On The Water Magazine

• Best Bets for the Weekend: Narragansett Bay sounds like the place to be, and it doesn’t seem to matter if you go to the upper, middle or lower section of the bay – everywhere seems brimming with fish. If you feel the need for a bit more adventure, head out to Block Island; between the run of large striped bass and the horde of bonito and false albacore churning the island’s waters, how can you possibly miss? Those less dauntless should go to one of the breachways, which seem to be major fish magnets at the moment. Seems to me that the end of the “tourist season” has really busted the fishing season wide open in Rhode Island!
• The Thames River is holding lots of bass and even more bluefish, according to Rennie at The Fish Connection in Preston. Most of the stripers being caught are school bass, but bigger fish are around – you just have to get beneath the bluefish to get to them. Outside of the river, Harkness, Millstone and Bartlett Reef are getting the highest praises for striper catches at the moment. Scup fishing for big specimens is still hot, with Buoy 27 in the Thames, Fort Trumbull, Avery Point and just below the Mystic River drawbridge being the reported hot spots for the week. Reports for bonito in the area have been sporadic, but they’ve been pretty consistent on the south side of Fishers Island. There have been no reports of false albacore yet this week.
• Shane at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford reported that much remains the same as last week. Bartlett Reef and The Race are producing decent-sized stripers fairly consistently, and a 54-pound linesider came from the Sluiceway a day or so ago. Harkness Memorial has been productive for stripers as well, according to reports Shane is hearing, but only at night. For the most part, it has been “dead as a doornail” during daylight hours. Bluefish are just about everywhere, with a mix of size classes traveling about. A 21-pound blue was landed at Watch Hill Reef over the past holiday weekend. Shane reports that the bonito are around, but very sporadic as to when and where they show. There were no reports of albies this week closer than the south shore of Rhode Island.
• The bluefish have invaded Eastern Long Island Sound as well, according to Captain Jerry Morgan at Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle in Madison. Large numbers of blues are being taken throughout the area, with catches of striped bass being good but not great. One reason is that it is difficult to get through all the bluefish. Furthermore, the past weekend was very busy with boat traffic, making it difficult to effectively fish at times. With the crowds now gone, things are improving rapidly, particularly along the jetty at Hammonasset, where fishing to stripers has been very good but very crowded. Captain Morgan has heard reports of cooperative stripers in the rips at the Thimble Islands, despite the crowds. Bonito are around but sporadic, and a few reports have come to the shop about false albacore, but not enough to say anything concrete at this point in time. Captain Morgan reminded me that the blackfish and fluke season close very soon, and that the blue crabs are more plentiful than they have been in a very long time.
• Bluefish have invaded Western Long Island Sound, according to Chris at Westport Outfitters in Norwalk. Four- to six-pound blues are just about everywhere, providing lots of light-tackle action. Bigger fish are mixed in, so don’t get too relaxed! Stripers will be found under the blues, but getting beneath them is a real challenge. Chris suggests going early or late, when the blues seem to be least active, if you want to target stripers. Another option is to go at night and fish deep with eels or other bait. This is your best bet for big fish, and the shoreline from Milford to Bridgeport is beginning to produce some nice striped bass. There is lots of bait in the area, mostly baby bunker and some schools of silversides scattered about, and the bonito are now showing up more consistently to feed on them. Chris reported that the Norwalk Islands area is where the bonito are most consistent at the moment.
• Chris at Stratford Bait & Tackle in Stratford reported that bluefish are the most common fare at the moment, most in the 4- to 8-pound range. This is lots of fun for fly-rod and light-tackle enthusiasts. Anglers tossing plugs are having very good luck to the blues, and they’re taking the occasional striper as well. Mixed in are some bigger blues ranging up to roughly 12 pounds. Striped bass have been a bit hard to come by, especially the larger fish, but Chris reports that the scup are moving in close to shore now, which means that the stripers ought to be pursuing them shortly; this should include some bigger linesiders. Chris has heard about only very sporadic sightings of bonito in the nearby area.
• Captain Thom Pelletier at Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown will soon be dry fly-fishing for native brookies in Maine, but he admits to leaving one mess of fish behind him. Over the past week, Narragansett Bay has literally exploded with fish – the water looks at times like bombs are being dropped – with albies, bonito, blues, stripers and even mahi-mahi being reported! Baby bunker are being found throughout Narragansett Bay, and Captain Pelletier described bay waters as being “black with bait” everywhere: upper bay, mid bay, lower bay and the mouth of the bay. Bluefish in the 12- to 15-pound range are common, and stripers measuring nearly 40 inches are plentiful, too. One angler who came into the shop said he could have walked across the backs of the keeper bass just off Jamestown. Bonito and albies are suckers for Deadly Dicks and Montauk Mikes; blue and green hues are the colors of choice, according to anglers tossing hardware at them.

• Some very nice-sized striped bass have taken up residence near the Ocean Mist in East Matunuck, according to what Rob at Wildwood Outfitters in Wakefield has heard. Anglers haunting the area both early and late in the day are taking big stripers, with at least one 35-pounder being taken from shore on a 9-inch Swim Shad lure. If you get there outside of “prime time,” however, you will find yourself in a mess of bluefish. Rob also has good reports for the Narrow River area, with reports of stripers to 30 pounds being taken in the dark on needlefish plugs. The “walls” at Point Judith are also red-hot, featuring bonito and false albacore galore, and you simply cannot miss the bluefish or the nice stripers under them. Rob took a pair of 25-pounders from the East Wall early in the week.
• Mary at Maridee Bait & Tackle in Narragansett also heard good things about the Narrow River. Eels after dark seem to be the best bet, and tossing plugs is coming in at a very close second. The biggest news, however, is the arrival of false albacore to the area, particularly the East Wall. The bonito are stacked up in the same area, and there’s some ferocious action tossing Deadly Dicks at these two species. If bluefish are your pleasure, Mary has heard about intense surface action anywhere from Pier 5 down to the lighthouse; “tons” of bluefish are in that area. Reports from the fluke anglers say that the fish are moving farther offshore and into deeper, cooler waters, making it difficult to get to them. There were no reports of fluke from shore over the past week, only from boats.
• John at Twin Maples on Block Island reported that the thick bonito presence from last week has continued, only this week they are joined by false albacore, making for very interesting fishing all over the island. John also reported that the wave of big stripers that seemed primed to arrive last week have indeed arrived. Stripers in the 30- to 50-pound category are coming to hook both from shore and from boat, during the day and during the night. The south shore is the hottest spot for these big fish, but any boulders and rock piles seem to be producing. East Beach in particular has been good. Bluefish are scattered about, said John, but they are not so thick as to be problematic for those seeking bass with eels and other bait. And just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, John reported rumors of a large mako patrolling the south end of the island.
• Charlestown Breachway is being its usual productive self, according to Ronnie at Breachway Bait & Tackle in Charlestown. In fact, he described “wall to wall” bluefish at times. Some nice striped bass appear to be under the blues, but it is tough getting through to them. Bigger bass are coming a bit easier at the mouth of the Quonny Breachway, particularly early, late, or during darkness. Bonito are moving up and down the shore, and reports said that albies are now in the mix of species to be readily had along the south shore of Rhode Island. The fluke bite seems to be slowing as the fish go deeper and a bit farther offshore, but the scup fishing is holding up just fine.
• Reports of bonito and false albacore were confirmed by Captain Don at Captain Don’s Bait & Tackle in Charlestown, and he also reported bluefish anywhere you cast. Captain Don also confirmed that anglers are doing well to bigger stripers at the mouth of the breachway, with eels being best and plugs in the dark being second best. Captain Don also had some very interesting rumors of stray mahi being taken from the outer wall at Point Judith, as well as over Nebraska Shoal. These fish were reported to be mainly in the 8- to 9-pound range. Reports are saying the fluke are ever deeper, but Captain Don reported good catches of sea bass in about 90 feet of water on the “2nd Ledge.” (Alan Desbonnet).