Fishing Forecast - August New Moon

As July draws to a close, it's officially time to start looking forward to the fall run. The tail end of summer is a double-edged sword. As water temperatures spike, the potential for exotic species is as good as it gets. On the other hand, the striped bass fishing can be difficult, especially for shore-based fishermen. With shark depredation things are even more difficult. I'll dig deeper into that topic, because it is definitely the theme lately here in RI right now. Bottom fishing can be hit or miss, but should start to get better again within the next few weeks. Fluke fishing can be great for numbers this time of year, but really tough to weed out a keeper. Same can be said for sea bass - but August can be a great month for them as small bait starts to flush out front and they feed heavily. On another note, the fishing offshore is picking up nicely and should hopefully continue to improve in the coming weeks. 

Striped Bass

The bass fishing seems to be pretty hit or miss right now, depending on who you talk to. Boats are still doing well out front with the usual summer tactics - live eels being the #1 producer. Big soft plastics are still taking some big fish as well. It has been a great year for the classic 12" Slug-go along with eel or snake-style baits like the Hogy Original 14", JoeBaggs Block Island Eel, ZMan Heroz, and Big Water Baits Silent Partner. Speaking of Big Water Baits, they're a new soft plastic company made locally right in New Bedford. The lineup (as of now) includes an 8" paddletail, 7" forked tail fluke, 14" eel/snake style bait, and a 9", 11", 13" straight tail.Our first impressions of these baits have been fantastic - they cast great, hold up well to several fish, and they're made with small, fishy details that will make a big difference. If you haven't gotten your hands on them yet, I'd highly recommend doing so. 

Coby with a beautiful bass in the surf recently.

As small bait begins to flush out of the salt ponds and estuaries over the coming weeks, light tackle and fly fishermen will have their opportunities to thrive. Albie Snax should be in your bag through the rest of the season. Small spooks like the Rebel Jumpin Minnow and Game On! X Walk are also great when fish are feeding up top. For fly guys, check out our selection of Striper Flies. Our fly section is as full as it's been in quite some time and there are great options for just about any small baitfish you'll see here in RI. If you're a spin guy but want to dabble with throwing flies, the Larry Lurz Casting Egg is an awesome way to fill that roll. There are different ways to throw it, but the best way (in most scenarios) is to pop the egg at a similar intensity/volume of a bass, blue, albie, or whatever you're targeting. The idea is that these fish will hear or sense that "pop", check it out, and see your fly lazily dropping below the surface like an injured baitfish. It can also be the only thing that works when you find bass "raft feeding" on microscopic bait, which is a pretty common August and September occurrence here. It's a really fun way to fish and can be super effective on finicky fish.

Unfortunately, a hot topic right now is the number of sharks around at the moment. Whether you're fishing from shore, kayak, or boat, there's a good chance you've heard some stories in the last few weeks. And that's if you haven't had any first-hand experiences yourself. It seems to be more and more of a problem each year. That said, when you go out, know what to expect. They're everywhere! Use the appropriate gear and tackle to land your fish as efficiently as possible. If you know you're in a spot that's loaded with sharks, it may be best to move on and leave it for another tide. As we all know by now, the striped bass fishery is getting hammered on several fronts year after year. As recreational fishermen, we don't want to be contributing to mortality any more than we already are. Of course it can happen at any time. But do your best to be vigilant and make the right decisions with the fish in mind!

Dustin of RI Kayak Fishing Adventures with one of his several shark encounters recently.

Offshore

The bluefin bite has really taken off over the past week or two, aided by an awesome stretch of weather that has allowed tons of guys get out there. The mahi have also filled in nicely offshore. While we're used to seeing small chicken mahi, there are some surprisingly big ones around for July. The hard part can be getting them to eat, but it depends on the day and what time of day. If you can be the first boat on a particular group of them, you should have some luck. But they definitely learn quickly and once they've seen a few lures they can get lockjaw. The usual small Metals/Epoxies are generally the go to. You can rip them across the surface, swim them slowly, or let them drop and jig them in. That versatility makes them the ideal mahi lure. Other good options are small soft plastics - both paddletails and straight tails. The classic Zoom Fluke is awesome and will get the job done. As far as paddles, look at the NLBN or JygPro in the 3" or 5". Small minnow plugs can also work - the Yo Zuri Mag Minnow and Yo Zuri Crystal Minnow would be my top recommendations. Having bait on hand isn't a bad idea either - squid seems to be the favorite. They'll often respond well to chum and usually have no problem coming right up to the boat to get a free snack. You can get them fired up enough to hit artificial, or just throw your bait on a small hook. 

The jig bite for bluefin has really come to fruition the past couple of weeks. Trolling and popping are doing a fair share of catching, too. The bite has been great recently and will hopefully continue into August. We've been fortunate to have some great windows to get out and can only cross our fingers that stays steady. The UVT Captain Corey's Tuna Jig, specifically in pink glow, has been the hottest jig for many. Other great tuna jigs are the Point Jude Deep Force Jig, Hogy Sandeel Jig,and JoeBaggs Sleek Jig. The other hot ticket, of course, has been the RonZ. White and pink are both a good bet, and they've been eating both the 8" and 10". You can dead stick it, jig it, lazily retrieve it, etc. It's very versatile and when they want it, you better have some onboard. 

A perfect rec-sized bluefin landed on a UVT Jig in pink glow a few days ago.

Everything Else

The bottom fishing always seems to hit a bit of a lull around late July, and then quickly picks up again a couple of weeks later. That's not to say you won't catch sea bass or fluke - you most definitely will. But finding keepers may be another story. The bigger sea bass have mostly been coming from deep structure in 60+ feet of water. I've also stumbled into a few recently on the other extreme, in less than 15 feet. The best way to fight through the small fish, for both sea bass and fluke, is to upsize your baits. A decent bet is a 5" paddletail like the NLBN or JygPro. A perfectly-sized straight-tailed plastic is the new Big Water Baits Tweaker 7".You could also use your usual Metals/Epoxies and try using a single assist hook rather than a treble on the bottom. The tiny fish should have a harder time getting the assist hook and it'll help weed some out. As small bait like peanut bunker, bay anchovies, and silversides dump out of the salt ponds, estuaries, and rivers, in the coming weeks, the bottom fishing should light back up again. Tog season is also about to reopen, and in the late summer/fall they're much more willing to hit an artificial with all the small bait available. Use a small epoxy with a little piece of FishBites and you could stumble into some great tog fishing. There have also been a bunch of triggerfish around, and that's a great way to convince them to eat.

As far as funny fish, things have been pretty quiet. There are still bonito being caught out front, but it's not as hot as it was in June. I'd expect that to pick back up in the next couple of weeks here. Metals/Epoxies and small Swimmers/Minnow Plugs are the go-to. Albie Snax are the other thing you should always have rigged up this time of year. They are ideal for the first arriving albies as well, which we can cross our fingers to see in the next couple of weeks before the next forecast. That would be a bit earlier than usual, but the way things are looking this season, I wouldn't be too surprised. If not, we should reasonably expect to see them toward the end of the month. As water temps peak and we start to get steady southwest winds this time of year, it's a magical time when anything can happen both inshore or offshore. Get out there whenever you can!