UTERBluefish fishing in Rhode Island and Cape Cod
In Rhode Island and Cape Cod, bluefish peak June–October and are around May–November, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. August: Choppers in the Canal and off Monomoy; snappers in the harbors.
The fall feed; tog season and the last albies. Stripers stage on Block Island and the Rhode Island beaches; green crabs for tog on the breakwaters and Buzzards Bay rocks; albies until a storm ends it.
Bluefish in Rhode Island and Cape Cod, month by month
- JanuaryNot here
- FebruaryNot here
- MarchNot here
- AprilNot here
- MayArrivingBlues arrive in Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay late May.
- JunePeakCanal blitzes and big stripers on mackerel. Pencil poppers at dawn in the Cape Cod Canal; tube-and-worm in Cape Cod Bay; eels at night off Block Island; fluke start on the sand.
- JulyPeak
- AugustPeakChoppers in the Canal and off Monomoy; snappers in the harbors.
- SeptemberPeakAlbie season — the Vineyard Derby month. False albacore on the Rhode Island beaches, Watch Hill, Point Judith and Nantucket Sound; stripers start the fall feed; the biggest bluefin of the year off the Cape.
- OctoberPeakThe fall feed; tog season and the last albies. Stripers stage on Block Island and the Rhode Island beaches; green crabs for tog on the breakwaters and Buzzards Bay rocks; albies until a storm ends it.
- NovemberLeaving
- DecemberNot here
Where to fish bluefish near Point Judith, Newport, Block Island
Rhode Island's rocky south coast and salt ponds, Narragansett Bay, Block Island, Buzzards Bay and the Elizabeth Islands, Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds with their shoals and rips, the Cape Cod Canal, Cape Cod Bay's sand flats, and the Monomoy rips and outer Cape beaches; offshore Coxes Ledge and the southern New England canyons (Block, Atlantis, Veatch).
What to use for bluefish
- Finger mulletLip-hooked on a 2/0 to 4/0 circle hook and free-lined, or on a fish-finder rig in the surf. Cut mullet on the bottom for redfish and drum.
- Pilchards (whitebait)Free-lined or under a cork, hooked through the nose on a #1 to 2/0 circle hook. The one bait that catches everything inshore.
- Threadfin herring (greenbacks)Nose-hooked on a circle hook and free-lined, or slow-trolled. Fragile — handle them wet and fast.
- Sand eelsFree-lined or on a light jig head for stripers, fluke and bluefish; strips teased on a fluke rig.
- Leader20–40 lb fluorocarbon
- Hook#1–4/0
- Jig head1/8–1/2 oz
- Braid10–30 lb
Feeds in 58–80°F water, best at 62–74°F.
Questions anglers ask
When is the best time to catch bluefish in Rhode Island and Cape Cod?
Peak season is June–October. Bluefish are in Rhode Island and Cape Cod May–November. August: Choppers in the Canal and off Monomoy; snappers in the harbors.
Where do bluefish hold in Rhode Island and Cape Cod?
Look on pass / inlet, beach / surf, fishing pier, channel edge — around Point Judith, Newport, Block Island, Westport, Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard.
What is the best bait for bluefish in Rhode Island and Cape Cod?
Live bait: finger mullet, pilchards (whitebait), threadfin herring (greenbacks), sand eels. Finger mullet: Lip-hooked on a 2/0 to 4/0 circle hook and free-lined, or on a fish-finder rig in the surf. Cut mullet on the bottom for redfish and drum. Tackle: leader 20–40 lb fluorocarbon, hook #1–4/0, jig head 1/8–1/2 oz, braid 10–30 lb.
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