New England - Rhode Island Fishing Reports

Mike Wade at Watch Hill Outfitters said that tautog fishing was very good this past week when the weather cooperated. Both boat and shore anglers have been finding good numbers of fish with plenty of keepers mixed in. There are some keeper sized black sea bass mixed in along with too many bait stealing shorts. Fishing for striped bass has been a little inconsistent with fish on the move. Whether you are fishing from boat or shore it pays to stay mobile and look for signs of bait or fish. There are a good number of false albacore still being caught in the area inside of Fishers Island. They are also popping up off the beaches occasionally.

Declan at Breachway Bait and Tackle reported that fishing for striped bass was a bit slower this past week, but anglers are still picking up some nice fish around the breachways at night and driving the beaches during the day. With temperatures dropping over the weekend, we could see a lot of bait moving out of the estuaries which could mean good things for bass fishing. Tautog fishing is off to a great start with reports of fish up to around 9 pounds caught locally along with many limits. There has been a shortage of green crabs from the suppliers this year, but they are doing their best to keep them in stock. There are still good numbers of black sea bass around with some good-sized ones being caught while fishing for tautog or targeting sea bass on deeper pieces of structure. False albacore and green bonito are still in the area, but they seem to be thinning out and have been a bit difficult to target. It still pays to keep a rod rigged and ready if they pop up near the boat while targeting other species, but planning a trip to specifically target them is becoming a challenge.

Abbie at Quonnie Bait and Tackle has been hearing reports of very good fishing for tautog locally with boat and shore anglers scoring some nice fish. Boaters have the advantage of being more mobile and having many more areas to target but some of the shore-based anglers have been producing limit catches. Reports for striped bass have been very good especially at night with live eels. There have also been smaller school-sized fish chasing bait in tight to the beaches during the day. Not a lot of reports for bluefish recently but some anglers are reporting seeing and catching false albacore and green bonito.

Tony Guarino of Booked Off Charters said that they have been fishing for tautog, and fishing has been very good with limits on most trips. Nothing huge yet but solid fish to around 7 pounds are being seen on most trips. They did venture out for black sea bass one last time early in the week and had 31 keepers along with a few fluke but with tog fishing heating up close to home they will likely be focusing on tautog for the remainder of the season.

Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina has been hearing reports of some very good tautog fishing with many boats limiting out on fish to around 5 or 6 pounds. Areas around Newport and Jamestown are fishing will along with the Point Judith area. There have also been reports of some larger black sea bass mixed in with the tautog. Fishing for striped bass has been producing mixed results depending on the day and location. The fish are on the move, so it pays to stay mobile and check several spots to improve your odds. Those fishing at night seem to be doing a bit better for striped bass, especially big bass, than the daytime crowd but both are finding some fish. False albacore and green bonito are still showing up here and there, but they are tough to find when you are looking for them, and they will likely be moving out soon. There were reports of quite a few weakfish caught early in the week but they seem to have moved off at least for now.

The Frances Fleet started running tautog trips last week and results have been impressive to start the season. They have been finding good numbers of fish, including many keepers, both shallow and deep and it looks like it’s shaping up to be a very good fall of tog fishing. There were many limit catches of tautog on recent trips and anglers are also seeing some keeper black sea bass and scup. They will be running mixed bag trips along with tautog trips in the weeks ahead and some of the best fishing of the year is likely to take place in the next few weeks. As always, you can view their full schedule on their website where you can also make reservations for upcoming trips.

Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 said most of the talk at the shop these days is about blackfish, though they are hearing of good action for stripers while other customers are in to gear up and hop aboard head boats for deep water bottom fishing. Tog fishing has been good to start the season. He said most folks he’d talked to were able to scratch up a three fish limit. For some it was easy while others had to work but enough 16- to 20-inch fish are around to keep most people happy. Andrew highlighted that the weather the last couple of seasons has made windows shorter so picking your spots and taking advantage when the wind isn’t howling is key to capitalizing on good bites when they’re happening. The shop’s blackfish tournament has been competitive again this year and runs the full six week tog season; the heaviest fish will take the total pot at the end in the form a shop gift card. There will also be weekly prize winners each week of the season from different sponsors so keep an eye on their social media to see what’s up for grabs. Fish can be weighed at the shop or at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle and you must sign up in person in Middletown to get in. Last year they had over 75 participants and at $30 a head to get in the payout should be a good one. Andrew said that if this November is like those of the past couple of years we should expect good tog fishing whenever seas are calm enough to get to deeper water to catch them. Striped bass fishing should be steady as well, especially around the mouths of the major rivers and estuaries. He also mentioned that the state has been stocking again for the fall and lots of the local bodies of water have been refreshed with some nice trout. The Salmon and Coginchaug are popular streams and Black Pond and Cedar Lake seem to consistently get stockings of good sized trout. The shop is currently open seven days a week.

Over at The Saltwater Edge they continue to hear reports of solid fishing for striped bass around the islands and off of the south county beaches. Schoolies and fish up to 20 pounds, have been pushing bait in close to the beaches during the day making for good surfcasting and boat fishing opportunities. At night, the numbers of fish have been fewer but the changes for catching a large fish go up. Tautog fishing is already very good and should continue to improve as we get deeper into the month of October. There are still some nice sized fish in shallow water making them accessible from shore. Black sea bass are still around and being caught mixed in with tautog or by anglers targeting them drifting over deeper pieces of structure. There are still some false albacore and green bonito around but they are becoming tougher to target.