New England - Rhode Island Fishing Reports

Mike Wade at Watch Hill Outfitters reported that fishing for false albacore and green bonito has been good locally especially in the early mornings. Striped bass anglers are finding some good-sized fish along the beaches and in the salt ponds where they are feeding heavily on baitfish. There are still a few nice sized fluke being caught off the beaches along with black sea bass and scup. Tuna anglers continue to find some nice sized recreational fish in the 50-inch range south of Block and Montauk. There have also been reports of yellowfin tuna further to the south.

Declan at Breachway Bait and Tackle reported that fishing for striped bass is picking up locally especially in the salt ponds where smaller fish have been feeding aggressively on schools of baitfish. These bass are being caught on soft plastics and topwater offerings like spooks and poppers. For those looking for larger bass, live bait during the day and eels at night fishing around the local reefs and rock piles should produce some nice sized specimens. Fluke are starting to thin out but customers continue to find some nice sized fish out in deeper water and while you might not have steady action for fluke this time of year there is a good chance of catching your largest of the season right now. Tautog fishing has been a little hit or miss with reports of a lot of short tautog, sea bass and scup on the tog grounds. There are still good numbers of green bonito around and everyone is still waiting for the false albacore to show up. Offshore, the recreational bluefin tuna bite has been producing both unders and overs on the jig and trolling. Tuna anglers that have been avoiding the fleet of boats and finding their own life and fish seem to be doing the best especially after the early morning bite has shut down.

Abbie at Quonnie Bait and Tackle said that local anglers have been doing well targeting striped bass along the beaches and inside of the salt ponds. There is a lot of bait still inside of the salt ponds along with moving along the beaches out front and the bass are feeding heavily. Green bonito have also been feeding on schools of bait moving along the beaches along with a few bluefish. Ground fishing is still producing some nice fluke along with keeper black sea bass. Tautog reports have been mixed with some keeper sized fish being caught from shore and by boat. Those targeting black sea bass and scup have been doing well. There have been reports of recreational sized bluefin tuna being caught south of Block and Montauk.

Tony Guarino of Booked Off Charters said that they only fished on Sunday this past week having taken a much-needed break from running charters. They did pretty well for fluke with around a dozen keepers and four going over 6 pounds and also had some good-sized black sea bass. This week they will be back to running charters and will likely continue working the fluke grounds and try a couple of trips for tuna.

Matt at Snug Harbor Marina said that a lot of local anglers have been fishing for false albacore and green bonito which are being caught around the Harbor of Refuge and along the beaches. The best action seems to be early in the morning before the boat traffic and fishing pressure pushes them down. There are still some nice sized fluke being caught locally and out around Block Island. The fluke are starting to move deeper and traditional fall spots in deeper water are your best bet this time of year. Tautog reports have been slow with mostly short fish being caught. Those targeting black sea bass are also finding a lot of short fish along with some keepers. Bluefin tuna are still being caught south of the island but it’s not easy fishing and your best bet is to get out there early before the fleet shows up.

The Frances Fleet reported a very good week of fishing for fluke and sea bass on the full and half day trips. They have been seeing better numbers of keeper fluke on recent trips along with nice sized sea bass and scup. While the fluke fishing will likely start to wind down later this month, early and mid-September can provide some very good fishing with a shot at some real doormats. Following the long weekend, they will be focusing on full day fluke trips until they start running for tautog later this fall. You can view their full schedule on their website where you can also make reservations for upcoming trips. Trips have been selling out especially on the weekends so be sure to make your reservations early!

Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 said that talk of false albacore was persistent at the shop over the weekend as customers were headed out in search of funny fish. Reports of fish along the South County shore came in and had hardtail addicts fired up and ready to go. Andrew noted that while he hadn’t heard of any fish locally, once they are in the region, that can change on any given day, or tide. He also said that bonito were still present along the beaches in Rhody in pretty decent numbers late in the week. There is tons of small bait, not just in Rhode Island but also in the eastern sound and hopefully a good run of fish connects with them. He said he’d heard from customers who reported seeing some signs of fall not just in the arrival of pelagics but also in the form of striped bass and bluefish blitzing bait on the surface. Ground fishing seemed to drop a bit in popularity but for those still doing it, Block Island and Montauk seemed to be the best places to go. He said he’d heard of several nice fish from Block over the course of the last week. The mouth of the river and its tributaries picked up this week as blue crabs and snappers seemed to be more abundant, or easier to catch. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.

Tim at The Saltwater Edge shared that false albacore were caught over the last couple of days around the Harbor of Refuge and there were still reports of good number of green bonito along most of the south county beaches. Striped bass anglers continued to report encounters with brown sharks and it’s to the point where many responsible striped bass anglers have taken a break from targeting bass in an effort to prevent the bass from being killed by sharks. Tautog reports have been a little slow to start the season but will undoubtedly improve as the water starts to cool off. There are still some nice sized fluke around along with black sea bass and good-sized scup. The mid-shore tuna grounds are still producing some nice sized bluefin tuna, but the fish are heavily pressured and often difficult to fool. There have been reports of some nice sized mahi starting to show up around the highfliers inside of the shipping lanes.