New England - Rhode Island Fishing Reports

Mike Wade at Watch Hill Outfitters said that fishing for striped bass on the local reefs has been holding up well with some nice sized bass being caught. The bass are feeding on squid and topwater offerings like the Doc are working well in the early mornings. Live eels and live-lining scup or mackerel are also producing some big fish. Fluke reports have been a bit slow but there are some keepers being caught off the beaches. For black sea bass, there have been more keeper sized fish moving into the area and many anglers are reporting limit catches. Scup fishing has been excellent from shore and by boat. There were some green bonito around for a few days last week, but they seem to have disappeared for now. Offshore, the recreational bluefin bite has been pretty slow so far but there is plenty of bait and marine life on the tuna grounds and it could pick up any day.

Declan at Breachway Bait and Tackle said that the storm this past week provided opportunities for surfcasters to score some nice bass from the breachways and beaches. Some big bass were landed and there has been a recent increase in smaller bass in the 12- to 25-inch range which is great to see. Fluke reports have been improving and there were some nice fish caught this past week including a 12-pounder that was weighed in at the shop. Fishing for black sea bass continues to produce well and there are good number of nice sized scup around. Offshore, anglers are still waiting for the recreational bluefin bite to really take off. There have been some fish caught but the bite has been very inconsistent. Hopefully we will see more fish moving into the area soon and a solid late summer and fall fishery

Abbie at Quonnie Bait and Tackle reported that anglers continue to do well targeting striped bass at night with live eels. The breachways and rocky stretches along the beaches all seem to be holding some quality bass. Fluke fishing has been improving with more keepers being caught from 50- to 60-feet of water off the beaches. Fishing for black sea bass has also been improving with more keepers moving into the area and there are plenty of scup around. There has been quite a bit of mackerel around but no reports yet on green bonito or false albacore moving into the area.

Tony Guarino of Booked Off Charters said that they had some planned down time this past week and only fished on Thursday for fluke. Overall, fluke fishing continues to be slow compared to prior years but they are finding a decent number of keepers and the sea bass fishing has been improving which helps balance out the lower numbers of fluke. They will be back at it full time this week with a full day fluke trip scheduled for Monday and then bass and potentially some offshore trips next weekend.

Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina reported that fishing for striped bass out around Block Island continues to produce some nice sized fish if you can get away from the sharks which are becoming an issue. Locally, the bass fishing has been a bit slower as we settle into summer patterns, but some nice fish can still be found especially after dark. Fluke reports have been mixed but generally there seem to be more keepers showing up along the beaches. Black sea bass fishing remains very good and there are lots of scup around! Not a whole lot to report for offshore this past week due to the weather and the few boats that ran out to the inshore grounds over the weekend didn’t find much for tuna but there is plenty of bait and marine life out there.

The Frances Fleet reported good fishing this past week on both the full and half day trips. The weather did force them to cancel a few trips, but when they were able to get out the fluke and black seabass were cooperating. There are quite a few short fluke being caught with some keepers mixed in and the number of keeper sea bass has been increasing on recent trips. You can view their full schedule on their website where you can also make reservations for upcoming trips. Weekend trips have been selling out so be sure to make your reservations early.

Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 said he’d heard the talk of the shop this week was mostly around the wave of brown sharks that’s hit the region, east of the river. Lots of customers looking to target summer stripers are encountering sharks, either chasing and chopping up hooked fish, or, taking the eels meant to catch them in the first place. The bass bite at The Race has slowed down some and reports from there indicate that while there are still fish around, it’s a challenge to get them to bite. Bottom fishing has reportedly been good for porgies and blackfish. All of the typical shore spots have scup and the best fishing has been at Pleasure Beach, Harkness, the Fort Trumbull Pier, Avery Point and Watch Hill. Sandworms, sinkers and rigs are popular purchases for customers in to gear up before heading out to catch some porgies. Blackfish action has been good for folks looking to catch a couple of summer tog and most reports have come from 15-feet of water or less. There has been an uptick in folks coming through the shop looking to do some crabbing in the river and its tributaries. Crab reports haven’t been banner worthy yet but those that are going are getting some. He said that he expects the crab reports to pick up as we head into August and even September which are typically the best times for gathering a load of tasty blue claws. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.

Over at The Saltwater Edge they have been hearing reports of slower fishing for striped bass as we are now getting into the typical summer doldrums. There are still a good number of bass around, they are just harder to catch, and the best bite is often taking place at night with live eels. Bottom fishing is holding up well for fluke and especially black sea bass where more keepers seem to be moving into the area. Fishing for scup has also been producing well. There have been reports of some green bonito showing up around the islands and along the beaches and there are plenty of mackerel around. Offshore, the weather offered limited opportunities this past week and reports of inshore bluefin remain slow for recreational anglers.