Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet out of Point Judith reported that anglers are seeing good results on both their full- and half-day trips for fluke and black sea bass. More keeper-sized sea bass have moved into the area over the last couple of weeks, taking some of the pressure off the fluke fishing, which is also improving. They are running full-day trips, along with morning and afternoon half-day trips for fluke and black sea bass. Private charters can also be arranged for larger groups, and they have special trips like whale watching on the upcoming calendar. You can view their full schedule on their website, where you can also make reservations for upcoming trips.
Captain Rob Taylor, of Newport Sportfishing Charters, continued his summer trend of putting clients on quality striped bass and also 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. Rob’s tuna season has continued to be strong, with continued success on giant bluefin. The nearshore bite for school bluefin has also started to wake back up, and the canyon fishing remains red hot.
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Jay, at Pamela May Charters, put together another week of strong bottom fishing. Much bigger sea bass seem to have settled in this week, 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 keepers in the box. There is no shortage of big scup to help fill the coolers as well. Striper fishing has also remained steady. The bite has dried up a bit at the North Rip but is still going strong on the southwest and southeast sides of Block. Just be prepared to deal with some sharks. There has also been a large push of shad locally, which is beneficial for anglers looking to live-line around the Narragansett area. There are also some rec tuna to be had, and Jay is hoping the recent swell will help bring them closer to home.
Captain Connor MacLeod, of Tall Tailz Charters, told me the fishing over the past week has remained consistent, and he provided the following report: “This week’s action has been great. The striper bite is very consistent and produces quality fish from slots to 40-plus-pounders. The flood tide has been better than the ebb on most days. We’ve been seeing more and more bluefish mixed in with the bass, which has been a welcomed sight after a prolonged absence of gators. Bottom fishing has been good as well, with a solid fluke bite inshore. Pink and chartreuse are the hottest colors for your jigs and teasers. Sea bass has been decent, but you have to move around to find the schools of larger knotheads. The nearshore tuna bite is also lights out. Smaller rec fish have been tough to come by, but the giants have been giving us plenty of action on spin gear! Shouldn’t be long until the smaller fish show back up.”
Dustin Stevens, at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures, provided the following report: “Striped bass activity has still been good, with a decent number of 40-inch fish coming up for us. The patterns change weekly, so it keeps us on our toes. Bluefish are still around about the same as last week. We’re not seeing many come up, but we have lost a decent number of plastics, so we know they’re there. Bottom fishing has been going well, with black sea bass and fluke yielding keepers with good effort. Scup seem to be plentiful, with a lot of 14-plus-inchers being caught. We’ve seen bonito but haven’t put a lot of effort into them. With that being said, the fall run is right around the corner, so reach out ASAP to book one of the few spots left!”
Eric, at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, reports that customers continue to do well targeting bottom fish around the islands and the mouth of the bay. Fishing for black sea bass and scup is very good right now and is an easy way to bring home some fresh fish for the table. Classic bottom rigs tipped with squid or clams produce well while anchored, and metal or bucktail jigs are great on the drift. Fluke reports are also holding up well, with some nice-sized keepers being reported around the bridges. Fishing for striped bass is becoming more of a night game, but you can still pick up a few during the day, especially with live bait. At night, casting live eels into the boulder fields or three-waying them over deeper structure is tough to beat. The inshore fishery for bluefin tuna has been a little slow over the last couple of weeks after a decent start, but the canyon fishing continues to produce yellowfin, bigeye, and bluefin tuna.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that things have settled into a pattern of summer consistency across the Ocean State. In terms of striped bass, it has mostly been a nighttime and low-light game locally, but with that being said, the fishing has been very strong from dawn to dusk. The striped bass fishing remains very strong at Block Island as well, and these fish can generally be targeted at any time of day. These fish can be caught on three-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 feeding on an abundance of shad that moved into the area this week. Inshore bottom fishing has been strong for scup in the bay and along 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 there have been some decent fish in the shallows of the bay, where they are feeding on squid. Speaking of squid, they are still active around Newport, in the Upper Bay, and in the Cape Cod Canal. Offshore reports picked back up, with anglers finding loads of yellowfin and some bigeye in 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. In freshwater, anglers are reporting a strong bass bite on shiners this week. Ocean State Tackle will now be open daily from 4:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. through the end of July.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Summer weather and summer fishing patterns persist, with strong striped bass fishing, relatively steady bottom fishing, and improving midshore tuna fishing that has been garnering a good deal of attention. Tuna reports have been improving from southwest of Montauk to southeast of Block Island, and at most points in between. Recreational fish have been tougher to find but are trending in the right direction. Larger, giant-class fish have been easier to find and are providing some unique angling opportunities. Trolling spreader bars and side trackers, especially in purple, has been getting the job done, but the jig bite continues to improve by the day. Water temperatures are rising quickly, keeping the canyon bite for yellowfin and bigeye going.
Back inshore, the striped bass fishing continues to roll along nicely. Fishing in the bay has turned into more of a low-light game, but there are also plenty of bass across the reefs in Newport and South County. Block Island remains a safe bet for quality striped bass fishing on both the southwest and southeast sides. Bottom fishing has been steady across the state, with improving scup reports and steady fluke and sea bass fishing. You can chip away at keeper fluke and sea bass inshore, but both fisheries are reportedly better around Block Island if you can make it out there.