Fishing Forecast - July New Moon

As we dive into the second half of July and look ahead to August, we're really getting into the dog days of summer now. The dog days are hot, long, and often tough fishing, particularly for striped bass enthusiasts. That said, there are plenty of great ways to make it through the summer doldrum. Personally, when the water is at its warmest and the bait can be a bit scarce, I like to fish for species that I don't give much love to during the spring and fall runs. This generally means bouncing a jig on bottom and fishing with a "whatever bites" attitude. It's enjoyable, it's relaxing, and it's a great way to pass the tough few weeks between good early summer fishing, and the start of the fall run in early August. It's also a great time of year to take advantage of all the diversity Rhode Island has to offer. With all that said, this year's dog days don't look to be as daunting as some years. Water temps are right where we've come to expect them to be as we approach August, there's certainly no shortage of bait around, and the fishing has been excellent all across the board.

Striped Bass

It depends on who you ask, but in general, it's been a great year for striped bass. Out front the bass fishing is still on fire. Up in the bay still has a good number of fish too - they are smaller on average than what you'll be seeing out front, but they are willing to eat and are pretty easy to find on the right days. The "fall run" is a very relative term, and I wouldn't say we're there yet, but as small bait such as peanut bunker, silversides, and bay anchovies begin to flush out of backwaters and into the bay, things start to feel a whole lot like fall fishing. Light tackle and fly fisherman will thrive as the bait is bite-sized and the fish are showing up on the surface regularly. Look for bird activity and fish hitting the surface up in the bay. Small spooks like the Rebel Jumpin Minnow and Game On! X Walk are perfect for those fish on peanuts. The Albie Snax also do extremely well this time of year and into the fall. If it's windy/rough out, and you need some more distance on your casts, throw a Hogy Surface Eraser or a small pencil popper like a Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper. It's also that time of year you should be carrying an arsenal of Metal/Epoxy Jigs to either launch and retrieve, or fish vertically. Both have their moments and can be very effective on picky fish feeding on small bait. Also be sure to check out our Striper Flies. It's a great time to get the fly rod out, but a fly behind a Larry Lurz Casting Egg is a great way to catch finicky fish on a light spin setup. 

As for the fish out front, it's pretty typical summer fishing. Live eels are probably your best bet day or night. As always, big spooks are a good option early in the morning or around dusk. The Doc, JoeBaggs Skipper, Yo Zuri Mag Dive, and Jigging World Rattle Stick are all great plastic spooks. There's also the new Yo Zuri Mag Pencil which is basically a bigger TopKnock. They look awesome. The Butchie Built Tube has been producing big fish as well. With all the sandeels around, jigs like the Hogy Sandeel Jig, Point Jude Po-Jee Tin, Point Jude Sandeel, and Jigging World Diamond Jig are all good options if the fish are glued to bottom. 

Ryan with a beautiful bass caught recently on a 247 Needlefish.

Funny Fish

The bonito bite isn't quite as red hot as it was a few weeks ago, but there are still plenty of fish around to be caught. The surface feeds definitely have not been as frequent or intense lately. That said, blind casting seems to be pulling pretty good numbers. Minnow plugs like the Yo Zuri Mag Minnow, Yo Zuri Crystal Minnow, Daiwa SP Minnow, and Tsunami TP Minnow have been the top producers so far, especially blind casting. It's also impossible to forget to mention Albie Snax, which in general, is probably the top-producing blind casting bait out there for both bonito and albies. If you're seeing active feeds, getting a Metal/Epoxy Jig in the mix should do the trick. The Hogy Surface Eraser is great for bonito with the single back hook, and it punches into the wind really nicely if you need an extra few feet on your casts. There have been one or two whispers of early albies as well, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for intense crashes on the surface - there are a few around and (hopefully) many more on their way!

Jon with another solid shore-based bonito on an electric chicken epoxy jig.

Offshore

There is some pretty great fishing going on offshore right now. If you have the chance to get out to the bluefin grounds, I recommend it! There seems to be good numbers of recreational-sized fish all over the place. Trolling is still the hottest action in general, but you can absolutely catch on jigs, plastics, and topwater. The predominant bait has been sandeels, so jigs of that profile are a good bet. Hogy Sandeel Jigs, UVT Tuna Jigs are proven bluefin slayers. The RonZ is probably the best and most versatile bait out there, and it's particularly good when there are sandeels around. You can cast it and work it back in, drop it vertical and jig it, or just set it in the rod holder and you'll catch each way. The new Big Water Baits Bag Man looks like another great plastic for the tuna grounds, whether you're rigging it on a jighead or weightless. My first bluefin of the year came on the Big Water Baits Hit Man earlier this week, so don't be afraid to throw paddletails at them, too. Poppers like the Hogy Charter Grade Popper, Shimano OceanBomb Flashboost, and Shimano Pop-Orca will have their moments. The topwater feeds seem to depend on the day, but if you're in the zone there's a pretty good chance you'll see them up top, even if it's brief. We haven't heard anything about mahi quite yet, but I'd expect those reports to start rolling in over the next couple of weeks.

A perfect recreational-sized bluefin caught on the Big Water Baits Hit Man in white.