Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet out of Point Judith started running tautog trips last week, and the results have been impressive to start the season. They have been finding good numbers of fish, including many keepers, in both shallow and deep water, and it looks like it’s shaping up to be a very good fall for tog fishing. On this past Monday’s trip, they saw loads of keepers, with a few anglers reaching their limit at the first spot! The quality has improved as well. Jigs are still outfishing rigs, but both are getting the job done. Along with keeper tog, anglers are also seeing some keeper black sea bass and scup. The fleet will be running mixed-bag trips alongside tautog trips in the weeks ahead, when some of the best fishing of the year tends to take place. The weather looks great for the weekend once these winds blow through. As always, you can view the full schedule on their website, where you can also make reservations for upcoming trips.
Captain Rob Taylor, at Newport Sportfishing Charters, stayed close to home to fish inshore this week, focusing almost all his attention on tautog. The tautog bite has continued to improve and should only get better as water temperatures and fishing pressure continue to drop. These fish are still in relatively shallow water, so he’s been able to get the job done with light jigs. They can be found on the usual piles outside the bay, but there are plenty of fish in the bay as well, which has provided some refuge from this week’s weather. Some larger sea bass are still showing up as bycatch, so filling the coolers has been relatively easy. Rob also mentioned that the continued windy weather seems to have kept striped bass activity levels high. He has been able to find some nice fish on top on most days he has targeted them.
- Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in Rhode Island
Jay, at Pamela May Charters, told me that he is still finding a good slug of bonito off Narragansett, including some larger, fat fish. There is a smorgasbord of bait out that way, so bring a few offerings to match the hatch, even though the fish are generally chewing well. There are also plenty of stripers, ranging from slot-sized to over-slot, pushing bait along the rocks in the same areas. Tautog fishing is getting red-hot, with the bite picking up each day. Additionally, the smaller sea bass have moved out, making room for bigger sea bass to move in. While you’re waiting for the bonito to blow up, drop that jig to the bottom and grab a keeper sea bass.
Captain Connor MacLeod, at Tall Tailz Charters, provided the following post-nor’easter report: “Fishing has been lights-out this week. With most days blowing close to 30 mph, we’ve had to get creative on certain days. The money depth has still been around 50 feet, with fish slowly creeping a bit deeper. White leggers were key this week. A few big fish came up on big white crabs on the rig. Single-hook and snafu rigs have been the go-to. The jig bite has also been productive on smaller baits. Big fish of the week was a healthy 11-pound female. Water temps are slowly dropping, and the bite should only improve!”
Dustin Stevens, at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures, provided the following report for the week: “Tautog fishing has been hot! Our clients have been getting their limits on most of our trips. And now that the limit has gone up to five per person, it’s a good time to fill the freezer for winter. We haven’t seen really large fish; however, we have been seeing fish up to 7 or 8 pounds consistently. Striped bass activity is still there. A few days over the last week, there were some really nice blitzes very close to shore. However, most of the striper activity now involves hoping for blitzes, since fish aren’t really on their summer spots anymore. Black sea bass fishing is also going well and should continue well into November. Freshwater fishing is solid. This is a great time to get that big largemouth. We are pretty much doing mostly tog trips going forward, with some backwater striper fishing sprinkled in. Although it’s getting cooler, there are still plenty of great fishing opportunities. Reach out to book your trip ASAP!”
View this post on Instagram
Eric, at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, continues to hear reports of solid striped bass fishing around the islands and off the South County beaches. Schoolies and fish up to 20 pounds have been pushing bait close to the beaches during the day, creating good surfcasting and boat-fishing opportunities. At night, the numbers of fish have been lower, but the chances of catching a large fish increase. Tautog fishing is already very good and should continue to improve as we get deeper into October. There are still some nice-sized fish in shallow water, making them accessible from shore. Go back and drop a crab on some of those rock piles you found while striper fishing, and you’re bound to find some hungry tog across a range of depths. Black sea bass are still around and are being caught as bycatch by tautog anglers or by anglers targeting them while drifting over deeper pieces of structure. There are still some false albacore and green bonito around, but they are becoming tougher to target.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that the striped bass and squid fishing has taken another step forward, but the tautog fishing has been lights out and is garnering the most attention. The demand for crabs has been exceeding the supply, but Dave has worked tirelessly to keep them in stock, selling crabs to anglers throughout the tri-state area. The fishing has been good for both shore and boat anglers, with fish up to 28 inches reported yesterday! Jigs and rigs are getting the job done, with a number of the larger fish this week coming on Asylum Jigs. Dave currently has a sale on Gen 1 Asylum Jigs: six for $22 or 13 for $40. For those looking for stripers, the bite has been good throughout the state, but the best action has been in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers, where some serious monsters have started to settle in. Squid fishing has also improved around the Newport area, providing another option for anglers. Dave will be open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. He will be closed Monday for surgery but plans to return later in the week. He will post updates on his Facebook and Google Business profiles.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Some frosty mornings and relentless, strong winds have made things feel more like the end of the fall run than its peak. That said, fall fishing is still at its peak, and the marine forecast looks much improved for the weekend. Fishing reports have been a little harder to come by this week due to the extreme winds nearly every day. Still, the fishing has been strong whenever anglers have gotten out and braved the conditions.
Tautog fishing will be the top draw across Rhode Island as we get deeper into fall, and the recent drop in water temperatures has started to increase their activity. Strong tautog reports have come in from throughout the bay, as well as from the open coast, with the bay providing some refuge from the wind. The Lower Bay and South Shore rock piles are fishing equally well whenever conditions are calm enough to hold the anchor. There are still plenty of sea bass and scup hanging around, too, so it shouldn’t be too tough to fill the coolers.
Reports of hardtails have mostly been quiet, but a few anglers noted seeing large bonito around the Narragansett area, feeding among the blitzing bass. It might not be over just yet! This weekend’s calmer weather should make it a little easier to go hunting for them.
Striped bass continue to use the wind as a cue to feed, with strong reports of big bass caught on topwaters by those who braved the weather this week. Reports were good from the upper bay, particularly around the Providence and Seekonk Rivers, but action was also strong in the lower bay and along the South Shore and at the breachways. While the rough weather probably moved some schools around, I’d imagine there are still plenty of bass to be had, especially among the fish still working bait schools in the rivers.
Another staple of October fishing is the fall trout bite, and the DEM started its fall stocking program this week. While this latest storm doesn’t seem to have slowed the fall run, it’s a reminder that our weeks may be numbered. Get out there and cash in before it’s too late!