Memorial Day Weekend Outlook

 

I landed this one a few nights ago on an albie
snax in the Bay. There are still fish around if
you work for them.

That outstanding fishing for large stripers that we saw a couple of weeks ago has really cooled off. They are still around in small pockets but you have to really look around to find them. Just not as easy as it was. Also, for shore fishermen, the bite has really turned to nighttime fishing.  For those in a boat or kayak, it's a lot easier to find the fish since you have the easy mobility to move around. My son, Jon, and I have been been fishing every day/night for the last week in multiple locations from the oceanfront to the Bay to the Cape.  Here are some ideas for those who might want to wet a line this three day weekend.

The Bay- The Bay was really hot a few weeks ago, but fishing has cooled.  Still, I got out a couple of times this week from shore there and landed some hefty schoolies.  There was action every time out with hits and some hook-ups. Slug-gos and Albie Snax have been the hot producers as the fish have been fussy in this heat.  Jon has been hitting it hard from the yak. He had a good night last night with 5 big ones that were all slots and overs.  All his fish fell for 7 1/2 inch white Slug-gos. I have also been out in the kayak, and its been one here and there. He's at the Cape for the next few days at his brother's house as we've heard of some fish down there. There has been a noticeable lack of pogies in the Bay so far.  Normally at this time, they are all over the place but I have seen none so far this year.

I landed this fish earlier in the week from 
the kayak.  Boaters and kayakers who
can move around should have an
easier time of it this weekend.

The Oceanfront-  It's a game of slugging it out after dark.  Jon hit the oceanfront a couple of times in the last week and it was a pick of one here, one there.  Still, I have heard of some good catches if you are at the right spot at the right time. Jon got his fish on Slug-gos so that's working along the oceanfront also. There has been a noticeable lack of bluefish around.  I haven't landed one yet and haven't seen one caught.  Jon got one from the kayak last week.

The Cape-  The Canal has been an off and on deal.  My sons, Jon and Ben, fished there last weekend and Ben had one 40 inch fish.  There were some breaking, but they were fussy. They saw one other fish landed. So, I guess that, too, has been an off and on deal.

Kayak Working

I got some decent ones from the yak today!
This one slammed a 7 1/2 inch Slug-go.

 On the days in which I don't have favorable conditions from shore, I head out in my kayak to slug it out in the calm water.  I'm out further than a shore cast, but still fishing shallow water with lots of boulders. Yes, that is working as we are clicking on all cylinders right now.  Today I landed several decent ones both casting and trolling from the yak.  The hot lure was a white 7 1/2 inch Slug-go, a lure my son Jon loves at this time of year.

So, the hot fishing here in RI just keeps rolling along.  As long as the weather stays cool, it should remain good.  Still, you have to find them, and that takes a bit more effort than just clicking away on social media.

Best Week of All Time in the Spring for Large Stripers

 

It was an epic week for very large stripers. 
There was phenomenal numbers of slots 
and over slots as my son and I caught and
released over 100 stripers this week.

In the last week my son Jon and I landed over 100 stripers. The majority of those fish have been slots and over slots.  In fact, the over slots have outnumbered the slots with many of those overs going over 40 inches. In the past those real large fish were pretty non-existent in RI waters until mid to late May. This year they were as abundant as schoolies.

We got a lot of our fish from shore, but we also found good numbers from the kayak when shore conditions were not favorable. 

Most of our fish this week were caught on skinny plastic.  From shore the 9 inch Slug-go was a hot lure. A variety of colors were working. From the kayak it was more of a finesse game as the  white Albie Snax and 7 1/2 inch Slug-gos were our most effective lures.

Towards the end of this phenomenal run of big fish which brought out more and more fishermen thanks to social media, I saw a lot of fish being caught on a number of different lures.  Docs, Yo-Zuri Hydro pencils, swimmers and even standard poppers were getting them.

I sense the big push of large fish has gone downhill in the places my son and I were fishing. But, no problem, since I'm sure they are still around somewhere, and I have a few good ideas about where I will be looking this week.

52 INCHES!

 Last evening I landed the longest striper I have ever caught from shore.  The fish measured 52 inches.  So, was it 50 lbs.? No, this fish was a streaker- very skinny for its length.  It had a huge head but nothing in the belly.  Still, I'm guessing it was in the upper 30 lb. to low 40 lb. range.

We are in an unpresented time with massive numbers of large stripers in RI waters right now. I've never seen anything like it in the spring.  It reminds me of the heydays in the Cape Cod Canal about ten years ago. While there are a ton of large stripers around, there are very few schoolies.

While I had that 52 inch fish last evening, I also had about 7 or 8 more fish at or over 40 inches.  Numbers and sizes like this are unheard of in the spring from shore here in RI! I think this spring's striper bonanza is a once in a lifetime event here in RI. Jump on it while you can.

By the way, all my fish were landed on 9 inch Slug-gos.  I was using a discontinued rainbow trout color with a BKK Titan Rider, 6/0 hook up front.  My son, Jon, who was with me, was doing equally as well with a white Slug-go.

Big Stuff from the Kayak

 I went out on my first voyage of 2026 in my kayak tonight, and it was just like I had been experiencing from shore all week. I landed good numbers of fish with slots, over slots and hefty schoolies in the mix. Like from shore, I had never landed fish this big from the kayak so early in May.

The hot lure tonight was a white Albie Snax.  It was a finesse game as the water was quite calm and the fish were quite fussy on the take. I had a Varivas fluoro leader tied to the end of my line and I used a slow "twitchy" retrieve below the surface with a "stop" once in a while. That worked great for me.  My son, Jon, was also out with me, and he had equal success with  7 1/2 inch white Slug-go.  The Slugs have been hot numbers for us in the past week.

Fishing for large stripers has carried right over into May. I'm hoping it continues as it is as good as it gets right now for this time of year.

Real hot fishing tonight for big fish from my kayak.

Best April EVER for Big Fish?

 

Holy Smokes- this big fish was landed this week
as a slug of big stripers have entered RI waters.
Jon and I had many slots and overslots this week.

Conventional wisdom says April fishing for stripers is a schoolie game here in RI. But, this year has been far different like I have never seen before.  In the last week, the last week of April, my son Jon and I have fished every evening and we have been into some big stripers with good numbers of them. We caught several in the 40 inch range with the biggest of the week at 43 inches. Along with these big ones, we had good numbers of slot fish.  I had only one schoolie this week.  The small fish have just not been around.

In all my years of fishing, I have never landed a 40 inch striper in April until this year. These large fish generally come around in early to mid May when the water warms up and the menhaden come around. 

 Nine inch Slug-gos were the hot lures all week.

Everything was wrong this week- cold northeast winds, cold water, no bait, but the fish were just around in real good numbers.  We landed nearly all our fish on 9 inch Slug-gos.  I was using a rainbow trout color (discontinued), and he was using a white one. This single hooked lure made for easy catch-and-release fishing. The Slug-go was also the most effective lure as we tried others with nowhere near the success.

No question, this April was the first year we have even seen large fish this early.  I hope it continues into May.

First Migrating Fish of the Year- An OVERSLOT!

 

First migrating fish of the year
for me proves to be an
OVERSLOT.  It was landed 
on a Slug-go.

I was into some big fish this evening.  My first fish of the night blasted my nine inch Slug-go.  That fish proved to be an overslot in the 36 to 38 inch range.  Next cast- a slot fish of 30 inches. A few casts later- another 30 inch fish. Twenty minutes later, I lose another big fish. Clearly, I was into something hot tonight. It's about time!

No doubt, there are some large fish around if you can find them. I've been reading on social media about many of these large fish being caught in RI waters.  Interestingly, there is a lack of schoolies or smaller fish.  No surprise here as the spawns of the last 5 years have been poor.

This is real early for these big stripers to be around. I saw no bait where I was fishing and no bird activity but the fish were just there prowling around. I guess it's a matter of getting out and casting and putting in your time, and good things will happen.