On The Water Magazine

• The fishing has tapered off just a bit, according to reports Tommy at Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown has heard. Despite the slowdown, however, there are still plenty of fish to catch, particularly bluefish. These are being found throughout Narragansett Bay and along the south shore, but they aren’t holding in any given spot because there is so much bait. Patient anglers in upper Narragansett Bay have been taking striped bass on the sand flats at Conimicut Point, but the blues make it a real trial. Several nice bass have been landed nonetheless, so it appears to be worth the effort. False albacore are dashing about all over, including Narragansett Bay. Tommy reported that the fish can be found just about anywhere, but don’t plan on them being in any one place, as they are moving about rapidly. For those seeking more sedentary pursuits, Tommy has heard good reports of blackfish on all the rock piles. Use a chart and your depthsounder to target likely spots.
• In Newport, Steve at The Saltwater Edge in Newport concurred that the fishing has slowed some, mainly because the fish are constantly chasing the never-ending supply of bait. Bluefish are being found all throughout upper Narragansett Bay, as are school bass. The action is sporadic regarding both time and place. False albacore are also making a major showing, particularly along the West and Center Walls, as well as shores along Sakonnet Point.
• The Coast Guard House and the Town Beach have been very productive in the early morning hours, according to Mary at Maridee Bait & Tackle in Narragansett. Anglers are doing very well from shore in both these locations, and good numbers of nice-sized bluefish and striped bass are being taken. Bonito are also showing up along the shore, giving anglers a shot at this speedy species. If they visit your vicinity, you’d better make haste; they don’t seem to be hanging around for long. The Narrow River is also being productive, offering good catches of both bluefish and striped bass. Tsunami shads and pencil poppers seem to be the best choice for both the blues and the stripers; Deadly Dicks are the trick for bonito.
• A number of decent-sized stripers were weighed in at Wildwood Outfitters in Wakefield for the tournament that took place over the past weekend. At least six fish topped the 40-pound mark, and Rob said that a number of bass in the 20-pound class were also taken. There are still lots of decent-sized striped bass around, and chunk bait is the way to get them to the hook. Rob reported that the bait is breaking up and scattering, which has slowed the fish a bit over the past week. Bluefish are still abundant throughout the area, but they are also more scattered, causing the action to be very much hit-or-miss. One of the bluefish “hits” produced a nearly 23-pound monster from Carpenters Beach! Bonito and false albacore have been reported in the area on a regular basis, but they too are moving about rapidly, making for some frustrating fishing. Rob has heard some reports from fresh water, but they are not so very good: incredibly low water levels are putting the fish off the feed.
• Block Island continues to be a very fishy place, though John at Twin Maples Bait & Tackle noted that catches of bluefish have slowed considerably over the past week. Wind has been a major problem on the island, but anglers getting between gusts are doing very well to striped bass, bonito, false albacore and sea bass. Sea bass and blackfish are readily found on just about every rock pile around the island, according to John. Action to school bass has been good at Sandy Point, and bigger fish can be taken there at night when tossing eels. Bigger stripers are still abundant on the south side of the island, with Black Rock being the most productive spot. While it can be a hit-or-miss venture during daylight hours, Black Rock is producing well at night with chunk bait or eels. Fishing from a boat increases the odds for big fish. Anglers are doing well along the east side of the island as well, from Ballards Beach to the Southeast Light, though most fish caught are schoolies. John said that the fish switched their preference to light-colored needlefish plugs this week, maybe because squid have started showing up around the island. John also reported that the bonito and false albacore are still raging away in the Coast Guard Channel. Best times are first light, and from about 8:30 a.m. until about 11:00 a.m. Afterwards, the fish seem to take a siesta until about 3:30 p.m. The action to these two species tends to die off between 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
• Over in the Charlestown region, Captain Don at Captain Don’s Bait & Tackle reports that the fishing action has tapered off just a bit over the past week, much like in the Narragansett Bay region. Bluefish are showing here and there, and in good numbers of large fish when they do, but they may not return to any given area for a couple of days. This makes the fishing for them more like a game of hide-and-seek. School bass are being found, as are bonito and false albacore, but from what Captain Don has heard, they are not being very consistent either. The fish are around, but they are hanging deep, so Captain Don suggested using lead-head jigs if you want to tag a few decent-sized fish on a more consistent basis. Anglers using this method are taking nice stripers.
• There are lots of bluefish in the Thames River, according to reports Rennie at The Fish Connection in Preston has heard. Lots of 3- to 4-pound blues are being found in the upper portion of the Thames, and bigger blues are following the schools of large bunker farther down. Big and small blues are moving around the river quickly, according to Rennie, so don’t go back to previously hot spots expecting them to be hot again. Striped bass are being found far up the Thames in the area where it meets the Shetucket River, and some decent-sized fish are being taken. School bass are fairly common at Bluff Point and Avery Point, but nothing big has been taken yet. Eels are producing some bigger bass in The Race, however, some of which are approaching the 35-pound mark. This seems to be the sole big fish spot at the moment. Bonito are racing around, providing fair-to-good action around Race Point, Pleasure Beach, Bluff Point and Watch Hill. All spots are sporadic, however, and there’s not much consistency at the time being. Big scup are being taken regularly at Goshen Point and Sarah Ledge. Rennie reports that blackfish season is off to a slow start overall, with the biggest fish so far being weighed in at 8 pounds. This fish was taken at Seaflower Reef, but nice fish are also being taken at Sarah Ledge, Goshen Point, Latimer Light, the Dumplings and the breakwaters at Stonington.
• Lou at Hillyer’s Bait & Tackle in Waterford reported that the fishing has been great in that area. Albies can be found off the mouth of the Thames River, while bonito seem to prefer the area from Twotree to the Sluiceway, where a mix of both species can be found. Bartlett Reef has been producing some very nice striped bass, with tube-and-worm rigs working great by day and eels working great by darkness. Nighttime capers are producing the bigger stripers, and Lou said Hatchett Reef should not be neglected; it has been producing good stripers, as has The Race. Bluefish are everywhere, though they are scattered and moving about, making the action a bit hit-or-miss. The mouth of the Connecticut River has been consistently producing good catches of bluefish, however. The Connecticut River blues are large fish, and they’re are ranging up river to Essex. Lou also mentioned good catches of sea bass on the Bloody Grounds south of Black Point. Target the deeper waters where you would expect to catch fluke.
• Bluefish are rampaging all around the eastern end of Long Island Sound, according to reports Captain Jerry Morgan at Captain Morgan’s Bait & Tackle has heard. Bonito are showing sporadically between Hammonasset and Falkner Island, and from Falkner to Charles Island. These fish are not consistent in any given area, but when they show, they do so in good numbers. Captain Morgan has heard reports of good striped bass fishing at both Charles and Falkner islands, and anglers are seeing some larger-sized stripers come to chunk bait even during the daytime. Blackfish season got off to an o.k. start, according to Captain Morgan, and he thinks a cold snap that drops water temperatures a few degrees will get the blackfish feeding better. Sea bass are being taken on the deeper reefs in Eastern and Central Long Island Sound.
• The folks at Westport Outfitters in Norwalk had just finished up a major on-site boat show and had only a short report this week, but they did say that bonito were showing up rather consistently at Calf Pasture Beach. Bluefish are feeding in the same area, so be prepared for some pretty intense action. One angler even caught some bonito on Creek Chub lures!
• Rick at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reported that big bluefish and good-sized striped bass have been taken on chunk bait fished at the 28C- and 11C-buoys. Smaller bluefish are swarming all over the area, and especially around the Norwalk Islands. The Norwalk Islands are also seeing some bonito action, with the most consistent action taking place just to the south of the islands. Deadly Dicks are the lure of choice. Anglers seeking bonito are doing well both from boat and from shore. Rick reported that blackfish got off to a slow start, probably because it is still a bit on the warm side. Charters going offshore to the canyons are seeing some of the best fishing of the season, said Rick.
• Best Bets for Connecticut and Rhode Island This is definitely getting old, but Block Island cannot be outdone when it comes to bonito and false albacore opportunities; there the fish are abundant, consistent, and reachable by shore and boat. Get there while the fishing is still hot, because it really can’t last forever! The Norwalk region also sounds like a good bet for bonito at the moment, and the mouth of the Connecticut River is offering some pretty intense angling to big bluefish. Finally, Eastern Long Island Sound – particularly the area around Waterford – seems to be offering saltwater anglers a pretty good variety of opportunities for species both big and small. (Alan Desbonnet)