Fishing Forecast - November Full Moon

It's hard to believe November is just around the corner. We've lucked out with weather for much of this fall, but that's changed the past couple of weeks. The fishing after the nor' easter has been good - if you can get out. The fan has been blowing ever since with very few windows of relief. The good news is, despite the snotty weather, the fishing is going strong. You just have to be willing to get out there. As many of us know, the best fishing can often be on some of the worst weather days. Captain Ray Jarvis speaks to that in his latest Captain's Corner - check out his October update here.The hardtails survived the storm despite days of dirty water and poor conditions. The bass fishing is firing off and the tog bite is consistently good. There's still plenty of juice to squeeze out of this season!

Hardtails

It's great to see that there are both bonito and albies hanging around locally after the nor' easter. A big mid-October blow like that can really go either way - it can stir things up and kickstart a hot and heavy finale to the fall run, or it can chill and dirty the water, leaving us with scraps to fish for at the end of the season. Luckily, this storm seems to have done more of the former. With the snotty conditions lately, the albies have been less finicky and more willing to eat. The feeds have been intense and sustained. Metals/Epoxies and Albie Snax have been the go to baits, as they always are. There is something to be said right now for anything that casts well into the wind, too. Be sure to be prepared with Hogy Surface Erasers and 247 Pocket Rockets to have a bigger, sleek profile to bomb into the wind. The bonito that are around are of good size, and they certainly aren't too picky. All of the above will work for them, as well as Swimmers/Minnow Plugs either casted or trolled. It's hard to say how much longer we'll have for the speedsters this season. We can hope that they'll stick around into November, but at this rate, it's a bit of a coin flip. All we can do is try to get out there and take advantage of it when they do pop up. 

Captain Ray Jarvis of Salt of the Earth Sportfishing with a recent albie.

Striped Bass

The bass bite seems to be either hot or cold depending on who you talk to. That has pretty much been the theme of the past season or two. If you're on them, it can be great fishing. There's a mix of small and medium-sized bait around. The day before the blow I found some true "Nat Geo" bass and bluefish feeds on roughly 6" bunker. Having decent-sized bait around late into the fall always makes things fun, as it opens the door for various different plugs and presentations. For the surf guys, Pencil Poppers, Needlefish, and Bucktails have been consistent fish catchers. For boat and kayak fisherman, the blitzing bass have been willing to hit plastics like the XL Albie Snax, Hogy 7", Sluggo, and BWB Tweaker.Small spooks like the Rebel Jumpin Minnow and Game On! X-Walk are also great options, and are particularly good when peanut bunker are present. The bass fishing should stay solid for a couple more weeks as waves of fish migrate south. As we get into November, the estuaries, salt ponds, and rivers will be the place to look for your bass that are chasing bait into the warmest water.

Jon with a surf-caught Block Island bass this week.

Rock Donkeys

The back half of October is when tog fishing is really approaching its prime here in RI. You can catch them April-December, but if you had to pick one period of time to target them, now is the time. I'm a sucker for the spring bite myself - but there's no doubt that late fall is the best time to get both quantity and quality. We still have several weeks left of great fishing. As the water temps continue to drop, look to keep moving deeper to stay on the quality fish. For now, though, you can still find some brute tog up shallow and within a stone's throw from shore. Of course, with the weather lately, it's been tough to get out there, but the bite has been excellent if/when you do get out. Dustin Stevens of RI Kayak Fishing Adventures has been having a great fall and spoke on the bite right now.

"The wind has been brutal for yet another week however the bite is still strong. Tog remains the hottest and most reliable target. A steady pick of keepers have been found from depths ranging from 5-45ft. The water temps are still warm so the shallow water jig bite has been awesome. The few outings that I've done in deeper water I found that a slider rig was most effective. Outside of blackfish there is still some striper action both on the oceanfront and in the backwaters of the bay. Although last week was another great albie and bonito week I'd be willing to bet that it's the end of the road locally."

Dustin with a nice tog from a recent boat trip. Book trips and learn more about RI Kayak Fishing adventures here.