New England - Rhode Island Fishing Reports

Capt. Tom Logan of Fish Trap Sportfishing has been hearing more reports recently of squid being caught up mostly up around Newport and Point Judith. The squid should be moving in along the local beaches soon if they are not already there. Fishing for striped bass is starting to pick up in the river and along the beaches. A good number of small fish are being caught along with a few in or around the slot. The calendar is starting to book up for the 2025 season, but they still have some prime dates available for both inshore and offshore trips.

Mike Wade at Watch Hill Outfitters said that a few customers have been getting out for squid and reported doing well especially to the east around Point Judith. Striped bass are being caught in the river in pretty good numbers and there have been reports of some bass caught from the breachways a back in the salt ponds. Tautog reports have been a little inconsistent with some people doing well and others struggling to find a bite. There have been a few fluke caught off of Misquamicut and the bite around Block and Montauk should start heating up soon.

Declan at Breachway Bait and Tackle was able to get out on the pond a few nights last week and did well targeting striped bass around the worm hatches. The ponds are pretty loaded with bass right now, and they seem keyed in on the worm hatches during the day. Early morning, evening, and at night the bass are a little less selective and can be caught on larger soft plastics, topwater, and, of course, live eels. There have even been reports of a few bluefish around. Squid fishing is heating up, especially in the bay, but there have been a few good reports from the Point Judith area as well. Tautog reports are improving, and the water has moved past 50 degrees off of the beaches right now which is about ideal for early season tog. Overall, fishing is really starting to take off and the best is yet to come!

Abbie at Quonnie Bait and Tackle has been hearing reports of schoolie striped bass being caught from the local breachways and from the West Wall. The fishing has picked up significantly over the last week and catching has become a lot more consistent in the last few days. There have also been reports of some squid moving into the bay and they should be showing up along the beaches very soon if they aren’t already out there. Tautog reports are still kind of slow, but a few fish are being caught from both shore and boat. Those still chasing trout in the local rivers and ponds continue to do well.

Capt. Tony Guarino of Booked Off Charters said that they were planning on putting the boat back in the water this week and would be running trips this coming weekend. From the reports that Tony has been hearing, squid are in pretty thick and the numbers of striped bass are improving each day. There hasn’t been too much talk of fluke moving in yet but they should be showing up in better numbers soon.

Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina has been hearing reports of good numbers of squid being caught around Point Judith and up inside of the bay. The bite has been on for a couple of weeks and could start to slow down any day as more predatory fish move into the area and start feeding on the schools of squid. Striped bass are being caught from the beaches, breachways and back in the salt ponds where worm hatches are starting to go off. A few fluke are being caught and more should be showing up both locally and out around the island with each tide.

The Frances Fleet got out for squid a couple of times this past week and reported doing well locally with some customers catching nearly a 5-gallon bucket full of nice-sized squid. They are also currently offering trips for fluke and fishing should pick up soon with all of the squid around. Their full schedule can be found on their website where you can also make reservations for upcoming trips.

Ralph Craft at Crafty One Customs said that fishing is excellent in the bay right now with anglers catching a variety of species. The squid fishing is red hot with solid catches from shore and by boat. Fishing for striped bass is heating up and some larger bass are starting to show with fish into the 40-pound class caught this past week. Tautog fishing is very good with many limit catches reported. There is a good amount of bait around with squid, mackerel and pogies in the bay so the predatory fish should stick around for a while.