Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet out of Point Judith reported a very good week of fishing on their full-day trips, with many fluke limits along with good numbers of nice-sized black sea bass. They are seeing some of the best fishing of the season right now, and with some luck, it should hold up for the next couple of weeks. 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!
Jay at Pamela May Charters has been taking part in some absolute albie mayhem around Narragansett this week. He’s been able to find sizeable feeds on most trips. The fish haven’t been too finicky, and there have been solid numbers of bonito still mixed in. Interestingly enough, there hasn’t been a ton of schoolie bass action, but there are plenty of sea bass to play with while you’re waiting for the hardtails to pop back up. Jay still has some charter openings for this weekend and next week, so reach out if you want to get in on the bite.
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Captain Connor MacLeod at Tall Tailz Charters provided the following report: “It’s been a solid week of fishing at Tall Tailz. The striped bass bite is still rock solid. Most of the fish we’re getting are in the 30-pound class, with the occasional 40 and slot-size fish. There’s bait everywhere from the bay to the coast. Bluefish and albie feeds are very consistent out front, while the inner bay is holding big bonito. They can be a bit line-shy, so be sure to start light around 20- to 30-pound fluoro. The nearshore recreational tuna bite is dwindling. The concentrations of fish are thin and spread out, making most of these trips a challenge. The inshore giant bite, however, is stellar, with a great bite close to home. We haven’t officially started our tog season, but we’ve done a couple of practice rounds and had some great jig bites, boating a 10.5-pounder on one of the first baits of the season. The fall run is here, with a touch of summer fishing still to be had!”
Dustin Stevens at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report for the week: “Stripers have been very consistent for us. We haven’t seen a lot of the fall-run activity on topwater, as the stripers are still on 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. Another nice surprise this week was a precipitous increase in keeper fluke. They can often be found in the same areas as the bass and hardtails, feeding on all the bait underneath the other gamefish. 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!”
Eric at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown provided the following report for the week: “The fall run is shaping up to be a good one! We are one of the fortunate areas to have a lot of hardtails this year. We have bonito spread throughout the state, and I mean that. There are bonito popping up from Little Compton to Bristol and back down to Watch Hill. At the moment, the best lures are a slightly larger profile—think Snax, Po-Jees, and larger epoxy jigs. The tautog bite is definitely picking up, and we are starting to see some better-quality fish showing up in the regular areas. As for the bass, focus on those early-morning and late-evening windows. During the periods of the day when the light is transitioning, you might find your blitzing bonito turn into blitzing bass and blues pretty quickly.”
The fall run continues to roll in, according to Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence. False albacore have moved in nicely throughout the state, and anglers are cashing in. They can be found all over the South County area and in front of Newport. There has also been a nice push of hardtails in the mid-bay area around Bristol. Large schools of bass and some bluefish remain prevalent in and around the same areas as the hardtails, including a wave of striped bass in the Upper Providence River this week. Both the bass in the Upper Bay and the hardtails around mid-bay are gorging on peanut bunker. Bottom fishermen are reporting 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 saw a bit of an uptick this week, with some larger keepers being reported from across the state. Increasing numbers of keeper black sea bass are showing up out front and around Block Island, and there are still plenty of scup around for those who are still looking. Tuna fishing remains strong relatively close to home, with reports of bluefin from school-class fish up to 600 pounds. Check his website or Facebook page for hourly updates.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
False albacore mania has swept across Southern New England, but don’t let it fully distract you from all the other excellent options we have to offer right now. Large false albacore feeds are still prevalent from Watch Hill to Newport and up into the midbay area. Some of the best feeds this week have been around Narragansett, give or take a few miles east or west, but you’re bound to find them in all the usual haunts. Bonito are also still plentiful and can usually be found in the same areas. There’s no shortage of small bait in the area, so hopefully these fish hang around longer than they did last season. All signs point to a steady and extended false albacore season, which we haven’t seen in a few years.
Striped bass and some schools of smaller bluefish can still be found in all their usual haunts out front and up in the bay around the Providence River. Anglers looking for larger striped bass are starting to look toward Block Island, as the time is right to find those big fish feeding on eels before they start their migration.
Bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with strong scup and enough keeper sea bass in the mix to make it worth it. Fluke fishing may be in its latter stages, but anglers have reported some of the best fluke of the season this week. Don’t always think depth; these fish tend to be feeding around and underneath the hardtails and striped bass, so have a bottom setup ready while you’re hardtail hunting. 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 been quieter, but those who have been looking are reporting some awesome giant bluefin fishing close to home. That, along with some closer-to-home yellowfin, is a nice way to scratch the offshore itch before it’s too late. Whether you’re staying inshore, going offshore, or something in between, there is certainly no shortage of great fishing in Rhode Island right now!