New England - Rhode Island Fishing Reports

Mike Wade at Watch Hill Outfitters reported that fishing for striped bass has been excellent both locally and around Block Island. Both recreational and commercial reports were very good late in the week with some slot-sized fish on the reefs and mostly larger fish out around the island. Black sea bass fishing has been picking up with larger fish moving in locally and on deeper pieces of structure out around Block Island. Fluke fishing has been relatively slow so far this year but there are more lice covered fish showing up along the beaches so hopefully the main body of fishing is just running a week or two behind schedule. There are still good numbers of squid off the local beaches and boats have been doing pretty well targeting them after dark. Scup reports have been mixed but numbers are in the increase and it should start to get very good over the next couple of weeks. Offshore, the canyons seem to be heating up and we should start to see bluefin on the mid-shore grounds soon.

Declan at Breachway Bait and Tackle said that fishing for striped bass continues to produce well with reports of nice catches coming from the local beaches, breachways, and out around Block Island. Fishing has started to slow down back in the salt ponds, where water temperatures are rising, and the best striper fishing is taking place either after dark or during the low light hours around dawn and dusk. You can expect to find some bluefish out front along the beaches mixed in with the bass. Fluke reports continue to be slow both locally and out around the island. There are some fluke around and a few keepers are being caught but it’s certainly not what it should be for this time of year. Black sea bass reports are improving with more keepers moving into the local area. There have still been some boats targeting and catching squid off the beaches at night. The fishing isn’t quite as good as it was a couple of weeks ago, but anglers seem to still be doing well enough to make it worthwhile.

Abbie at Quonnie Bait and Tackle reported that local anglers continue to do well targeting striped bass from the beaches and breachways either after dark or early in the mornings. Live eels have been producing well but you can also catch with swimming plugs and bucktails or leadhead jigs tipped with soft plastics. Fluke reports have been pretty slow but there are some larger sea bass and scup starting to show up locally. Squid are still pretty thick off of the beaches and there are good numbers of sand eels are other baitfish around.

Tony Guarino of Booked Off Charters said that fishing for striped bass out around Block Island lit up late this past week with good number of large fish moving into the area. They did very well fishing for bass out there on Thursday afternoon. Friday and Saturday, they switched gears and went after fluke, and they are finally starting to see some better results. On Friday, they ended the day with 8 keepers, 5 of which were jumbos, along with some big sea bass and on Saturday, they already had a few keepers on the box when I called at around 8 a.m. Tony also mentioned that fishing out in the canyons really took off this past week for tuna and hopefully we will get to see some of those fish on the inshore grounds soon.

Matt at Snug Harbor Marina reported that fishing for striped bass out around Block Island was excellent this past week with good numbers of large fishing settling into the usual areas. There have been some slot sized bass around but most of the fish are going to be in the 20 plus pound range. Fluke fishing along the south shore beaches continues to improve with more keepers and shorts moving into the area. It’s still been a grind for fluke out around Block Island and fishing has generally been better off of the beaches. There have been more keeper sized black sea bass showing up both locally and around the island and scup fishing is improving. Squid are still in the area but most of the recent reports have been slower with more small squid in the mix. Some big scup have been moving in along the beaches, they aren’t around in large numbers yet but numbers will increase in the weeks ahead. Offshore, fishing is starting to heat up in the canyons with big eye, yellowfin and some bluefin reported.

Recent reports from Frances Fleet are showing improvement for both fluke and black sea bass. The fishing is still a little off compared to prior years, but they are seeing more bait on the fluke grounds and catching more keeper sized fish every trip so it’s trending in the right direction. They are currently offering both full and half-day trips and will be adding some whale watching trips to the schedule soon. Squid fishing is about wrapped up for the spring season. Check their website for updated trip information and to make your reservations.

Andrew at Fishin’ Factory 3 said as has been the case for the last several weeks, the best fishing they are hearing about from customers is for striped bass. This week the bite they heard the most about was at The Race where bass from slot to the low 20-pound range made up the majority of catches. Reports from customers who had drifted the deep water rip indicated that paddletails, flutter spoons, Diamond Jigs and bucktails were all effective in bringing linesides boatside. Word is there is bunker, butterfish and squid in the area driving the action and keeping the bass busy with the occasional bluefish mixed in. More consistent bluefish action can be found at the Millstone discharge. Other striper bites can be found on some of the reefs. The action in the upper Connecticut River is all but done and there are some fish in lower river but angler effort has been low due to the temporary closure of the Baldwin Bridge ramp. Fluke reports are slow. As Andrew put it, there are a few guys eating fluke sandwiches this week, but not many. Diehards are picking away at a few keepers but overall, it’s been a stunted start to the flatfish season. Sea bass fishing seems to be picking up mid sound as a few more reports trickled into the shop this week. A few anglers reported mixed results. One report had a 50:1 keeper to short ratio while others were able to piece together a limit. Andrew recommended staying on the move until you find a better sized body of fish if you’re looking to bring home dinner. Scup fishing is still a couple of weeks away. There are a few scup around but the most consistent action is still over in the Peconics. The shop is open seven days a week for the season.

Over at The Saltwater Edge they continue to see solid fishing for striped bass which should continue into this week as we come off of the new moon. There is an abundance of bait around the islands, including sand eels and squid, which can make the bass difficult to fool at times but there are plenty of fish around. You can expect to find some bluefish around as well often mixed in with the striped bass. Squid fishing is holding up surprisingly well with some of the best reports of the season this past week. It’s unlikely that the squid bite will continue much longer so get out for them soon if your freezer isn’t already well stocked. Fishing for fluke, black sea bass and scup are starting to heat up locally and they are feeding heavily on sand eels along with squid so adjust your baits accordingly. As of Sunday afternoon, there were some reports of bonito showing up in the waters off of Newport! And one of the shop’s regular customers, TJ Harris nailed a massive 55-pound striper on a bunker chunk, no word on exactly where the fish was caught.