Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet out of Point Judith took advantage of the great weather this past week, running multiple trips for tautog. The bite has generally been very good, with anglers who stick it out at the rail often limiting out. There have also been some nice-sized black sea bass and scup mixed in with the tog. Some trips are selling out, so be sure to reserve your spot if you would like to get out with them. As always, you can view the full schedule and make reservations for upcoming trips on their website.
Captain Connor MacLeod, at Tall Tailz Charters, provided the following report for the week: “Fishing this week has been great. We’ve had a lucky stretch of warm weather and favorable winds, so we’ve got all of our trips in. We’re seeing lots of action from 40 to 50 feet but still getting quality action when we drop deeper over 80 feet. The jig and rig have both been producing great. The white crabs have definitely been the ticket when the green crab bite gets a little scratchy. Our biggest fish has been 12 pounds this week, with tons of roaster 7- to 9-pounders. As usual, we try to kill as few fish as possible. Let’s all try and protect this fishery while we still can!”
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Captain Rob Taylor, at Newport Sportfishing Charters, told me that tautog fishing is in full swing in his neighborhood, and the weather this week has made for more comfortable fishing. The last two days felt more like September than November! The fish have been chewing across a range of depths, and despite the warm weather, the bigger fish are starting to hold a bit deeper. That said, temperatures haven’t completely plummeted, so the shallower jig bite is lasting longer than usual. Double-digit fish have made some appearances this week, and fish just under that mark have been relatively common.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, told me that fishing across Rhode Island has remained good, especially with the decent weather windows we’ve had this week. Striped bass are still plentiful, with anglers reporting plenty of slot and over-slot fish in the rivers, as well as along the rocky South County shoreline. Soft plastics on leadheads or weighted hooks have been accounting for most of the fish, but enough bass have been willing to take topwater spooks to keep things interesting.
Tautog fishing has been mostly tremendous, Dave said, with a notable improvement in the quality of fish over the past few days. Reports indicate that bigger fish are being caught throughout the bay, as far north as the Washington Bridge. The Lower Bay and South Shore are fishing just as well. Anglers are still catching tautog on jigs during weaker tides and in shallower water, but things are starting to transition toward bigger fish holding on deeper structure and being caught on rigs. Dave is still recovering from a recent surgery but is back to work and has all your tautog needs covered. Be sure to check his Facebook and Google Business pages for updated hours.
Dustin Stevens, at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures, told me that things remain pretty similar to last week and provided this updated report: “Blackfish is where the action is right now. On most of our trips, we are seeing solid-sized fish up to the lower 20-inch class. Some days we have to work for it, while other days the limits have come relatively easy, with the last few days seemingly being a little easier than late last week and the weekend. Striped bass activity is still there but hasn’t been very reliable in their usual spots. We’ve seen more striper activity in the upper bay than the lower bay. Black sea bass has been a popular bycatch while togging, and that bite should stay solid until Thanksgiving. The fall squid run has taken another step forward, and it’s shaping up to be as epic as the spring bite! There’s always something to fish for, so reach out to book your trip ASAP!”
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Eric, at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, said that they have been hearing reports of good tautog fishing inside the bay, with a few fish over the 10-pound mark caught this past week. Fish can be found in 20 to 60-plus feet of water right now, but as the water continues to cool, tautog will start heading for deeper water. There are also some keeper-sized black sea bass and scup on the tautog grounds, including some true hubcap scup on the deeper structure. Striped bass fishing is still producing well, with bass feeding on bait throughout the bay and along the South Shore beaches. Green bonito and false albacore seem to have moved out of the area, and bluefish numbers are very low.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
The weather windows this week were quite a bit better than the previous week, including a few days with near-summerlike temperatures. This warm weather has seemingly paused the fall run at its peak, with the tremendous fishing we’ve seen over the past few weeks continuing to be the norm.
Strong tautog fishing has been the theme for most anglers this week. There also seemed to be an increase in the quality of fish, along with the usual consistency we expect from the tautog fishery this time of year. The Rhode Island shoreline is certainly not devoid of hard structure, and right now, you can find quality tautog anywhere from 15 to 100 feet of water. This not only allows you to avoid crowds and work different depths, but also provides options on days when the weather doesn’t cooperate and your range is limited. Regardless of the weather or the size of your vessel, you should be able to find some productive water on most trips. You’re likely to find plenty of big sea bass in the mix, along with some packs of hubcap scup showing up on deeper structure.
The striped bass migration seems to have slowed in terms of fish moving around, while the bite remains as strong as it has been all fall. Reports have remained strong from the South County beaches and breachways, including inside the breachways, which is often an overlooked fall fishery. The upper bay is still holding bass of mixed sizes, as far up as the Providence and Seekonk Rivers.
Bonito and false albacore are still showing up occasionally, but they seem to be the only fall species that have slowed down this week.
Another staple of November fishing is fall trout fishing. The DEM has continued its fall stocking program this week, and reports have been good from a number of bodies of water.