Striped bass action continues remains steady at Block Island, and action across Connecticut has taken a turn for the better. Summer bottom fishing action has reached its peak in terms of fluke, scup and sea bass action.
Rhode Island Fishing Report
Captain Greg, of the Frances Fleet in Narragansett, has reported some good sea bass action this week, with easy limits of fish to 5 pounds. Many times, the sea bass were attacking the baits so quick, you couldn’t get to the fluke. There have still been a good number of keeper fluke in the mix though, with high hook on Wednesday taking home 5 fish to 7 pounds. Both the half day and full day trips produced equally well, with good numbers of both species on each trip. The early week marathon trip was also rather successful with many limits of fluke to 8 pounds and plenty of big sea bass. They will be running a Sunday cod trip at 5 am and they still have some spots open. Reports have been very strong as long as you could avoid the dogfish, so things should go well.
Captain Brian of, Big Game Sportfishing, told me that the striped bass fishing has been steady for a few weeks now, but the recent full moon provided some of the best action they’ve seen in years. They had multiple 50-plus-pound fish and released a bunch of fish in the 40- to 50-pound range. The action slowed down over the weekend, so they changed gears and went for cod. The cod fishing was very strong, and the bottom fishing remains good for both fluke and sea bass. Fluke keepers are a little tougher to find with all the shorts that are around, but big keeper sea bass limits are easy. The offshore action has also been very good with a great jig bite of 50- to 100-pound bluefin!
Captain Wade, of Booked Off Charters told me that they had some very good days on the fluke grounds last week, with 2 fish eclipsing the 10-pound mark in one day! The bass fishing around Block Island started to slow just a bit, but some gator bluefish have moved in. The knot head sea bass moved in and are now mixed in with the scup. Six-man limits of giant sea bass are coming very quickly, while big scup and 10-pound bluefish are as plentiful as ever. Offshore reports from the edge continue to be great with Big eyes and yellowfin in good numbers. No real news on any tuna or mahi showing up yet inside of 60 miles.
Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly reports that the fishing has held up this week, especially for stripers and sea bass. Block continues to produce big stripers, and the Watch Hill reefs are still seeing a few good fish here and there. Sea bassing is strong just about everywhere, with easy limits. Fluke reports are good when anglers have been able to find good drifting conditions, but that isn’t always the case with the light winds we’ve had lately.
Captain Kelly, of C-Devil II Sportfishing in Narragansett, reports that they continue to put hefty bass on the boat, but it’s been a bit more difficult this week. Monster bluefish have moved into the area though and are adding some great action to the mix. Bluefish to 17 to 18 pounds are around in good numbers, and they’re plenty willing to bust your tackle. Sea bass in the 3- to 5-pound range are plentiful, as are some of the biggest scup that they’ve seen in years. You also never know what you’re going to catch this year, as one of their customers found out this week. He landed an 80-pound thresher on a sea bass rig with a 20-pound leader!
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Fishing Report For Connecticut
Andrew, at Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, told me that he continues to sell eels at a fever pace due to the insane striped bass bite at Block Island. 40- to 50-pound bass are as common as scup and sea bass; while recent reports from Montauk have been similar. In the sound reports are starting to improve, with a decent bite in The Race, and the first reports of 30- to 40-pound bass along the CT shoreline. It’s far from lights out, but it’s a step in the right direction. Fluke action has picked up along the Rhode Island beaches in 50-80 feet of water, with 70 feet seeming like the hotspot.
Chris, at Black Hall Outfitters, told me that the unbearable heat seemed to keep many off the water last weekend and in the shade, but those that did get out caught! Big fluke were taken close to shore, including a few in the 12-pound range to the east of the CT river. Some monster bluefish also decided to show up locally and are popping up with more regularity on the reefs and rips. Sea bass action remains strong on small pieces of structure in deep water. Big striped bass are still filtering in as well, but with the warmer water, the nighttime has been the right time.
Heather from Black Hawk Sportfishing told me that they had another great week of fishing in and around Long Island Sound. The day trips have seen easy limits of jumbo scup and sea bass; while the after-work trips have had a good mix of stripers, blues, sea bass and scup. These trips head out on most Thursdays and Fridays at 4pm, and reservations are strongly recommended as space is limited. They’ve got some more night bass trips coming up this week, so stay tuned next week for the report on those.
Josh, from Three Belles Outfitters in Niantic, says the inshore striped bass bite has slowed down over the past week, most likely due to the heat. Decent fish are being caught at night on deeper rips using soft plastics, eels, and bunker. A few reports of bluefish to 15 punds came in, mostly from Rhode Island waters. Fluke has been hit or miss, but persistence pays off. Look shallow, look deep, and weed through the shorts. Scup and sea bass have been reliable sources of fast action. In freshwater, things have slowed down a bit due to the heat as well. Nighttime or low light periods are your best bet for quality fish of all suits.
Mike Roy, of Reel Cast Charters, told me that the striped bass fishing remains consistent, with more large fish starting to show up locally. The bait is really starting to get thick, which has resulted in the uptick in bass action, and a bunch of bluefish of all sizes showing up. Mike is already starting to book into September, so anyone looking to fish the beginning of the spring run should contact him soon!
Joe, from Diorio Guide Service, told me that the striped bass bite remains consistent at Block and around Montauk. He continues to find big fish consistently and saw at least 1 50-inch fish on just about every trip. Things are a bit slower locally, but he is starting to see more fish in the 36- to 44-inch range on livelined bunker, when you can locate the bunker schools.
Captain Mike, of Light Bite Charters in Norwalk, told me things are still going strong out west. Some large bass are still moving around the shallow inshore structures around the Norwalk Islands, the Saugatuck River and around Westport. The bite windows have been very tide dependent, so they don’t last too long, but there are some nice fish in the mix if you can dial it in. Topwater plugs around dusk are still working and soft plastics, such as the Big Occhi from GameOn have been strong producers. Dawn and dusk have certainly been the strongest, but Mike has the bite dialed in all day long; be sure to book a trip while it’s still going strong.
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
The summer doldrums have set in around southern New England, but no one gave the fish that message. Summer fishing is right around its peak, with big striped bass all over the island, across Rhode Island and beginning to filter throughout the sound. Keeper fluke are starting to move deeper, but there are still plenty around to keep coolers full. Black sea bass has hit its summer stride, with knot heads hanging out all over the deeper structure, and we may also be in the midst of one of the best big scup seasons on record!