Bonito reports continue to trickle in from Rhode Island, while increased water temperatures have kept the best fluke and striped bass action around the Block. Bluefish from snappers to gators have invaded Long Island Sound and are keeping Connecticut anglers busy throughout the warm summer days.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
It was another week of some ups and down aboard The Frances Fleet in Narragansett, with many more high points than lows. Fluke numbers have slowed down a touch, but there are still plenty of quality fish on most trips, while big keeper sea bass are outnumbering fluke 2:1. The highlight of the week was an 11.6-pound fish landed by long-time customer Tom Lombardi last Thursday. Saturday saw one of the best full day trips of the week, with a good haul of big fluke, including three over 10 pounds. The early part of this week saw multiple trips of 3 to 5 keeper fluke per angler and full limits of black sea bass. Many of the black sea bass are weighing in over 3.5 pounds and there are quite a few large (2-pound plus) scup in the mix. The nighttime bass/bluefish trips saw quite a bit of variance, but overall good success. Seems like the nighttime trips are either seeing a good haul of striped bass to the 20-pound class with a few bluefish in the mix, or a ton of gator blues with a couple nice bass in the mix. Either way, the trips have been successful and will continue to sail from Wednesday through Saturday evening, by reservation. The early cod trips have now ended, but were very successful. The fleet is anticipating another excellent cod season when they transition over to full-day trips in September.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that bluefish of all sizes can easily be found scattered throughout the bay and along most of the beaches. Besides bluefishing, many local anglers are turning to bottom fishing. Black sea bass are hitting jigs on the deeper structure, while scup fishing is strong on just about any piece of structure. Fluke fishing is decent in the Newport area, but remains very good at Block Island, specifically out in front of the wind turbines. Tautog fishing is also improving throughout Newport and Jamestown, with a good deal of keeper fish taking Asian crabs on jigs. Most of the tidal estuaries are now holding very good numbers of snapper bluefish and blue crabs, which provide a great low-cost way to spend your day on the water.
At The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, quite a few anglers are gearing up for the bonito/false albacore season, and bonito reports have started to slowly increase. The fish are still wildly scattered, so some luck is involved, but it seems the Point Judith area is holding the biggest concentrations. False albacore have not yet arrived and are likely still a few weeks away. Fluke fishing remains consistent on the local deep-water reefs and along the southeast side of Block Island. Bluefish of all sizes are all over the place and you would be hard-pressed to not run across a few large schools anywhere inside the bay. The offshore guys saw a slow-down in the tuna action around the full moon, but it seems that things are picking right back up as we come off that moon cycle.
Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, reports the Block Island striped bass bite has shown no signs of slowing down. Thirty- to forty-pound bass remain very easy to locate both day and night. Large jigs are working just fine during the day, while the nighttime crew has favored live eels. The Watch Hill reefs are also still holding a decent population of big bluefish and keeper striped bass. There are loads of smaller bluefish feeding on peanut bunker inside the Pawcatuck River and around the breachways, which have been a blast for light tackle anglers. Fluke catches remain slow but steady at the local beaches and excellent at the island. The offshore crowd is reporting very good numbers of mahi around the high-flyers and the cod bite at Coxes Ledge shows no signs of slowing down.
Connecticut Fishing Report
John, at Hillyers in Waterford reports that the local fluke fishing really took a turn for the better over the past few days. Quite a few fish of over 23 inches were taken from the Waterford area over the weekend. Most of the larger fish are now in 80 to 100 feet of water, with Black Point and Two Tree Channel producing well around those depths. Scup fishing has also been very strong locally, with plenty of keepers being taken from the Spindle and White Rock. Bluefishing is very good at Valiant Rock on diamond jigs and there are also some decent bass hanging around Valiant and outer Bartletts. A good push of snapper bluefish have moved into the Niantic River and are quickly moving up in size.
Andrew at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown had quite a few customers gearing up for hardtails this week, as more and more reports of bonito have trickled in from Rhode Island. The fish are quite scattered but there are enough around to keep everyone interested. If you want good striped bass catches, heading to Block Island is in your best interests. Just about everyone who has headed out there has come across 30-to 40-pound bass with relative ease. The cod bite has been very strong at Coxes, along with the fluke fishing around the wind farm. If you can make your way out to the island, you can certainly have yourself a nice multi-species day. In local waters, the fluke bite has improved around Waterford, sea bass and scup are all over, while bluefish of all sizes can be found around the mouth of the Connecticut River.
At Rivers End in Old Saybrook, James reports that we are starting to see more and more schools of small bass and blues feeding on small bait throughout the sound. Large schools of topwater blues and bass have been hanging around The Race, and some smaller schools have been seen in the mornings along the Saybrook shoreline. Fluke picked up quite a bit around Niantic, but the best and safest shot at some doormats remains at Montauk. Scup fishing is very good at Black Point, Bartletts, Hens and Chickens and Hatchets, along with most of the eastern sound hard bottom. Schools of big bluefish are plentiful just outside the Connecticut River, Plum Gut, The Race and the Sluiceway. Snapper bluefishing has gotten very good inside the river at spots like the DEEP docks, the state boat launch and the causeway. Blue crabbing is also very strong in all of the river’s tidal estuaries.
Captain TJ, off Rock and Roll Charters, reports the best few weeks of bluefishing he has seen in years, with huge schools of 5- to 15-pound fish all over the sound. Some of the schools have reached enormous sizes and you can stay on them for hours. Striped bass fishing has slowed down a bit, mainly because they are mixed in with the bluefish and it has become so difficult to get an offering past the blues. The amount of small bass is astronomical and all signs are pointing to another great fall run.
Jeremy at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that there is now a very nice population of school striped bass around the islands. The fish are feeding heavily on very small bait, specifically during the early morning hours. Small topwater poppers, soft plastics and flies have worked best as these fish are keyed in on that smaller profile bait. There are still plenty of big bluefish out west, but they are scattered throughout the area. Locating some large schools of bunker has been the best way to find some gators, and it seems the greatest concentrations of bunker are around Stamford. Fluke has been tough, but scup and sea bass remain quite steady. The biggest surprise this week was the arrival of some nice weakfish. Quite a few anglers have reported some nice weakfish this week and all of them have come on bait rigs intended for bottom species.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Increased bonito sightings across Rhode Island have light-tackle enthusiasts all fired up for the hardtail invasion. Targeting bonito and only bonito may prove tricky, but Rhode Island anglers should look to make a multi-species trip this weekend. Of course, while you’re out there, make sure you have the spinning gear ready in case the speedsters show up. Connecticut anglers should look to the Waterford area for a good shot at keeper fluke, while scup, sea bass and bluefish can be found throughout Long Island Sound.