits accordingly. As of last weekend, there were some reports of bonito showing up in the waters off Newport — and one of the shop’s regular customers, TJ Harris, nailed a massive 55-pound striper on a bunker chunk.
Dustin Stevens, at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures, told me that the solid striped bass bite rolls on across Rhode Island. With so much bait around of all types, he’s enjoyed quite a few blitzes and topwater mornings. Blues are starting to get more prevalent, but for Dustin and his clients, stripers are still outnumbering them by a wide margin. Due to a lot of his recent trips being striper-focused, they haven’t had a ton of time to target the bottom bite — but those putting in the time are being rewarded with keepers. Black sea bass, fluke, and scup have all been pretty prevalent. Largemouth fishing has gone well, with a lot of fish set up on summer patterns. Bonito have been around and have actually been plentiful enough to target, though like any species, every day is a little different. With the summer bite in full bloom, reach out to book your kayak trip.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Masses of sand eels are fueling an improved and wide-spanning striped bass bite, and they’ve also caught the attention of the fluke, sea bass, and the first-arriving bonito of the year. Add it all up and it’s safe to say that summer fishing is here in Rhode Island. Striped bass continue to chew well throughout the state, and while they can be finicky at times due to the thick sand eel presence, there are more than enough willing to bite. The fish span out front from the South Shore to Block Island. The bay is also holding strong, with schoolies in the upper bay and some quality fishing holding around mid-bay. Decent bluefish numbers are being reported in the mix with the bass, especially in the bay, where they can be found working the surface.
Fluke reports have continued to be strong in the eastern part of the state, and while the sand eels have started to spread out, so have the fluke. Reports have picked up a bit on the South Shore reefs and rips as well. The fluke remain relatively shallow, while jammer black sea bass can be found in similar areas on the deeper sides of the humps. Scup fishing started off a little slower this season but things have improved, including some much better fishing within the bay. Squid fishing has still been solid this late in the year — take advantage of it while it lasts. Some early offshore reports are starting to trickle in, and it’s making everyone wonder if the mass of bait in the area will draw some pelagics in closer.