The Big Four of Little Rhody
The early September morning was perfect. It had gotten cold during the night, and there was frost on my boat’s deck a few hours earlier when I launched. Now it was downright hot, about 85 degrees and sunny.
I put my Maritime Skiff in at Ocean House Marina in Charlestown, Rhode Island. On my way out of Ninigret Pond, a few schoolies were chasing sand eels on the flat, so I anchored up, waded into the foot and a half of water, and cast a Ray’s Fly, Flatwing. After a couple of fish, I got back into my boat and headed out of the channel toward the open ocean. Just outside of the salt pond, bluefish were blitzing on the surface tight against Charlestown Beach. The blues were small, maybe 3 to 5 pounds, but they attacked my popper as soon as it hit the water.
The sun was climbing high, and with calm seas it took only 15 minutes to run to the West Wall in Point Judith. Two fly rodders were already into fish, so I cut the engine at the end of the current and drifted. A wave of fish sped toward me; I picked up a lighter rod with a small bay anchovy pattern on it and cast.
As they came closer, I could see they were false albacore. One hit hard and ran, and after a 10-minute fight, I had him in the boat. I could hear the guys on the breakwall pretty clearly now. One of them had landed a bonito and the other a Spanish mackerel. I had come to fish Newport’s rocks for big bass, so I cranked up my Yamaha and began the 20-minute ride to Newport. Maybe I’d hit an estuary after I worked the rocks, but for now everything was just fine.
Some people tease Rhode Islanders about the size of their state, but people from Little Rhody just smile. True, there are only 100 miles of beaches and 400 miles of fishable coastline, but it doesn’t take a long drive to get to them all, and you can catch many different species of fish. There are stripers from April through December, bluefish from May through September, bonito from July through September, and false albacore from mid-August until October. Toss in a resurging squeteague (Narragansett Indian for weakfish) population, some skipjacks, small offshore bluefin and yellowfin tuna, and blue sharks, and you’ve got your hands full. There are rocks and ledges, jetties, beaches, flats, salt ponds, and estuaries to fish—and you can hit them all in about an hour’s drive.
Seasons and Structure
Striped bass reside all winter long in some of Rhode Island’s estuaries and salt ponds, but the migratory fish arrive in mid-April to forage along the beaches. Napatree Beach and East Beach in Watch Hill, Matunuk’s Deep Hole, and First and Second Beaches in Newport are top spots and are best fished on incoming tides with intermediate lines. From there the stripers shift around following bait and key on herring moving into the rivers and the salt ponds.
The Pawcatuck and the Sakonnet Rivers are the two largest river systems, and Quonochontaug (Quonny for short), Ninigret, and Point Judith Ponds warm quickly during the early season. Depending on the depth of the ponds, you should bring floating and intermediate lines as well as lines with sinking heads.
Quonny Pond, Ninigret Pond, Point Judith Pond, and Narragansett Bay all have small to medium-size wadeable flats where a floating line is ideal for casting to fish moving with the tide. Stripers can be skittish on the flats, so the morning and evening light that coincides with these midtides are excellent times to fish. If your boat draws shallow water (9 inches or so), you should have no problem fishing the flats. A second alternative is to drop anchor and wade-fish the hard-bottomed flats quietly. Fish the channels and deeper water adjacent to the flats with intermediate lines or sinking heads.
Bass and bluefish also forage higher into Upper Narragansett Bay, which splits around Conanicut Island. The West Passage runs along the towns of Warwick and Greenwich, while the East Passage runs along the towns of Bristol and Barrington and into the Providence River.
The East Passage joins with the top of the Sakonnet River to form Mount Hope Bay. Up there, bass, blues, and weakfish frequent the mixture of flats and estuaries. Other good spots to fish include Mill Gut and the Bristol Narrows in Bristol; the Sapowet River in Tiverton; the Narrow, Barrington, and Palmer Rivers in Barrington; and Nanaquatucket Pond off the Sakonnet River.
Later in the season the small, speedy fish arrive. Bonito usually show up around mid-July, and false albacore arrive in early August. The bonito and false albacore favor sharp edges and dropoffs, particularly on the dropping tide when the bait is concentrated along these seams, and they run along the edges of the river mouths such as the Watch Hill Reef, the West Wall, the mouth of the Sakonnet River, and the Westport and Narrow Rivers.
Squid arrive in mid-May, and stripers take up residence on the reefs at Watch Hill, Napatree Point, and Point Judith. The reefs comprise an intricate chain of rocks, ledges, and passageways that offer structure for feeding fish to trap bait. If you boat-fish this area, be careful around rocks and rip currents; many boats have lost motor lower units in these waters.
From mid to high incoming tides, stripers feed on the outside of the reefs, and as the tide rises, they move in close to shore. But when the tide drops, they hold on the down-current side of the structure, particularly where the passageways suck baitfish back out into the open ocean. Sinking shooting heads are a good first choice, except when the winds are light and breaking fish call for a floating line with a popper or slider.
By mid-June, menhaden, silversides, and sand eels move in, and the fish spread out throughout the Rhode Island coast. The water temperatures have warmed and anglers fish the colder water along the rocks at Newport Neck, Jamestown, Fort Weatherill, Breton Point, Beavertail, and Little Compton.
Studded boots or Korkers are important for traction, and floating lines or sinking heads are standard. You should move around when fishing the rocks because the fish are constantly on the prowl. Later incoming tides and the onset of dropping tides are the best fishing times, and fluorocarbon shock tippets will prevent the bass from sounding and popping your tippet on the rocks.
The first wave of bluefish hits the reefs and beaches in late May. They feed on herring, squid, silversides, and sand eels. These blues range from 3 to 6 pounds, and they can be finicky in their eating habits. Racer blues, with their big heads and emaciated bodies, also arrive, fresh off their migration. They may bask at the surface without eating for days, and when they do eat, they prefer natural-colored patterns tied on with monofilament (instead of wire) tippets. Usually bluefish favor brightly colored streamer flies or attack poppers. You should carry wire bite guards or wire shock tippets and pre-rig a variety of large and small flies between #4/0 and #2 in both natural and bright colors to cut your rigging time during the bite.
Bonito arrive when the water temperature remains consistently in the high 60s, usually around early July. You’ll see them around Watch Hill Light, Napatree Point, and along the breachways of Quonny and Ninigret Ponds.
The West Wall along Point Judith Pond also is a consistent spot for bonito, and they race down East Beach during higher tides. The bonito feed on silversides, sand eels, and bay anchovies. Some anglers fish for them with small epoxy flies, small flatwings, and Ultrahair Clousers fished on floating lines. Others fish sinking heads and leaders with 10- to 12-pound fluorocarbon tippets. Bonito leave in mid-September when the water temperature drops back into the 60s.
By mid-August, the first schools of false albacore arrive to chase bay anchovies, small butterfish, silversides, and sand eels. The albies feed in the same spots as the bonito but also along the mouth of the Narrow River, off of Beavertail in Jamestown, and along the rocks by Newport’s Cliff Walk. Point Judith’s West Wall is also a good spot for albies. As with the bonito, small epoxies are the flies of choice.
Also known as “Appleknockers” since they stay around until the apples fall from the trees, albies leave Rhode Island around mid-October.
Fall fishing extends well into December. As the out-migration starts, the bass school up and sweep along the beaches and reefs on their way to Maryland waters. Reverse the spring fish migratory order, and you should have a winning fishing plan.
The Birds
Shore birds key in on the diverse bait populations along the Rhode Island coast. If you watch them closely, you can find fish. Watching the birds and being able to identify them will help you determine the bait.
Black-backed gulls are trash-mongers, so watch when they dive. Oftentimes they simply pick up crabs in shallow water, but when the herring, menhaden, or mackerel are in, they concentrate on the big baitfish.
Gannets focus on herring. These birds spend their summers in Newfoundland and usually arrive in the fall, though they’ll sometimes arrive on the Rhode Island coast earlier.
Shearwaters feed on mackerel and squid and look like smaller gulls. Petrels are mainly ocean birds that feed on squid, shrimp, and plankton.
Terns, due to their small size, dive for small baitfish—silversides, sand eels, or bay anchovies—and when they are mixed with gulls, they may feed on small chunks of larger baitfish that have been chopped by bluefish.
When terns fly swiftly along the water’s surface, they are probably trying to keep up with bonito or albies. When they wing high and drop down they are probably working a school of stripers or blues.
Cormorants feed aggressively on baitfish. Look for large flocks on the water, and watch to determine how long they remain beneath. Short dives mean they are feeding on fish; long dives mean they’re searching.
A good bird identification book, such as an Audubon or Peterson’s field guide, will help you identify these bird species.
Gear
Veteran anglers fish 9 to 91/2-foot rods for 7- to 11-weight lines. Large-arbor reels with fast retrieve rates, ample backing capacities, and smooth, dependable drags are particularly helpful when fishing for bonito and albies.
Floating, intermediate, and sinking heads are the three most popular fly lines. For floating lines I like the Orvis Striper Wonderline (8 to 11 weights); for intermediate lines I favor the SA Striper Coldwater Sinking (7 to 11 weights). I mostly use the dark gray, but the clear works equally well and may be better for clear water. For fast-sinking heads, the Airflo Depth Finder, the Orvis Depth Charge, and the Cortland Quick Descent are great choices. Many anglers who frequently change fishing locations use the Rio Dredger VersiTips; there are three tips that range from 200-400 grains and easy-to-use loop-to-loop connections for quick changes. Be sure to match your grain weight with the flex profile of your rod; generally speaking, a 300- to 350-grain loads an 8-weight, a 350-400 a 9-weight, and a 400-450 a 10-weight. A head that’s too heavy can break your rod. It’s best to try several different grain weights on your rod to see which casts the best.
Stripping baskets, lights for night fishing, Bogagrips, and pliers are useful for bluefish, and you’ll need insect repellent for fishing the salt ponds or estuaries. Korkers or spikes for your boots are necessary if you plan to fish the rocks, and for night fishing you should wear a low-profile floatation vest for safety. Nautical charts and tide charts round out your gear bag.
Boat rentals. Many anglers rent small aluminum skiffs with outboards from Ocean House Marina in Charlestown to fish the channels, flats, and rock gardens in Ninigret Pond. Ninigret also has a consistent worm hatch. For more information or for reservations, call 401-364-6040.
Fly selection. Rhode Island has a rich fly-tying heritage. Ken Abrames is well-known for his flatwing style of flies. He ties his saddles in so they are parallel to the hook shank. The hackle’s lateral movement closely resembles the swimming movement of baitfish.
Ray’s Fly, Flatwing; the Razzledazzle; and Hunky’s Finest Kind are three excellent big-fish flatwings, for they achieve the length and width of herring, menhaden, and mackerel without adding bulk. Ray’s Fly, tied by Ray Bondorow, is an excellent olive, yellow, and white saltwater bucktail for imitating small bait.
Dave Skok’s Mushmouth, a Thundercreek-style small-bait pattern, was created with skipjack tuna in mind. The Mushmouth is tied with white Super Hair and Umpqua Angel Hair in a variety of colors. While it catches skipjacks, bonito, and false albacore, it also does well on striped bass.
Capt. Johnny Glenn’s silicone Johnny’s Angel is a great small-profile fly that is extremely durable. When tied about 4-inches long and on a #1/0 hook, the fly resembles a sand eel or silverside. Downsized to a #2 or #4 hook, Johnny’s Angel works well on bonito and false albacore.
The Mystic Bay Hardbody Shiner is also a great bonito and false albacore fly. If you fish the salt ponds on either the full or new moons, you’ll want to have some worm patterns in your box, and Dixon’s Cinder Worm or Page Rogers’s Velvet Worm are two excellent patterns. Since bass may be fussy during the worm hatch, Abrames’s Clam Worm is also an effective pattern.
Clouser Minnows in a variety of colors, Deceivers in different colors and sizes, small epoxies and poppers, and sliders all take their share of Rhode Island fish. Fly sizes vary between #2 and #4/0 and the more successful colors for both Clousers and Deceivers are brown over white, blue over white, olive over white, and chartreuse over white.
Access. Rhode Island has large spans of beaches, packed in summer with sunbathers and swimmers. Parking and access can be difficult in some areas. Boat anglers can easily maneuver the private coastline, but shore anglers can reach many beaches by four-wheel-drive vehicles. Mean low water (the average low-tide mark) is public. Surrounding land, such as a beach, can be private. For access information call the Coastal Resources Management Council at 401-222-2476. Mid-April through Memorial Day and from Labor Day through Christmas are less crowded periods.
Boat ramps are in good to excellent condition. To fish the Westerly area, there is a ramp behind the old Cove Edge tackle shop in Westerly; in the Sakonnet River area, there is a ramp near the Sakonnet Point Marina (401-635-4753); in the Newport area, there is a public ramp off of Ocean Drive near the Ida Lewis Yacht Club (401-846-1969). Other fee ramps scattered around the area can be located in the Embassy Guide Maptech book, available at most marinas.
Lodging. For information on the Watch Hill area, call the South County Visitor’s Bureau at 800-548-4662. For the Newport area, call the Newport County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at 800-976-5122. For the Barrington area, call the East Bay Tourism Council at 888-278-9948. For Greenwich Bay, call the Warwick Tourism Information Bureau, 800-492-7942. Also check out Rhode Island tourist information online at www.visitrhodeisland.com/.
Tom Keer is Fly Fisherman’s Northeast Field Editor. He lives in Boston, MA.
Fly Shops
Bear’s Den
Taunton, MA
508-880-6226
Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle
North Kingston, RI
401-294-9642
Wickford Village, RI 02852
401-267-0102
Newport, RI
401-842-0062
Guides
Kenney Abrames
401-842-0062
Capt. Chris Aubut
508-636-3267
Capt. Steve Barnett
860-572-9896
Capt. Steve Bellafleur
860-535-4856
Capt. Johnny Glenn
401-348-8716
Capt. Roe Labossiere
401-364-6400
Capt. Sandy Noise
860-886-9212
Ray Smith
401-842-0062
Capt. Ray Stachelek
401-434-6660
Capt. Eric Thomas
401-842-0062
Capt. Jim White
401-828-9465
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