The Aces Wild ran our first day of fishing as a flounder fishing charter this Friday, 5/31/2020 with Ryan and his wife. We Departed at 7:00am from Point Judith for our light tackle fishing charter. Though It was foggy the weather was beautiful with no wind and relatively warm weather.
Water Temperature
As of May 29th, the water temperature at Narragansett Pier was 55 degrees. And we certainly expect that temperature to rise to another 3 degrees in the next 1 to 2 weeks. With an average May temperature in certain areas in Narragansett Bay of 52.3, we can expect flounder will arrive earlier than usual. Ready your rod and reel!
Last year the best flounder (fluke) fishing was in June. With the water being a bit warmer this year we expect an earlier arrival for the flounder. As always, Rhode Island fishing offers many opportunities. Therefore, we can always pursue sea bass, striped bass, or other game fish on our saltwater fishing charters if our main target isn’t biting.
Location
We decided to head out to the North Short for our fishing trip. From an activity perspective, things did start out a bit slow. We tried four different fishing spots in all. It wasn’t until the fourth fishing location that we began to get some hits. That is when we landed our four flounder. One of which ended up being 21 inches!
We used squid for bait that we cut into strips. Using the light tackle spinning rods always makes the fishing an exciting time!
Movement
Raising and lowering your the tip of your rod every so often adds action to your bait. We don’t want the bait to drag the bottom. And pulling it off the bottom gives it more visibility. Let some line out or reel some in whenever adjustments are needed based on boat movement due to currents. Be sure your bait actually hits the bottom, however, don’t let your rig drag across the bottom as it can catch seaweed and other items.
The Bite
It may seem odd, however, you will not feel a bite at all. What may happen is while raising the tip of your rod you will suddenly hook a flounder! Other times you will feel the line snapping pretty quick. Like a TAP-TAP-TAP! Lift the rod quick to set the hook. Once set, you can bring the fish in. Flounder are a great time on light-tackle too!
All in all a good start to the summer RI flounder fishing season. Coming in the weather was beautiful, with the sun shining the entire ride.
Stats
The flounder (fluke) season runs from May 1 to Dec. 31 in Rhode Island. The limit is six fish per angler per day, with a 19-inch minimum size.
Shore-area is a bit different. Two fish with a 17-inch minimum size are allowed in special shore areas only. As always, visit dem.ri.gov for more information.
Reach out to captain Earl and book your Rhode Island fishing charter as soon as possible. Weekend dates are booking up fast. And whether we’re heading out to Block Island for some Striped Bass and Bluefish, or the North Shore for some Sea Bass, Scup, or Flounder, your RI Fishing Charter awaits!
