New England - Rhode Island Fishing Reports

Capt. Tom Logan of Fish Trap Sportfishing was hopeful that this past weekend was the last he would need to spend on boat maintenance and upkeep and that fishing would start up this coming weekend. From the reports that Capt. Tom has been hearing, striped bass have been moving in along the beaches in good numbers and squid are just starting to arrive. With any luck, by Memorial Day weekend, when charter fishing will start up, the fishing should very good.

Mike at Watch Hill Outfitters has been hearing reports of very good fishing for striped bass along the beaches and in the breachways. There are still a lot of small fishing around but the average size in increasing with some 40 plus inch fish moving into the area. Along with striped bass, customers have been reporting catching a few large 10-plus pound bluefish. Squid reports were slow for most of the past week, but fishing seemed to pick up a bit over the weekend. With warmer weather forecast for this week the bite will hopefully continue to improve. Tautog fishing continues to improve with reports of keepers being caught in shallow water near shore. A few customers tried drifting for fluke, and they found a few small fish but no keepers have been reported just yet.

Declan at Breachway Bait and Tackle said that fishing for striped bass is very good right now with customers finding fish out front along the beaches, back in the salt ponds, and in the breachways. Sizes have been mixed with people catching fish from the low 20-inch range up to the low 40-inch range. There has been some good size, 10-plus pound, bluefish mixed in with the bass on some tides. The tautog bite has been a little inconsistent and it seems like those who are doing the best aren’t getting too tied to one area and are instead moving around until they find a few fish willing to eat. Squid reports are starting to pick up and fishing should hopefully improve through most of May. A few short fluke have been caught along the beaches but not reports of keepers being caught yet.

Abbie at Quonnie Bait and Tackle reported that fishing for striped bass and bluefish has been very good with customers catching bass ranging in size from schoolies up to around 40 inches and large 10-plus pound bluefish. Most artificials seem to be producing pretty well but soft plastics especially paddle tail style baits have been the favorite. Tautog fishing seems to be pretty good in shallow water and both shore fishermen and boaters are catching a few keepers. Squid reports have been pretty slow, but it doesn’t seem as if many people have been targeting them locally just yet.

Capt. Tony Guarino of Booked Off Charters spent this past weekend working on the boat in preparation for charter season which starts up on Saturday the 18th weather permitting. Striped bass have started moving in along the beaches and as well as up in the bay, tautog fishing has been good to very good and fluke seem to be starting to show up so bye next weekend they should have some options available.

Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina reported that striped bass fishing has been very good along the beaches where surfcasters are catching bass up to around 20 pounds along with some good-sized bluefish. Tautog fishing has been decent with the best results coming out of shallow water spots. Fluke are starting to move in out around Block Island and along the beaches but most are still too small to keep. The fluke bite should start to really pick up toward the end of the month. Squid are around but the bite has been inconsistent with some customers catching good numbers of squid and others struggling to find a few.

The Frances Fleet was able to get out for squid a couple of times this past week and the fishing seems to be picking up. Results were mixed across the boat as is often the case when squid fishing but those anglers who were able to figure out the bite were able to put a solid catch together and high hooks had close to a 5-gallon bucket full of fresh squid. Depending on the weather they plan on running squid trips Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday and will be adding fluke trips very soon. Reservations and an updated schedule can be found on their website, or you can call the office.

Capt. Russ Benn of the Seven B’s said that they decided to push their start date to sometime in early June depending on the weather and the status of the fisheries. They will use the next couple of weeks to make sure that boat boats are in tip top shape for the season ahead. Early season trips typically target fluke and seabass with the possibility of a couple of squid trips if the fishing is good enough. This season will see the new Jeannie B II, a 36-foot sport fisher, which will be used for private charters of up to 6 anglers, joining the fleet. If you are interested in scheduling a trip aboard either vessel, give them a call and make a reservation.

Ralph Craft at Crafty One Customs said that fishing for striped bass has been very good in the bay with larger bass moving in with each tide and plenty of bait around for them to feed on in the form or adult pogies/bunker and squid. Even though the squid are around in pretty good numbers, fishing for them has been a bit of a struggle especially for those anglers trying to target them from shore. Tautog fishing is very good in the bay and seems to be picking up out front along the beaches. Not much for fluke reports yet but they should be moving inshore, and fishing should start to pick up for them in the next couple of weeks.