We get high... With a little help from our friends! Courtesy of Cap't Ray

Bonito are becoming the focus for many inshore fisherman.  Reports are coming in of  more consistent fishing from Block Island and the south shore.

Bluefish are in abundance while stripers are still being shy during the day.  The bass fishing around Block Island was hot earlier this summer, but unfortunately appears to be slowing down.

South Shore and Block Island

Cast a Fly Charters fly skipper, Capt. Ray Stachelek reports:

The upper bay could see some changes the next few days that will not be conducive to  better fishing conditions.  Tests have confirmed that a severe hypoxic event may be in the process. These conditions occur naturally in the bay each summer, but are aided by nutrient runoffs and rain. Slowly the oxygen level depletes. This can cause massive shell fish lost and fish kills in coves and isolated areas.  Keep a look-out!

Practice what you preach! Business what is today, we had a chance to wet a line.

Conditions along the ocean front look much healthier. Tons of small bait continue to build along the shore. Mornings they are tight to the surf than move off shore a mile or two. Terns will be on them with a few snapper bluefish breaking the surface.  It’s probably a mixture of sand eels or peanut bunker. This time of year they move closer to feed in the protected estuaries.

Block Island still is in a good fishing mode; but not with the same consistency of prior weeks. Electrical storms and recent hot weather have slowed things down somewhat. It should improve as it settles down. More and more bluefish have moved into the waters interfering with live-lining eels. Look around for small cells of stripers. It’s all tide/current dependant. We found that throwing the more lifelike rubber baits work best with a slower jigging action. Surface sea temps are near 70 degrees so the bass may be deeper.

Look for the false albacore to appear very soon. There are already some bonito around the island. That fishery should improve with the warmer weather and the buildup of sand eels.

Watch Hill and Eastern LI Sound

Capt. Mike Duclos of Tiderunner Charter reports:

Reed with nice blue caught at the Gulls

The parts of the puzzle are indeed coming together as we enter the month of August.  Bluefish as well as Stripers continue to be the daily mixed catch with Bonito now being caught to the east. Its just a matter of time before Bonito will become part of the daily search here.  Had a great evening charter with some nice folks from Ontario who were visiting friends in the area.  As usual, Jackie started off the trip by hooking up to a Striper near Race Rock and was soon followed up by her son Reed who hooked and fought a good Bluefish that cut him off at the boat.We moved to the Gulls and found a large school of Bluefish that were feeding on the outgoing tide; they liked our bunker and sand eel imitations. For a couple of hours we managed a fish about every other drift for a total of a couple of bass and around 8 bluefish.

The sunset was spectacular; the perfect ending to an evening with nice people.  Have a great week, tight lines to all.

Capt. Roger K. Gendron of Connecticut Island Outfitters reports:

There are fish around (I guess there are always some fish somewhere near by) but fly fishing has been challenging over this past week.  If you were lucky enough to run into the Blues that popped up early in the week, you probably got the best fishing of the last few days.

I picked up a nice 8 lb. Bass Sunday, but on a spinning rod, and the funny thing is that I was looking for Bluefish that I had seen in the area earlier.  It’s just that time of year when near shore fishing gets spotty once the sun is up.

There is a lot of bait around and fish are definitely feeding at night.  By late morning they are hung over and the bite drops off. The moral of the report; get out early.

Get out this weekend and send me your bonito reports.

Garth Fondo