Rhode Island Fishing Report - August 27, 2015

Bonito sightings are up, but landing one has proved a bit more difficult over the past few days. Meanwhile, monster bluefish are wreaking havoc on baitfish all over the place.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

Captain Russ, of The Seven B’s in Narragansett, saw an uptick in success on their half-day trips late last week through the earlier part of this week. A strong tide and good drift conditions have resulted in fairly easy boat limits of black sea bass, and near limits of fluke to 7 pounds. A few scup and some big bluefish have been in the mix and have kept the action steady. Half-day trips continue to sail Monday through Saturday from 8:30-12:30 and 1:00-5:00, while an extended Sunday afternoon trip sails from 1:00-8:00. Friday and Saturday evening striped bass trips continue to sail by reservation, and this past weekend saw some nice bass and good numbers of bluefish landed, despite tough conditions.

According to The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, the schools of bait from Newport to Sakonnet have not gotten any smaller, but managing to land some fish around the bait schools has gotten a bit tougher. The bonito have thinned out a bit in the area, and the fish that are still there have plenty of peanut bunker to feed on, making it tough to get them to hit an artificial offering. Over the past few mornings the peanuts around Sakonnet have been getting harassed by small keeper striped bass and bluefish, which have been much less finicky than the bonito. Word of some false albacore has trickled in from Martha’s Vineyard and around Woods Hole, but no local catches have been confirmed just yet. The surf crowd saw a bit more action with decent keeper bass after dark from Newport to Jamestown this week, and fluking remains steady in the deeper water around Sakonnet Point.

According to Howard at Galilee Bait and Tackle in Narragansett, there are still good numbers of bonito around Narragansett, but they have definitely gotten more spooky this week. Loads of bait and increased fishing pressure are likely causes of the slow down, but most anglers are managing a few fish per tide. At Block Island, the striped bass bite has been strong, but the fish have moved out of the depths of the ledge and are pushed tight to shore. Anglers who have been able to get their boats into the shallows have been seeing good numbers of fish, with some 30- to 40-pound fish in the mix. Surfcasters on Block Island are also cashing in on a good bite close to shore, while local surfcasters are also reporting much better fishing around the mainland this week than last. Daytime blitzes of bass have been a rare occurrence for shore anglers, but those fishing live eels and big plugs after dark have had a steady pick of keepers. There are still a ton of bluefish all over the area, and the hard-bottom remains carpeted with black sea bass. Tautog fishing is steadily improving and is garnering much more attention from local anglers, as Howard weighed in a number of fish over 5 pounds this week. Local fluke anglers are still finding decent keepers in 70-90 feet of water, but all indications point to that bite starting to slow down.
Mike Wade, of Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, spent some time last week fishing for fluke around the island, and that bite continues to hold strong; they boated plenty of keepers up to the 9-pound mark. Mike also reported that the striped bass fishing is still consistent out there, but again noted that the bite has been better tight to shore. The local reefs are still holding some good bass, and while the action hasn’t been lock and load, anglers have been picking away at some quality fish. A 37-pound shore caught bass was weighed in this week, and provides some hope for surfcasters as we approach the fall months. Bonito are spread out from Watch Hill to Narragansett and anglers are reporting different degrees of success, although it seems that most people who are targeting them are at least finding a few.

Connecticut Fishing Report

Lou, at Hillyers in Waterford, is hearing more and more about bonito being caught close to home, but the general consensus is that the fishing is more consistent just over the Rhode Island border than in the eastern sound. Black sea bass and scup continue to dominate bottom fishing catches, with the deep end of Black Point producing great sea bassing and Race Rock being a top producer for scup. Fluking has been tough in local waters this week, but luckily the sea bass and scup have picked up the slack. Striped bass fishing improved at the Race this week, for anglers drifting eels and bucktails. Locally, there have been some decent bass on the reefs, but gator bluefish have been dominating the catches. Big bluefish are all over the place from Millstone to the Connecticut River, with fish to the mid-teens being common this week. The snapper bluefish have finally filled in the Niantic River after a slow start, and the blue crabbing has been steady inside the river as well.

Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, also reported the arrival snapper bluefish in good numbers for the first time this season. All of the usual hotspots in the lower river are now holding decent sized fish. Large schools of adult bluefish are also readily available from Saybrook to Waterford, and multiple anglers have reported epic blitzes of 15-pound fish this week. Striped bass have been hit or miss, but the die-hards found a few 30- to 40-pound fish east of the river this week. Fluke fishing has been tough in the sound, leading many of the fluke fanatics to head to Montauk or Block Island for better results. Bonito catches have trickled in from the eastern sound over the past few days, but again the greater concentration and better action has been around Watch Hill.

Captain TJ, of Rock and Roll Charters in Clinton, reports great multi-species action on most trips, with the hardest part being predicting which species will dominate on a given day. The majority of striped bass trips have been successful, but the number of fish landed has varied greatly from day to day. Slower trips are seeing around a half dozen fish boated, while the stronger trips are seeing upwards of 20. Bluefish size and numbers has also varied a bit from day to day, but for the most part both have been very good, and it has been a reliable bite. Bottom fishing for black sea bass and scup has remained excellent all season, and this week was no different. Some tides are seeing better numbers of sea bass than scup, while others are seeing mainly scup; but the bottom remains paved with keepers of both species. Captain TJ also ventured offshore this weekend for a Montauk shark fishing tournament, and was able to get John Lushkins on a 168-pound thresher, which was good for second place in the tournament. Be sure to contact Captain TJ if you’re interested in an offshore trip, as he provides offshore charters along with his inshore trips.

Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, continues to find success during the dog days of summer. Mike described this week as a gator bluefish frenzy, with just enough cow bass mixed in to make things interesting. On a trip earlier this week, 9-year-old Jacob landed his first striped bass and did so in grand fashion, with bass of 42 and 34 pounds. Along with the cow bass, they had topwater bluefish to 15 pounds consistently throughout the trip. Trips like this have been the norm for last week or so in eastern Connecticut. There have been so many big bluefish around that it’s getting tough to get your offering to a hungry bass, but if you can manage to find a bass it has been a good one.

Best bets for the weekend

False albacore fever is just about ready to take over the minds and wallets of most saltwater anglers across southern New England. The good numbers of bonito across Rhode Island are a good preview of what’s in store for the fall, and this weekend looks like another good one to get out and scratch that itch. Big bluefish are all over the place, and could put a nice bend in the rod if the bonito aren’t cooperating; while black sea bass, scup and tautog all remain viable options for great table fare.