Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet out of Point Judith has been keeping busy running both open-boat and private charters over the last couple of weeks, and they are seeing improved fishing on both the full- and half-day trips. More keeper fluke have moved into the area, and the sea bass fishing is getting very good. They also had a good showing of whales on their first whale-watching trip of the season. You can view their full schedule on their website, where you can also make reservations for upcoming trips.
Captain Rob Taylor at Newport Sportfishing Charters continued his summer trend of putting clients on quality striped bass and put another giant bluefin on the deck. Safe to say, the quality of fish continues to improve. Block Island is holding a nice slug of big bass in the usual spots, but also along the southeast side and around the North Rip at times. The local reefs and rips around the lower bay and just out front have also been producing well, especially during low-light periods, so you don’t always have to steam too far. Bottom fishing has been strong for scup, while sea bass fishing is improving and fluking has seen a good uptick this week. Rob hasn’t done too much fluking this week himself, but reports from local waters indicate that keepers can be hard to come by, though there is improved action. So, if you grind it out, you should be rewarded with at least a few for the box. Rob’s tuna season has continued to go strong, with another giant hitting the deck of the Reel EZ this week. The nearshore bite for school bluefin has also started to pick back up, and the yellowfin tuna bite at the canyons remains red hot.
Captain Connor MacLeod at Tall Tailz Charters provided the following report: “The fishing this week has been hot and cold. The inshore striper bite remains lights out, with an abundance of big bass, including a few around the 50-inch mark this week! The tube and live baits have been getting it done. There is still a good amount of sand eels out front, which keeps some bass in the deep, while most of the fish are concentrated in their usual haunts. Some bluefish have been mixed in, which is nice to see, especially on topwater. The nearshore tuna bite showed early signs of excellence when the major biomass of rec-sized fish moved in around the June moon. Like last year, the fish have thinned out, leaving the bait and life behind. Shouldn’t be long now until it shapes up again for the remainder of the summer. The fishing is on fire if you know where to look!”
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Jay at Pamela May Charters put together another week of solid bottom fishing trips. Much bigger sea bass seem to have settled in, with some big male knotheads mixed in. The fluking has remained consistent, both inshore and around Block, but you still have to grind to get some in the box. There is no shortage of big scup to help fill the coolers as well. Striper fishing has also been as steady as ever. A good push of mackerel has apparently moved in from Block Island to the South County area, which has fired up some strong live-bait fishing close to home. Live-lining those mackerel both inshore and at Block Island has proved successful for Jay this week. He still has some openings for July, so be sure to reach out to book a July bottom-fishing trip before it’s too late!
Dustin Stevens at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report for the week: “Stripers continue to be relatively consistent. Every day has proven to be a different pattern and size class for us, but we have done pretty well. Outside of bluefish breaking off our plastics, we haven’t seen many catches over the last week, but they seem to be around in slightly better numbers. Fluke is starting to be somewhat consistent. We haven’t been limiting out, but on trips where a decent amount of time is spent targeting fluke, we can usually sneak in a few keepers. Black sea bass is a very action-packed bite, but you have to be patient while picking through the shorts. Scup fishing has been great, as we are seeing 14-plus-inch fish on every outing. Largemouth bass fishing is in its dog days of summer pattern, but fishing early or late is the ticket. Summer is flying by, and dates are hard to come by. We have some availability in August and beyond. With the fall run around the corner, reach out ASAP to get on the calendar!”
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Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that things have hit a pattern of summer consistency across the Ocean State. In terms of striped bass, it has mostly been a nighttime/low-light game locally. Earlier in the week, there was an abundance of squid in the Upper Bay, with bass feeding on them early in the morning. It’s much easier to find these fish overnight or while fishing in the early morning or at dusk. The biggest glut of bass at the moment remains at Block Island, where anglers are scoring numbers of large fish. These fish can be had on 3-way-rigged eels and mackerel, bucktails, and soft plastics on jigheads. The usual inshore reefs and rips along South County are also holding quality bass, and they’ve been a bit deeper this week. Inshore bottom fishing has been strong for scup in the bay and off South County. Sea bass fishing is providing plenty of action, with mostly smaller fish, but anglers who are dialed in are finding consistent keepers. The same can be said for fluke, where keepers can be hard to come by, although they are a bit easier to find at Block. Offshore reports picked back up, with anglers finding loads of yellowfin and some bigeye at the canyons, along with recreational and giant bluefin closer to home. Blue crabs have reportedly moved in well, and the summer staples of clamming and crabbing are keeping anglers busy. On top of bait and tackle, Dave has a huge selection of clam rakes, baskets, and shucking knives. Ocean State Tackle will now be open daily from 4:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. through the end of July.
Chris at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown reported that bass fishing has been producing well in the bay, with the best bite taking place after dark in the boulder fields. During the day, the bass are often hunkered down in deeper water and seem hesitant to take even a live eel. There have also been reports of some very nice-sized bass being caught out at Block Island. Fluke fishing has been producing well in and around the bay, with lots of action from short fish and a decent number of keepers being caught. There are also a lot of sea bass around deeper pieces of structure. Expect to catch some shorts, but there are a good number of keepers mixed in. Scup reports have been very good locally, with anglers catching well from shore and by boat. Tuna fishing is starting to pick up, with solid reports coming from the canyons and the near- and midshore areas south of Block Island.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Summer fishing in the Ocean State means running to Block Island on the nice days for some of the best bass fishing of the year and running even farther to play with some tunas on better weather days. There is also no shortage of options in local waters, but fish are starting to transition to the deeper water out front as opposed to the bay. Bass can still be found in the bay around the squid schools, but this continues to be more of a low-light/overnight game. The rips and reefs in front of Newport are holding quality fish, and the Block Island summer giants have settled in nicely. Those fish are seeing a lot of pressure, so you may need to start finessing your presentations or working low-light hours. Live-lining mackerel has been a top producer this week, along with the usual offerings of eels and soft plastics. Remember, there are multiple sides to the island and some very fishy water in areas away from the pressure of the southwest side.
Bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with strong scup and improving sea bass reports from all the rock piles. The fluke bite has hit a better level of consistency throughout the state, but the keeper-to-short ratio isn’t ideal. That said, we’ve seen a few more hitting the box this week. You can increase your odds of keeper fluke and sea bass by fishing out around the island.
Yellowfin reports have been strong from the canyons, with most crews catching great numbers whenever they can get out there. The nearshore grounds are holding loads of bait and bluefin, from shorts to giants, but it can be a little trickier to get them to chew.