Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet out of Point Judith reported a very good week of fishing for fluke and sea bass on the full- and half-day trips. They have been seeing better numbers of keeper fluke on recent trips, along with nice-sized keeper sea bass and scup. While the fluke fishing will likely start to wind down later this month, early and mid-September can provide some very good fishing, with a shot at some real doormats. Following the long weekend, they will be focusing on full-day fluke trips until they start running for tautog later this fall. You can view their full schedule on their website, where you can also make reservations for upcoming trips. Trips have been selling out, especially on the weekends, so be sure to make your reservations early!
Captain Rob Taylor, at Newport Sportfishing Charters, reported that things have remained status quo since last week, with strong fishing throughout the area. Most of the near-shore tuna haunts are still lively, and the “over” class fish seem to have gotten quite a bit bigger. Bluefin of mixed sizes can be found on the jig, troll, pop, or bait. The bite can be tough at times, so if you’re struggling, keep those live baits as low as possible or work jigs right near the bottom. While tuna fishing is catching quite a bit of attention, Rob also noted that the striped bass fishing has remained tremendous this week, and some wolf packs of false albacore have entered the fray throughout nearshore waters, along with bonito, which have been around for a while. Add some strong early-season tautog fishing to the mix as well, and there is certainly no shortage of inshore or offshore options at the moment.
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Dustin Stevens, at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures, provided the following report for the week: “Stripers have been very consistent for us, but we haven’t seen a lot of the fall-run activity on topwater, as the stripers are still in their summer pattern. We’ve seen a few decent bluefish come up over the last week, and we expect more as the fall run progresses. Albies are here! Because most of our clients have been wanting stripers, we haven’t really chased the albies or bonito, but over the next few weeks we have a few albie trips sprinkled in. Tog fishing is good and will get better as time goes on. We can’t wait until October/November to do our group blackfish trips. Freshwater fishing is heating up as the water temperatures in the ponds are cooling down. Now would be a great time to try to get your biggest largemouth of the year. September is usually a great month for fall-run fishing. However, in most years, we usually have nice fall-run activity—stripers, albies, blues, and bonito—until around November 1, so reach out ASAP to book your kayak fishing trip!”
Captain Connor MacLeod, at Tall Tailz Charters, provided the following report: “The weather has cooperated for the most part this week, and we’ve been able to get offshore for most of our trips. The nearshore bluefin bite has still been good but is just starting to show signs of slowing. The jig bite is producing best, along with the early-morning troll bite. There are also good groups of larger over bluefin, as well as some yellowfin mixed in. Whenever we have fished inshore, the bite has been stellar, and we will start focusing more on that as the offshore bite slows. Big bass and blues are on the move, along with tons of bait flushing out of the bay. This has resulted in some epic topwater blitzes of bass and blues, along with some big fish of each species feasting on bait on the inshore reefs. The loads of small bait have also resulted in a continued push of bonito and some large schools of false albacore, which just moved in. It’s hardtail season inshore and offshore!”
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that the fall-run fishing seems to be firing up nicely, with blitz action across the state. False albacore have filled in nicely and anglers are still finding some bonito, mackerel, and even a few inshore mahi. Large schools of bass and some bluefish also remain prevalent in or around the same areas as the hardtails. Big schools of peanut bunker in the lower Providence River have also been reported, and Dave expects to hear of bass and blues blitzing on them by the weekend. Bottom fishermen are seeing a strong and building tautog bite. Some are being caught in the Providence River and upper-bay locations, while the lower portions of the river out to Ohio Ledge have seen more tautog activity. As far as other bottom species, keeper fluke have become more elusive, while an increasing number of keeper black sea bass are showing up out front and around Block Island. The scup have started to move farther north as the water temperatures have dropped, but there are still plenty being caught by those who are trying. Dave is fully stocked with all your hardtail and fall-run needs, so be sure to stop in. Check his website or Facebook page for updated hours.
Eric, at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, shared that false albacore were caught over the last couple of days around the Harbor of Refuge, and there were still reports of good numbers of bonito along most of the South County beaches. Striped bass anglers continued to encounter brown sharks, and it’s to the point where many responsible fishermen have taken a break from targeting bass in an effort to limit shark depredation. Tautog reports have been a little slow to start the season but will undoubtedly improve as the water starts to cool off. There are still some nice-sized fluke around, along with black sea bass and good-sized scup. The mid-shore tuna grounds are still producing some nice bluefin tuna, but the fish are heavily pressured and often difficult to fool. There have been reports of some larger mahi starting to show up around the high-fliers inside the shipping lanes.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
The false albacore bite has really started to hit its stride across Rhode Island over the past few days, and most anglers have caught the hardtail fever! Large false albacore feeds have materialized from Newport to Narragansett and at points along the South Shore. Bonito are also still plentiful and can usually be found in the same areas. There’s no shortage of small bait around, so hopefully these fish hang out longer than they did last season.
Striped bass and some schools of smaller bluefish can still be found in all their usual haunts out front and in the bay, and they continue to hit topwaters during the morning hours. An influx of peanut bunker in the Providence River is setting the table for a strong fall-run bite as well.
Bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with strong scup and improved sea bass fishing this week. The sea bass really seem to be putting on the fall feed bag, with reports of big keepers across a range of depths. Fluke fishing is probably in its latter stages, but this is usually a time when you have a few good chances for a doormat before they migrate, and reports are indicating a steadier pick of keepers than in weeks past. Tautog interest doesn’t usually peak until October, but those who are targeting them are being rewarded for getting the early jump on things.
Tuna reports have started to slow down a bit, as there are still fish on the mid-shore grounds, but most anglers are reporting that the pressure and lack of bait are making it difficult to get a bite. There has been a nice influx of yellowfin this week too, which is always a nice late-summer opportunity before the fall really settles in. The next few weeks are very promising, with tuna biting semi-consistently, false tuna (albies) busting all over inshore waters, striped bass and bluefish entering fall mode, and tautog fishing improving as fall approaches.