Where are the Bluefish?

While they are not around right now, I am guessing they
are coming soon.

At this point there are few, if any blues, along the RI mainland shore or in Gansett Bay. I have landed exactly one four pounder in the months of July and August, and I am out just about every day. Heck, I still have not seen a snapper blue in the Bay, and usually it is loaded with them at this time.
The interesting thing about the lack of bluefish is that there is a lot of bait along the shore to lure them in. There are loads of adult menhaden in Narragansett Bay and there are increasing numbers of schools of peanut bunker moving along the oceanfront and into the Bay. I've also seen loads of small bay anchovies around. All of that bait has attracted large numbers of small schoolies to both the Bay and the oceanfront, but the bluefish continue to be a no show.
I'm confident this will all change. I know there are good reports of blues coming from Block Island, so I'm assuming they are still out in deep, offshore waters. In recent years the fall has been the time to catch blues here in RI. In the last couple of years, the blues have arrived on the tails of migrating menhaden as they exit the Bay. I'm guessing that will happen again this year. So, while there are few around right now, expect to see increasing numbers of them in late August into September.

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