On The Water Magazine

1. Shops throughout the Rhode Island region reported lots of fluke being taken on a pretty consistent basis. Keeper-sized fluke, some in the 7- to 9-pound range as reported by Thom at Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown, are being taken. Everyone is reporting however, that the number of keeper-sized fluke to shorts is still overwhelmingly small, meaning lots of catch-and-release action.
2. The most consistent action is taking place over the sides of boats in deeper waters, generally in the 40- to 60-foot depth range. Some fluke are coming off the beaches, such as Matunuck, but the catch is sporadic and generally shorts, according to Mary at Maridee Bait & Tackle in Narragansett. The hottest bait for fluke according to John at Twin Maples on Block Island is that old tried and true standby, the mummichog minnow.
3. Saltwater Edge in Newport reported that the fishing for striped bass has slowed considerably in the shallow nearshore waters since the big heat wave rolled into our region. Warm waters have driven the fish deeper, though the white water and frothy foam around open rocky areas are still prime bets to toss a fly or light-tackle spoon for a striper. Similar reports come from Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle and from Breachway Tackle in Charlestown. Mary at Maridee Bait & Tackle in Narragansett noted that anglers are still taking stripers in the shallows around the mouth of the Narrow River, though she admits that most fish are school bass.
4. No big surprise that everyone is reporting striper fishing is best between sunset and sunrise, with biggest fish taken by casting live eels. John at Twin Maples on Block Island reported several bass in the 25- to 30-pound range taken on live eels off the southeast point of the island. Wildwood Outfitters reported several bass in the 40-pound range taken on the south shore of Block Island and near Black Point, again on live eels after dark. If you want to buck the live eel trend, Twin Maples reports good success using needlefish plugs on the west side of Block Island after dark.
5. The folks at Breachway Tackle in Charlestown are reporting lots of school bass in the breachway, but the problem is getting to them below the horde of toothy bluefish feeding at and near the surface. A major trend throughout the region is the emergence of bluefish big and small. Largest blues are being reported on the south side of Block Island, with snapper blues reported in the Charlestown breachway and in Point Judith Pond. Smallish blues are being taken, along with an occasional school bass, off the docks in Galilee using clam bellies according to Mary at Maridee Bait & Tackle. She further reports good fishing for blues and bass off the East Wall, with an occasional keeper fluke and some scup coming in as well.
6. Reports of bonito are about as fleeting as the fish themselves. The folks at Saltwater Edge confirmed several sightings, but they have been sparse. John at Twin Maples reports inconsistent runs of bonito off the beaches on Block Island, while Breachway Tackle and Quaker Lane have heard only rumors of bonito in the region to date.
7. Scup fishing is reported as good throughout the region using clams or squid. Sea bass have been good off Block Island using squid as well. Charter boats from a variety of the tackle shops are telling of good bass fishing in deeper waters, good fluking in deeper waters, and fair tuna (yellowfin mostly) south of Block Island.
8. Farther west, into Connecticut and Long Island Sound, similar stories emerge regarding heat and progression of fishing action. Allen at Shaffer’s Marina in Mystic and Joe at the Fish Connection in Preston both note good fluking in deeper water, particularly on the south side of Fishers Island. Both report lots and lots of shorts taken to get a couple of keepers. Joe at The Fish Connection also reports good fluke at the mouth of the Thames River, off the beach at Harkness Memorial Park and at Seaflower Reef. John at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle in Waterford had similar reports of fluke in and around The Race, noting that there is intense competition from dogfish for the fluke bait. The fluking is good, according to John, if the bait is missed by the dogs.
9. Striper fishing is mainly for school bass at the moment, with best action at dawn, dusk, and under the cover of darkness, with eels being the most productive tactic. John at Hillyer’s suggests a tube-and-worm rig fished deep during daylight hours as a productive tactic if night fishing isn’t possible. Joe at The Fish Connection reported good school bass, with some bigger fish, at The Race, off Bartletts Reef and on the reefs around the Watch Hill area. Watch Hill and Sugar reefs have been productive early and late in the day, with fish on the surface at times.
10. All shops are reporting a major insurgence of bluefish. Big blues are reported in The Race, and there are also lots of blues near Millstone Point and Black Point. Hammered spoons seem to be drawing in the big bluefish better than anything else at the moment, with diamond jigs running a near second. Allen at Shaffer’s reports lots of snapper blues in the Mystic River, as well as a preponderance of very small baby bunker in the river and shallow coves. Allen also reported dense schools of half-dollar-sized butterfish in The Race on a recent charter, noting that the bigger blues seemed to be focused on them.
11. Scup fishing is excellent, particularly on the reefs off Watch Hill and around Latimer Light. John at Hillyer’s reports good scup fishing at Bell Buoy 6 and at the spindle of Bartletts Reef. He noted, interestingly, that there were mostly monster-sized scup early, with a big bunch of very small scup turning up just recently, but very few “middle sized” scup being caught.
12. Down to the western end of Long Island Sound, the story is similar, though the fluke action seems to be perhaps a bit cheerier. Still lots of shorts reported by Fisherman’s World, Stratford Bait & Tackle and Captain Morgan’s Tackle, but each noted good numbers of keeper fluke on squid and other bait. The fluke seem to move around with the tides, so it can be hit and miss unless you know, or find out, where to set. That’s good incentive to stop by one of the shops and get a personal update. Fisherman’s World reported that the fluke have been good off the 11B Buoy, and noted that an 8-year-old female angler sporting a 10-pound fluke came into the shop the other day. Reports have it that her smile was as big as the fish!
13. The western Sound is filthy with bluefish ranging in size from snappers to whopping 15-pounders, but mum’s pretty much the word for this week with the big Bluefish Tournament going on, according to Chris at Stratford Bait & Tackle. School bass are being taken regularly on light tackle from shore and boat, but bigger fish are being taken only after dark, generally down deep, on live bait such as eels, or chunks of bunker. Chris noted that the big run of bunker early in the week is slowing down, but there are still lots of them around. Scup fishing is good on Middle Ground and around Charles Island.
14. Captain Morgan’s reports good numbers of weakfish on the incoming tide south of Faulkners Island. Fisherman’s World reported one bonito off the 28C Buoy, but no other reports of this speedster.
15. Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island
16. A good option for the coming weekend will be to get out and do some blue-crabbing. Most of the Connecticut shops are reporting what is looking to be a very, very good blue crab season in the shallow coves, bays and river mouths throughout the area. Last season was pretty meager for blue crabs in most areas, and with “August doldrums” upon us, it may pay off nicely to leave the rods and reels where they are and go find the crabbing nets. Try at night for best success, though daytime crabbing will still produce if you are patient and stealthy. [By Alan Desbonnet
17. Shops throughout the Rhode Island region reported lots of fluke being taken on a pretty consistent basis. Keeper-sized fluke, some in the 7- to 9-pound range as reported by Thom at Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown, are being taken. Everyone is reporting however, that the number of keeper-sized fluke to shorts is still overwhelmingly small, meaning lots of catch-and-release action.
18. The most consistent action is taking place over the sides of boats in deeper waters, generally in the 40- to 60-foot depth range. Some fluke are coming off the beaches, such as Matunuck, but the catch is sporadic and generally shorts, according to Mary at Maridee Bait & Tackle in Narragansett. The hottest bait for fluke according to John at Twin Maples on Block Island is that old tried and true standby, the mummichog minnow.
19. Saltwater Edge in Newport reported that the fishing for striped bass has slowed considerably in the shallow nearshore waters since the big heat wave rolled into our region. Warm waters have driven the fish deeper, though the white water and frothy foam around open rocky areas are still prime bets to toss a fly or light-tackle spoon for a striper. Similar reports come from Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle and from Breachway Tackle in Charlestown. Mary at Maridee Bait & Tackle in Narragansett noted that anglers are still taking stripers in the shallows around the mouth of the Narrow River, though she admits that most fish are school bass.
20. No big surprise that everyone is reporting striper fishing is best between sunset and sunrise, with biggest fish taken by casting live eels. John at Twin Maples on Block Island reported several bass in the 25- to 30-pound range taken on live eels off the southeast point of the island. Wildwood Outfitters reported several bass in the 40-pound range taken on the south shore of Block Island and near Black Point, again on live eels after dark. If you want to buck the live eel trend, Twin Maples reports good success using needlefish plugs on the west side of Block Island after dark.
21. The folks at Breachway Tackle in Charlestown are reporting lots of school bass in the breachway, but the problem is getting to them below the horde of toothy bluefish feeding at and near the surface. A major trend throughout the region is the emergence of bluefish big and small. Largest blues are being reported on the south side of Block Island, with snapper blues reported in the Charlestown breachway and in Point Judith Pond. Smallish blues are being taken, along with an occasional school bass, off the docks in Galilee using clam bellies according to Mary at Maridee Bait & Tackle. She further reports good fishing for blues and bass off the East Wall, with an occasional keeper fluke and some scup coming in as well.
22. Reports of bonito are about as fleeting as the fish themselves. The folks at Saltwater Edge confirmed several sightings, but they have been sparse. John at Twin Maples reports inconsistent runs of bonito off the beaches on Block Island, while Breachway Tackle and Quaker Lane have heard only rumors of bonito in the region to date.
23. Scup fishing is reported as good throughout the region using clams or squid. Sea bass have been good off Block Island using squid as well. Charter boats from a variety of the tackle shops are telling of good bass fishing in deeper waters, good fluking in deeper waters, and fair tuna (yellowfin mostly) south of Block Island.
24. Farther west, into Connecticut and Long Island Sound, similar stories emerge regarding heat and progression of fishing action. Allen at Shaffer’s Marina in Mystic and Joe at the Fish Connection in Preston both note good fluking in deeper water, particularly on the south side of Fishers Island. Both report lots and lots of shorts taken to get a couple of keepers. Joe at The Fish Connection also reports good fluke at the mouth of the Thames River, off the beach at Harkness Memorial Park and at Seaflower Reef. John at Hillyer’s Bait and Tackle in Waterford had similar reports of fluke in and around The Race, noting that there is intense competition from dogfish for the fluke bait. The fluking is good, according to John, if the bait is missed by the dogs.
25. Striper fishing is mainly for school bass at the moment, with best action at dawn, dusk, and under the cover of darkness, with eels being the most productive tactic. John at Hillyer’s suggests a tube-and-worm rig fished deep during daylight hours as a productive tactic if night fishing isn’t possible. Joe at The Fish Connection reported good school bass, with some bigger fish, at The Race, off Bartletts Reef and on the reefs around the Watch Hill area. Watch Hill and Sugar reefs have been productive early and late in the day, with fish on the surface at times.
26. All shops are reporting a major insurgence of bluefish. Big blues are reported in The Race, and there are also lots of blues near Millstone Point and Black Point. Hammered spoons seem to be drawing in the big bluefish better than anything else at the moment, with diamond jigs running a near second. Allen at Shaffer’s reports lots of snapper blues in the Mystic River, as well as a preponderance of very small baby bunker in the river and shallow coves. Allen also reported dense schools of half-dollar-sized butterfish in The Race on a recent charter, noting that the bigger blues seemed to be focused on them.
27. Scup fishing is excellent, particularly on the reefs off Watch Hill and around Latimer Light. John at Hillyer’s reports good scup fishing at Bell Buoy 6 and at the spindle of Bartletts Reef. He noted, interestingly, that there were mostly monster-sized scup early, with a big bunch of very small scup turning up just recently, but very few “middle sized” scup being caught.
28. Down to the western end of Long Island Sound, the story is similar, though the fluke action seems to be perhaps a bit cheerier. Still lots of shorts reported by Fisherman’s World, Stratford Bait & Tackle and Captain Morgan’s Tackle, but each noted good numbers of keeper fluke on squid and other bait. The fluke seem to move around with the tides, so it can be hit and miss unless you know, or find out, where to set. That’s good incentive to stop by one of the shops and get a personal update. Fisherman’s World reported that the fluke have been good off the 11B Buoy, and noted that an 8-year-old female angler sporting a 10-pound fluke came into the shop the other day. Reports have it that her smile was as big as the fish!
29. The western Sound is filthy with bluefish ranging in size from snappers to whopping 15-pounders, but mum’s pretty much the word for this week with the big Bluefish Tournament going on, according to Chris at Stratford Bait & Tackle. School bass are being taken regularly on light tackle from shore and boat, but bigger fish are being taken only after dark, generally down deep, on live bait such as eels, or chunks of bunker. Chris noted that the big run of bunker early in the week is slowing down, but there are still lots of them around. Scup fishing is good on Middle Ground and around Charles Island.
30. Captain Morgan’s reports good numbers of weakfish on the incoming tide south of Faulkners Island. Fisherman’s World reported one bonito off the 28C Buoy, but no other reports of this speedster.

Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island: A good option for the coming weekend will be to get out and do some blue-crabbing. Most of the Connecticut shops are reporting what is looking to be a very, very good blue crab season in the shallow coves, bays and river mouths throughout the area. Last season was pretty meager for blue crabs in most areas, and with “August doldrums” upon us, it may pay off nicely to leave the rods and reels where they are and go find the crabbing nets. Try at night for best success, though daytime crabbing will still produce if you are patient and stealthy.