Fishing Forecast - May Full Moon

If you're a striped bass fisherman in Rhode Island, we don't need to tell you the May full moon is coming up. If it's not marked on your calendar, it probably should be. There are already big fish around and more are one the way in the next several weeks. We've gotten a push of pogies in the last couple weeks, which is great to see, although I haven't seen or heard about anything too impressive yet as far as numbers go. The bass fishing isn't the only thing to get excited about - the fishing for tautog and squid has been great and should be for the next couple weeks. Weakfish are another May favorite. They're certainly around, but it should only get better over the next couple weeks. Last but never least, May can bring some pretty fantastic bluefish fishing. 

Striped Bass

For big bass enthusiasts, the May full moon is time to start really taking the season seriously - if you're not already. There have already been some very impressive fish caught in the last week or so. There's no doubt there is already a good number of big fish here. The moon will bring even more into our waters and they will be hungry. If you're fishing in the bay, it's probably your best odds all year at catching really big fish. There are some pogies around but you may have to search for them. Hopefully we get a really strong push in the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye on the ospreys - if you see them diving in the same spot there's a good chance they're pounding a school of pogies. Cormorants can be a tell, too. With pogies around, the bass are looking for a big bait. This time of year you can often get on good topwater feeds any time of day, but morning and evening are generally your best bet. Make sure you have at least one or two Musky Mania Docs with you. We have lots of other great spooks to give a shot, though. If you're into that plastic style spook, the Jigging World Rattle Stick, JoeBaggs Skipper, and Yo-Zuri Mag Dive are all great options. For wooden spooks, we have the 247 Lures Mullyand Lemire's Plugworks Wave Jammer. They're different in size and profile, but both have a great, effortless action that is just fun to fish. Big soft plastics are a great change up to have in your bag of tricks during a topwater bite. Sometimes they just see too much of your spook, or maybe you find yourself getting lots of boils and looks but few committed eats. Try throwing a Hogy Originalor a Lunker City Slug-Go at those fish and you may get them to commit. I'm almost always throwing white in this scenario. If you're fishing around pogies, we have a handful of really nice Wooden Metal Lipsto throw or slow-troll. The annual spoon bite is also off to a strong start. Go to deep spots and channels in the bay with a Ben Parker Magnum Flutter Spoon or a Tsunami Flutter Spoon and rip them with big long sweeps. They work great whether the bass are all over the water column or glued to bottom. In this situation, paddletails like the Jygpro Swym or NLBN are solid options, too. Particularly if for some reason they aren't responding well to the big flutter spoon. 

 A healthy recent bass on a weightless white Hogy Original - photo taken by Ray Jarvis of Salt of the Earth Sportfishing. Ray has plenty of dates open, be sure to book him if you're looking to get on some fish!

Tautog & Squid

Right now, the tog fishing is excellent. Fast, hot bites with plenty of good-sized fish depending on where you're fishing. As popular spots get picked of their keeper-sized fish, shorts become more frequent. The key to success over the next weeks will be finding quieter, more subtle pieces of structure. Don't be afraid to go shallower than you may expect - 10 feet and less. They'll even be in salt ponds, harbors, and flats in water shallow enough you can sight fish them. If you want a challenge, we have tons of Crab Flies that you can try to convince a tog to eat. Otherwise, use the lightest Tog Jigs you can get away with wherever you're fishing. Shore crabs are my go to bait, but it seems like others have been doing well with green crabs, too. If you want to make your crabs last longer, try adding a small piece of Fish Bites to your tog jig. It helps keep the crab in place so it's not as easy for the tog to shred it. It also adds more scent and color to your presentation, which is only a good thing when you're targeting curious fish such as tog.

A shore crab + Fish Bite sandwich on a 1/2oz Tsunami Tog Treat in whitelegger.

The squid fishing really blew up this past week. Anywhere with lights is worth a shot - marinas, docks, bridges, etc. will all give you a shot. Our Squid Jig selection is getting thinner by the day, so be sure to grab some if you're looking to fill a bucket of calamari. White, pink, and blue have been the hot colors so far, according to Dustin at RI Kayak Fishing Adventures, who has been getting after it in his kayak with lots of success.

Dustin Stevens of RI Kayak Fishing Adventures with one of many squid landed from the kayak over the past couple weeks.

Weakfish and Bluefish

It's probably too dramatic to call the weakfish rebound a success, but there are definitely more around then there was 5-10 years ago. They can still be tricky to find. That said, if you do find one, there's a great chance you'll find more in the area. Small paddletails and straight tails should probably be the first thing out of your bag. White and pink are always good bets, though chartreuse can have its days, too. The JygPro SwymPaddletail and Y Tail as well as the NLBN Paddletail are sure to catch. The small Lunker City Slug-gois great too, as is the Fin-S Fishand the classic Zoom Fluke. Weakfish also love shrimp, so I'm looking forward to throwing the JygPro Shrimp at them very soon.

The man, myth, and legend Earl Evans with a beautiful recent weakfish taken on a white NLBN paddletail.

Mid May brings some huge bluefish into the bay. Check your local back bays, harbors, estuaries, and flats. It might still be just a week or so too early, but I'd expect that by the next fishing forecast, there will be plenty of big blue cruising the flats. As bluefish generally are, they are often willing to eat just about anything you put in front of them. Think topwaters like the spooks mentioned for bass as well as Pencil Poppers.  Particularly on sunny, calm days, the blues won't always be so cooperative. If you really want to get them to commit, you may need to sacrifice some of your plastics. The Slug-go or Hogy Original on a weightless hook like a BKK Titanrider is ideal.  I usually stick to white or pink for picky blues on the flats.