Fishing Forecast - May New Moon

The fishing so far this May has been nothing short of great.  The striped bass bite is in full swing, it's the best spring in years for both squid and weakfish, and bottom fishing is just around the corner. The weather has been touch-and-go, but more good than bad with some heavy rain events followed by days of tranquility.  That trend will continue as we have a beast of a storm on its way later this week. After that, though, the extended forecast is looking promising. It's that time of year when you should be aiming to be on the water whenever your schedule and the weather align for you. The bass fishing has been consistently good - although you may have to cover some water. The "hot spots" seem to be moving every few days. The weakfish bite has been excellent. They've been around for a coupe of weeks now, but it seems to just continue getting better. The squid have been chewing both day and night in good numbers. Speaking of good numbers, some our more pesky friends, like scup and sea robins, are filling into the bay with each tide. It's also just about time to start getting excited for fluke fishing, which should start getting good toward the end of the month.

Striped Bass

The bass fishing in the bay has been excellent. Big spooks, flutter spoons, and big soft plastics have been taking some jumbo fish. For some great plastic spooks, look to The Doc, JoeBaggs Skipper, Jigging World Rattle Stick,or Yo Zuri Mag Dive. For wood options, try the 247 Mully or Lemire Plugworks Wave Jammer. The difference between a plastic and wood spook really comes down to preference. Ultimately, you should have both. The plastic options are all equipped with rattles to make a commotion and draw big fish, and they tend to cast a bit better than wood. For those reasons, I tend to throw them on windy days when I want to make a commotion on the surface. Another scenario is when fish are down, say, 15+ feet down in the water column and you want to get their attention on the surface. I prefer wood when I'm fishing flats or when the water is still, as it's just a bit more subtle. As far as flutter spoons, the Ben Parker Magnum Flutter Spoon is the go to. If you need a really heavy spoon to get down on a fast drift, try the Tsunami Flutter Spoon. Look for the channels cutting through the bay to get on a good spoon bite. Bends and bottlenecks are your best bet, although the bass can be just about anywhere and everywhere at this point. You'll likely find a crowd of fellow fishermen doing the same thing, and it's tough to miss the blinding shimmer of the sun reflecting off a 9 or 11 inch chunk of metal. You'll know if you're in the right spot. Big soft plastics are also proven big fish catchers, and a personal favorite of mine. Particularly at night, crawl them tight to bottom or throw them on a weightless hook if they're shallow. I love the BKK Titan Rider and BKK Titan Diver hooks for a weighted and weightless option. I'm yet to bend one of these hooks out and they tend to harmlessly find the side of the mouth more often than not. If you prefer jigheads, a sturdy hook is crucial. The JoeBaggs SPJand Jeck's Jighead would be my top recommendations. As far as the plastics themselves, there's all sorts of great big plastics out there these days. We're low on stock, but if you can get your hands on Gravity Tackle 13.5" Eels those are the go to. Other good options include the Hogy Slappy Eel, JoeBaggs Block Island Eel, and Slug-go. Color really depends on preference and the situation, but you should rarely need to stray from white, black, and pink.

A healthy May bass landed on a big plastic on the BKK Titan Diver.

On the other hand, cinder worm spawns are beginning to break out for fly and light tackle enthusiasts to tackle in the backwaters. There's a good chance this incoming heavy rain will temporarily mess with that, but I'd expect that some time next week it picks back up. Check out our Worm Fly selection if you're trying to get in on the action with your fly rod. It can be really difficult to "match the hatch" during some worm feeds and a fly will probably be your best bet. For light tackle spin options, look to small, thin soft plastics like the 4" RonZ. I'd probably stick to pink or black in this scenario, but sometimes standing out can be the ticket. Don't be afraid to throw a minnow plug like a SP Minnow, JoeBaggs Swarter, or YoZuri Hydro Minnow just to mix it up and see if they'll single out the bigger profile. 

Weakfish, Bluefish and Squid

The weakfish numbers here in Rhode Island have been showing signs of improvement for several years now. Of course, it's still nothing like their heyday, but this spring has been the best in recent memory. I'd expect the hot bite to last through the end of the month as long as the rain doesn't change things too much. At least for now, it's predictable and it's consistent. It might depend on the day, but overall just about everything in your weakfish box should get bit right now. Paddletails like the JygPro and NLBN are top producers. Straight tails like the Zoom Fluke, JygPro Y Tail, and RonZ are also tried and true. Fish them on a light jighead and bounce it around bottom and through the middle of the water column. Weakfish love white and pink - there's little reason to vary. Chartreuse can have its days as well. If you're having trouble finding them, look for big mud flats around the bay, particularly in the 10-20ft range. They may be holding deeper or shallower, but that will give you somewhere to start. You can find them cruising anywhere along a flat. That said, especially on a good tide, they'll often stack up on an edge - whether it be a channel edge, a rock pile, a tide line, etc. Keep in mind that these fish are sharing territory with jumbo bass and bluefish, so it's not uncommon to find them in large schools. If you find one, it probably has friends nearby. 

Chris with a great weakfish that fell for a 4" Jygpro Swym on a 1/2oz jighead.

The bluefish fishing is pretty hit or miss right now. It was showing signs of being a good spring for them, but that bite has plateaued a bit. I'd expect to get another good push around the turn of the month. Generally, those "summer blues" in the bay don't reach the same impressive sizes as those early arrivals in the spring. That said, they're just as ferocious and willing to eat. If anything, they tend to be much less picky than those big May bluefish on the flats. You will rarely have problems with them denying anything you throw in front of them. A few things make a plug excel for targeting bluefish - the less hooks the better, the cheaper the better, and a plug you can grab ahold of to control the fish can make handling much easier. Some great examples would be the Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper, Tsunami Talkin' Popper, Yo Zuri Inshore Pencil Popper and the Hogy Surface Eraser. Going to a single rear hook with a crushed barb isn't a bad idea if you know you'll be throwing that plug at blues. Another great bluefish lure are Bucktails as they have one big single hook and you can work them fast, slow, and anywhere in the water column if they're hanging out deeper. They also imitate squid very well, which is likely the bluefish's primary forage in the bay right now.

The squid bite seems to have slowed down a bit, but they're certainly still around in good numbers. If you're targeting them at night, look for places with bright lights. Bridges, harbors, marinas, etc. are all good places to try. We have a great selection of Squid Jigs that are all solid options. Pink and white should probably be your first choices out of the bag, but blue has been doing well, too. 

Everything Else

As we approach June, our typical summer species are making their way toward the bay each day. The fluke fishing should pick up in the next couple of weeks. There are generally some big ones caught early in the season, so it's not too early to be dreaming about a doormat. With the number of squid around, I'd be looking to imitate them for the early fluke fishing. Bucktails, Paddletails, and Flippin Out Fluke Rigs would be my recommendations right now. Fluke respond well to scent, so a strip of squid or BerkleyGulp! is a nice addition to your presentation. We are carrying frozen bait in the shop this season so you don't have to make any additional stops on your way to the water! Come grab your frozen clams, squid, and spearing here at the SWE. As far as where to target fluke, I'd be looking to mid-depths for the next couple weeks. Say, 15-45 feet of water or something in that ballpark. They certainly could be deeper or shallower but that's a good place to begin your hunt. Think about areas that they would be following the squid on their route up into the bay. 

Tyler King with a nice big fluke to kick off his season around this time last May.

For other species to keep in mind, the scup fishing should get hot within the next couple weeks and stay that way through the fall. Black sea bass season doesn't open until June 18th here in RI, so we'll have to wait on those, but they're on their way and should start finding their way onto your fluke rigs in the next couple of weeks. My biggest always tend to come either early in the summer or late in the fall, so it's a good time to try and find your PB sea bass. Other than that, our favorite friend the sea robin is on its way to eat up your Gulp, bait, and jigs. We already have plenty in the bay at this point in time, but as we approach summer the bottom will continue to fill up with them. It's a fun time of year between the excellent fishing that is already available and the other options that are quickly on their way. Time to get out there!