Fishing Forecast – October New Moon

This season continues to fly by as we look forward to October. We’ve had some incredible weather the past couple of weeks - actually too nice at times - but our luck is finally coming to an end. With several days of rain, wind, and swell coming up, the deck is about to get shuffled. You really never know with these early-fall tropical storms and depressions (and anyone that claims to is full of it). Sometimes, it will stir up the bait and the predatory fish will feed hot and heavy. Other times, it dirties the water and seems to kill off any sort of pre-existing bite. That said, these fall storms will bring some good bass bites more often than not. But as far as hardtails go, it can go either way. When the surf gets big and the water gets dirty out front, the albies and bonito have two choices. They either head offshore until they find clean water again, or they make their way up into the bay where they’re met with a heap of bait. I’m not sure what drives them to head one direction over the other – probably some combination of water clarity, temperature, and available bait. Some years the bay has some excellent hardtail fishing opportunities, and those bites tend to follow a storm. Ultimately, it’s hard to predict what will happen with the fishing the next couple weeks, but you don’t know if you don’t go!

Offshore

With the amazing weather window the last couple of weeks, there were plenty of opportunities to get out to the tuna grounds. There were a number of days the weather was too nice and the fish were uncooperative. Overall, though, the bite has been incredibly good and consistent. The topwater bite is really still yet to take off, but if you can get some casts in around the dolphins and whales you’ll have a shot. The Hogy Charter Grade Popper is great, or you could look into the Nomad Chug Norris if you’re really looking to make some noise. The jig bite continues to be king. It seems to be mattering less and less what brand or style jig you have on, but of course particular jigs have their days. The most consistent have been the Point Jude Deep Force Jig, Shimano Shimmerfall Jig, and Hogy Sandeel Jig. Pink, white, and glow have all been catching fish. Perhaps the most consistent bait of the season so far is the RonZ. Pink, white, and silver have all been great but pink is probably the star of the show over the course of the season. It’s mostly smaller fish around right now offshore, with a healthy mix of overs to keep things interesting. I’d expect the tuna bite to remain strong after this blow, as it’s done all season so far. 

Eric with a beautiful fun-sized bluefin caught on a Shimano Shimmerfall Jig last week.

The mahi have continued to spread inshore and they’re generally willing to bite. Most of the mahi we see in Rhode Island waters are juveniles, known as “chicken” mahi. It’s not uncommon to see them as small as 10” or even smaller. The most common size range we’ll see is around 12-24”. These make great targets for fly fishermen and light tackle fanatics. They’re often aggressive, in large pods, and very acrobatic once hooked. The predominant bait they’re on seems to be mostly squid and butterfish at the moment. – although that’ll change by day. When in the right mood, you should be able to throw anything from small Metals/Epoxies to small plugs like the Yo-Zuri Crystal 3D Minnow or Yo-Zuri Mag Minnow. Fast, erratic retrieves will usually spark their curiosity enough to get bit. If you’re looking to land some on the fly, most Albie/Bonito Flies should get the job done with a fast retrieve. You may need something slightly bigger or with some weight to get their attention, so be sure to check out our Striper Flies for more options there. A couple of must-haves for the box include the Popovics Jiggy Fleye, Salty Clouser, Albie Escort, and EeZee Squid. 

Chicken mahi that ventured within kayak range before the blow. Caught on a white #2 Albie Escort.

Bass and Blues

One of those "whatever you feel like throwing" bite windows from a mid-September blow last year.

The bass and blue fishing has been slowly but steadily improving for about a month now, especially for the surf crowd.  If there’s one positive about fall storms, it’s that they’re sure to bring a good bass bite. North winds and strong tides dump all sorts of bait out of the salt ponds and estuary systems into the bay where bass, bluefish, and occasionally hardtails are waiting to capitalize. During fall storms, it’s pretty common to find those fun bite windows where you can catch them on whatever you feel like throwing. It's also not unusual to see bass of all size classes mixed together in these feeds, with under slots and fish over 40" swimming and feeding together. This is the best time of year to target big bass on light tackle for that reason. Everything from big topwater to small flies should be good for some action. Some of the fall run classics that you should be carrying include the Rebel Jumpin Minnow and Game On! 6” X-Walk for small/medium topwater. Pencil Poppers also shine this time of year, so check out our selection of those. Minnow plugs like the SP Minnow, Yo-Zuri Hydro Minnow, and JoeBaggs Swarter are all great options and cast well if you’re into the wind. Metals/Epoxies are also great choices when the bait is small. I doubt they’ll be too picky with the weather the next few days, but if they are, the Larry Lutz Casting Egg paired with a Striper Fly or Albie/bonito Fly will get the job done.

Bottom Fishing

As we look ahead to October, the bottom fishing should go from good to great. The black sea bass fishing is still excellent, although you have to work to find the bigger ones here inshore. There's certainly no shortage of small ones. They're willing to eat anything you want to drop - Metals/Epoxies, Soft Plastics, even Swimmers and Albie Snax up high in the water column (especially early morning). The tautog bite is picking up and only going to get better. The best part about this time of year, is you really don't even need crabs. The abundance of small bait like peanut bunker and silversides will shift their diet for about a month before they go back to eating 99% crustaceans. At least that's my theory. Either way, during the month of September it's reasonable to go target tog with nothing but Metals/Epoxy Jigs. Pinks, oranges, and just straight silver seem to work best. You can also tip your jigs with Fish Bites which add some scent and stay on the hook much better than most real bait. Looking forward to the next couple weeks and months, it's about time to load up on Blackfish Jigs and Jigging World Blackfish Rigs for crab dropping season.