August 25, 2016 — Fish Update, Rhode Island
Capt. Frank Blount of the Frances Fleet said, “Fluke fishing had its ups and downs last week, however, some anglers continue to limit out with one fisherman boating fifteen keeper sized fluke. All customers caught their share of black sea bass averaging in the four pound range with more and more scup in the two pound range being caught.” Jimmy Monti and his two boys Jude (nine) and Rowan (six) boated fluke to 24” while fishing the Hooter Buoy off Pt. Judith this Saturday. Angler Steve and son Brenden McGonagle fished the Newport area for summer flounder (fluke) last week. Steve said, “We started by Rose island, made our way over to the Newport Harbor area, across the water to the Conanicut mooring field area and then under the bridge and up to Gould Island point. The tide was incoming so the drift was uphill. Brenden’s rod doubled over with line pulling fast off the drag and said, ’Darn, I am tight with a bluefish’. As the fish neared the boat Brenden saw the leader, then some color from the rig and said ‘it’s a…it looks like it’s a…Dad get the gaff QUICKLY, GET THE GAFF!!! And we gaffed Flukezilla. It was easily the biggest fluke either of us had ever seen in 15 years of fishing Rhode Island waters.”
Captain Dave Monti fished the same Newport areas Saturday and did well with fluke and black sea bass with two anglers on board. John Littlefield of Archie’s Bait & Tackle, Riverside said, “Customers are catching a fair about of fluke off Brenton Reef in 60 to 80 feet of water but it is slow going with one customer catching seventeen fish to get keepers. Scup fishing is good all the way up the East Passage to Providence.” Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina said, “Fluke fishing is spotty at the windmills and East Grounds which is an indication the fish are moving out with a better bite east of Pt. Judith, at the mouth of the Bay, and off Newport as an indication of this too.”
Striped bass. Saturday in five foot seas angler Eric Appolonia of North Kingstown said, “We caught three nice keeper fish at the Southwest Ledge trolling a spoon and released two.” Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina said, “The bass bite on Block Island is better at night with eels than during the day.”
Offshore. Matt Conti of Snug Harbor said, “There are still bluefin tuna at the Dump along with white marlin and occasional Wahoo. The last trip a customer made they did on see any mahi. The bluefin bite has also been good at the Butterfish Hole (south of Montauk, NY).” Offshore fisherman Steve McGonagle said, “(Last Tuesday) my son Brenden spotted a school of BFT cruising just below the surface. It was clear that they were not on bait, which we knew right away gave us a shot at coming tight. He pulled back the throttles and positioned the boat ahead of the pushing fish. The first two bluefin pulled the lines out of my hands as I was setting in and we were tight to two 50 inch fish. Brenden fought one fish and his friend Tyler fought the other as I maneuvered the boat, managed the cockpit and tried to decide if we could gaff or harpoon either fish. The fights went well but we lost the smaller fish at the boat and darted the larger fish, dragging her through the tuna door.”
Cod fishing is still good on the southeast corner of Cox’s Ledge. We have anglers using salted clams (which we have) as well as jigs and are doing well.” said Matt Conti of Snug Harbor Marina.