New England - Rhode Island Fishing Reports

Mike Wade at Watch Hill Outfitters heard that fishing for striped bass on the reefs slowed down a bit early in the week but has since recovered and there were some great reports from over the weekend. There have been some harbor bluefish mixed in, but it’s predominantly been a bass bite. Squid fishing continues to produce well with good reports coming in from all along the south shore beaches. Along with the squid, there have been reports of large schools of mackerel moving into the area. Fluke fishing seems to have slowed down, which should not be the case this time of year, but hopefully we are just waiting for a new body of fish to move into the area. There are some black sea bass starting to show up but so far, they have mostly been short fish.

Declan at Breachway Bait and Tackle reported a busy week around the shop with anglers either getting out fishing or gearing up for the season. Fishing for striped bass has been producing well locally and out around Block Island. Larger bass in the 30-pound class have been around for a couple of weeks, and some smaller fish are starting to show up now as well. You can also expect to find a few bluefish mixed in with the bass. Black sea bass are starting to show up in better numbers with solid reports of keepers from the local area, out in deeper water and around the island. They seem to be feeding heavily on large schools of sand eels which have been all over the beaches and the island. Fluke fishing really hasn’t been producing much yet. There are a few being caught, including some keepers, but it should be much better than it is right now. Scup fishing seems to be heating up with both shore and boat anglers catching well. The squid bite off of the beaches continues to produce well especially after dark when there are fewer predators to interfere with the squid. There have also been some shad and mackerel moving into the area.

Abbie at Quonnie Bait and Tackle said that fishing for striped bass has been very good locally especially for those fishing with live eels at night. The breachways, rocky areas along the beaches, and the waters around Block Island are all fishing well for bass right now and you can catch fish ranging from 20 inches up to 40-plus pounds. There have also still been some worm hatches taking place in the salt ponds and bass are feeding on them. Reports for both black sea bass and fluke have been slow so far this year, which is getting a bit concerning, especially with all of the bait around, but hopefully they are just running a couple of weeks behind schedule. Squid reports are holding up well with solid reports coming in from areas around Newport and Jamestown along with out in front of the south shore beaches.

Tony Guarino of Booked Off Charters said that they fished a few times this past week and generally did well targeting striped bass and black sea bass. Fluke fishing on the other hand has been off to a very slow start to far this year. There is plenty of bait around including sand eels and squid so hopefully we will see some fluke moving into the area soon.

Matt at Snug Harbor Marina reported a good week of fishing for striped bass out around Block Island. There are tons of sand eels around the island, and the bass are feeding heavily on them. The ledge seems to be producing well on the flood tide with mixed results on the ebb but other areas around the island are also fishing well. Fluke fishing has been kind of slow with some decent reports coming from along the south shore beaches. Fluke fishing out around Block has been very slow so at least for now, it seems like you are better off staying close to the beaches. There has been a fleet of boats out boats out squid fishing off of the beaches nearly every night and the bite seems to be holding up pretty well, but it will likely taper off soon. Large schools of mackerel and sand eels are also thick along the beaches right now.

The Frances Fleet reported continued success on recent squid trips. The bite might be slowing down a bit with water temperatures rising to the mid-50-degree range, but customers are still leaving with plenty of squid for a few meals or for fresh bait. Fluke reports are slowing down but it’s behind where it should be for this time of year. The good news is that there is a ton of bait on the fluke and sea bass grounds which will keep the fish happy and fat when they do arrive. Check their website for updated trip information and to make your reservations.

Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 said striper fishing continues to dominate the conversation at the shop. Most customers have been bass fishing whether in the river or out in the sound. The bite in the upper river is starting to wind down but reports they heard from anglers fishing with bait from shore or plugs from boats said the lower river bite was solid. They’ve also heard from customers fishing some of the reefs outside the river and to west who have had good striper action as well. The bite going at The Race and Plum Gut is no secret and it sounds like paddletails, bucktails, flutter spoons and Diamond Jigs are all catching fish. The bass in the deep water rips seem to be running from around slot size to the 20-pound range and the first reports of bluefish there also came in over the past few days. More consistent bluefish action can be found at the Millstone discharge. Word of a bit better sea bass fishing made its way into the shop over the weekend but overall, that bite has been off to a slower than average start according to most anglers who have been in buying rigs and bait. There are a few scup around but the most consistent action is still over in the Peconics. Fluke fishing has been tough for just about everyone who’s been trying. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.

Chris at The Saltwater Edge reported a very good week of squid fishing around the islands and out front along the beaches. The squid fishing is often wrapping around this time of year but with water temperatures still on the cool side the fishing has been holding up very well. There have also been a lot of sand eels moving in around the bay with birds, bass, and blues feeding heavily on them. Striper fishing is holding up well with some big fish up in the bay and around the islands and some smaller fish in the 15 to mid-20 inch have also started to move into the area. Reports were good this past week for black sea bass which are being found on deeper pieces of structure around the mouth of the bay. Fluke fishing has been a struggle so far this season and it doesn’t seem many have moved into the area just yet.