July Fishing Has Been Fantastic!

What a fishing season! The Aces Wild has been on dozens of striped bass fishing charters, as well as flounder & black sea bass charters so far this season and the results have been phenomenal!

(We’re getting booked up at this point. If you want to get out on the water, we’re into September and it’s filling up fast!)

Striped Bass

Our Rhode Island Striped bass charters have been crazy! We have been landing 40 to 50+ inch stripers on many of our charters. To make things even better, some of these landings have been a two-at-a-time landing! Imagine bringing up two 40+ inch striped bass on 300’ of steel line like Joe Grasso and company did! We’re seeing this happen regularly, and damn what a fight! And just when you think you have the fish landed they see the boat and take the line back out again! Now that’s a day of fishing to remember!  We like to see that everyone catches fish on the Aces Wild…

Well at this point it is safe to say the Striped Bass migration is in full swing. In addition to the 40 and 50+ inch Stripers we have been catching we have also been landing some smaller stripers on our fishing trips. Considering we are unable to keep anything larger than a 35” striped bass here in Rhode Island, we are thankful for the occasional smaller striper!

Flounder & Sea Bass

When it comes to flounder and Sea bass, we have been landing quite a few of these species as well. And some big ones too. Head on over to our fishing pictures page and you will see some large flounder recently landed.

If you have ever brought in a summer flounder you know for their size they pack a good fight. The larger flounder really pick it up quite a bit. Very nice for RI fishing!  The Rhode Island Flounder Charter fishing is really looking strong now that we are finishing up July.

When it comes to black sea bass we have been doing great in this area too. And the sea bass are good size as well. We are regularly catching them 12”, 18” + long.  Quite often we’ll finish up a full day RI charter fishing with some flounder and sea bass.  Oh, and if you have not made a meal with sea bass you really need to give it a go, because they are tasty!  Such a great way to wrap-up a fishing adventure!

Location

Fishing has really picked up in a number of different locations all in and around the Block Island Sound. We’re hitting the North Rip, Southwest corner, Point Judith, as well as our other hot spots (we have to keep some secrets)! From what I have been reading from other fishing reports, Narragansett bay has been doing great as well.  Anglers are landing bass, bluefish, and other species all around the bay.  Game fishing is strong throughout Rhode Island saltwater fishing locations, and you don’t necessarily need access to a charter boat if that is not in the cards.

Tackle

When it comes to the Stripers the tackle of choice has mostly been the frame and tubes with the heavier rod & reel combo and steel line.  We’ll switch things up a little here and there with the tube color, etc.  Mainly we adjust line-length based on water depth, in order to keep the rigs below the bluefish where the stripers hang (yes, along the bottom).

On the Flounder end of things, we’re sticking with the light tackle whenever possible as is usually the case.  Long after the customer’s fishing charter is over and the fish have been cleaned and consumed it’s the fish stories that live on!  The light tackle is a part of the fishing story.  Bringing the fish in, taking pictures and sharing them all with friends is the best part and is what Rhode Island fishing charters are all about!

Back to the flounder tackle, a spreader rig with a couple hooks and a sinker in the middle to keep the line on the bottom is a mainstay.  Depending on the drift we may have to adjust the sinker weight.  The faster current will require more weight to keep the line on the bottom.  The flounder are always on the bottom!

To add to the flounders delight we usually add squid cut up into strips onto the rig.  And always keep the bait fresh! Our RI Flounder fishing tips post has more information about flounder fishing tactics.

That’s it for this update.  Fishing is very strong.  Hopefully you are able to get out and make the best of it!

-Aces Wild