24 May 2024
Here is a slot I landed last evening on a Jumpin
Minnow. The action has cooled in the last week
for boaters and shore fishermen in
Narragansett Bay.
Fishing has cooled off, I mean really cooled off, in Narragansett Bay. That persistent northeast wind that we had for almost a week straight dropped the water temperatures and sent a lot of fish packing.
In the last week, I have gotten out just about every day and evening. I’ve fished from shore and kayak. It’s been a couple of fish here and there and even some blanks. Those bluefish that seemed to be building in numbers in the Bay seem to have disappeared. Fishing for blues right now is poor in the Bay. Even the abundant stripers that were around just two weeks ago have dwindled in numbers. Last evening I fished from shore in two very productive locations. I landed one slot striper. The evening before I was out in the kayak and got skunked, the first time in a long time that I found nothing in a big area of the Bay. I’ve also seen no pogies around which just might account for this sub par fishing.
I remember what things were like just a few short years ago. It was Memorial Day weekend and my son, Jon, was out in his kayak in the upper Bay around Providence. He called me saying, “Dad, you’ve got to come down and see this!” I got into my truck and headed to the Bay just for a look. I counted a staggering number of boats (counted 200) and kayaks fishing around vast schools of menhaden that seemed to be as far as the eye could see. The place was also crawling with big stripers and big bluefish. In the last two weeks, I have not seen a single boat working that area. No pogies; no bass and blues. That simple!
From what I hear, the oceanfront is fishing a bit better than the Bay right now. But, realize that the stripers have turned nocturnal in their feeding habits and daytime fishing from shore right now is not very productive. Boaters have a much better shot at finding stripers and blues right now from the south shore on calm days.
Hope things light up this weekend for many of you who plan to get out and fish!