Fishing Forecast - June Full Moon

I don't know how everyone else is feeling, but it's pretty hard to believe the calendar just hit June. It was a weird May. By most accounts, though, it was a good one. The nor'easter brought in some cold water and sort of prolonged our spring bass bite in the bay. That could be either a good thing or a bad thing depending on where you fish and your style of fishing. Either way, as we finally seem to be reaching more stable weather consistent with June in New England, we should start seeing things transition from spring to summer patterns in the next couple of weeks. For bass, that means looking for deeper water with current. Many of the big bass that are currently up in the bay will make their way out front to the reefs and other structure in the next couple of weeks. For now though, there's still some great fishing to be had in the bay with big spooks, plastics, and spoons being the primary tackle. For other opportunities, we can look forward to bottom fishing. The fluke season is off to a hot start relative to the past few years. Black sea bass season is open and should get better as we dive into the summer season. 

Striped Bass

The local bass bite continues to be excellent. Whether you're fishing in the bay or out front, you have a shot at all sizes from schoolies to jumbos for the next couple of weeks. Having bass of all sizes spread across the whole state is great because there are opportunities for everyone to get in on the action. From surf to boat, and the bay to the oceanfront. The flip side to that coin, is that it can be a bit unpredictable. You may have to cover water on certain days, and just because one spot produced for you today doesn't necessarily mean it will tomorrow. Of course, that depends where you're fishing as fish begin to leave their "spring spots" for "summer spots". If you're headed out on a boat or kayak, make sure you have a spoon and a spook ready to go. For spoons, look to the Ben Parker Magnum Flutter Spoon  and fish them either tight to bottom or throughout the water column. The key is to use big, stiff sweeps of the rod and then let the spoon "flutter" down with slack line. The bass will often hit it on the fall and when you come tight to the spoon you'll be onto a fish. That said, spoons are inherently versatile, so don't be afraid to cast and retrieve or troll them if the big sweeps aren't working for you. If you're fishing particularly deep water or a place with significant current, try the Tsunami Flutter Spoon to get it down there and keep it vertical. Other good options when the fish are in the middle of the water column or tight to bottom are Bucktail Jigsand Paddletails.Both can be fished vertically jigging, or with a retrieve through the water column. Big spooks are your other best option now and for the next several weeks. The Doc, Joebaggs Skipper, Jigging World Rattle Stick, and Yo Zuri Mag Dive are all great options. The 247 Mully and Lemire's Plugworks Wave Jammer are great wood spooks that are proven big bass catchers. 

Mr. Spicer with a healthy spoon-fed bass from earlier this week.

If throwing topwater is your Plan A, make sure you have some soft plastics on hand for Plan B. Depending on their mood, bass won't always be willing to crush a topwater. However, they will generally come check it out. If you find yourself getting lots of swirls, follows, or half-hearted hits on topwater, throw a soft plastic at those fish. Hogy, Slug-Go,and JoeBaggs all make great straight tail plastics. The JygPro Y Tail and NLBN Straight Tail are also solid options. For weightless rigging, it's hard to go wrong with the BKK Titan Rider. To keep the same presentation but get it down in the water column, try the BKK Titan Diver. As far as jigheads, I'd recommend the JoeBaggs SPJ or Jecks Jigheadsfor a sturdy hook you can trust on big bass. 

Everything Else

This spring has been the best early season fluke bite in a number of years here in RI. It should continue to improve as we approach summer and more, bigger fish move up into the shallows. If you're going to catch a doormat in the bay, this is most likely the time of year it's going to happen. There's a few different styles or ways to fluke fish - inshore & light tackle or offshore & heavy tackle. I know the offshore bite has been exceptional lately, but I won't pretend I know much about that fishery. Instead, I'll talk about the inshore & light tackle fisherman. In this case, you could be fishing from shore, kayak, or boat in (for example) less than about 45ft of water. Don't be afraid to get nice and shallow this time of year - less than 15ft isn't a bad idea to try. Throw Gulp! and other Grub Tails or Paddletails on the lightest jighead you can get away with using. Bucktail jigsare also a tried and true fluke killer, as nothing imitates a squid better. You want to keep constant contact with bottom, but if you're using excessive weight, you'll find yourself getting fewer bites. If you're using a normal soft plastic, it's a good idea to add some scent to your offering. Fish Bites are awesome. You can cut them into little squares or strips depending on your presentation. We're also carrying plenty of frozen bait this year, such as squid, clam, and spearing. Add a little squid strip or spearing to your bucktail, or on a teaser hook, and watch your catch rate skyrocket. 

A nice keeper fluke caught recently by Tyler King on a 5" Gulp.

You will likely start seeing black sea bass out on your fluking trips if you haven't already. As we move into summer, our waters get inundated with black sea bass. By August you can drop a jig just about anywhere out front and find them. This time of year, they can still be a little tricky to locate and target. Over the next couple of weeks I would be hitting the fluking grounds with the hopes of running into them. As we get deeper into the month, they will start taking over structure like rockpiles, humps, dropoffs, etc. The best thing about black sea bass is how willing they are to eat whatever you offer them. Everything mentioned above for fluke are great options. On top of those, a classic Metal or Epoxy is probably as good as it gets for a black sea bass lure. 

Lastly, as our water temps increase and all sorts of different fish migrate north, make sure you're prepared and ready to see anything. There have already been reports of bonito here in RI, and not just one. Lets also not forget there was a giant shore-based tarpon caught here last June. It's a special time of year to be out on the water. So, to wrap this up, get out there and you never know what you may see!