Labor Day weekend is here, and there are sure to be a lot of fishermen out and about along the oceanfront. If you are fishing from shore, the outlook is poor. From a boat, you have a much better chance at finding something although that action is also slow.
We are coming off the worst year of striper fishing in the summer from shore in DECADES here in RI. There have been very few fish around with a fish here and there whenever the ocean gets rough. In calm water there tends to be nothing. There is little bait along the oceanfront, a problem we have had all summer. I have been skunked my last two outings this week while seeing nothing- no birds, no bait, no fish. There is some bait in the Bay and in the backwaters, but there are no fish chasing it. My son Jon was out in the kayak last night in the Bay and found loads of bait but no fish. I don't really know what's going on with the boaters along the oceanfront, but the reports (if you can believe them) paint a rosy picture of decent numbers of big fish in deeper water.
Fishing for blues from shore is no better. In a lot of ways it's even worse than striper fishing right now. I've landed a grand total of 5 bluefish this year, and they all have been big. With little bait around, you won't find many bluefish. This has been the poorest year of bluefish fishing in a real long time.
Many fishermen have turned to chasing the pelagics. There have been some bonito around, especially is the deeper water drops along the oceanfront. On occasion, I have seen some breaking in my last few outings, and I've even caught a couple. These tend to be small, from 12 to 20 inches on average. Pack some epoxy jigs, small swimmers and metal spoons and hope they show up in front of you. There are no albies around yet, at least from shore. There have also been some mackerel around.
So, that's it. The last few years brought great fishing on Labor Day weekend, traditionally the start of the fall runs. I don't see that happening this year. I plan to spend most of my time in freshwater this weekend. Good luck if you try saltwater. You'll need it!
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