BAY

There are plenty of bluefish, between 8 and 10 pounds, biting in the waters of Greenwich Bay, Barrington, Conimicut Point and Hope Island, said Ken Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle. The waters near Hope Island also hold scup, sea bass and possibly fluke, he said. There were some large fluke taken there Wednesday.

Tautog have begun to bite near the Plum Point Light, the Flat Rock Spindle and Hope Island.

Large bass have been taking tube-and-worm rigs and parachutes near Brenton Reef, Ferrara said. School bass are biting near the Hurricane Barrier in Providence, said David Henault of Ocean State Tackle.

Visiting Henault's store yesterday, Wes Freeman said he's been catching scup on squid at the Newport Bridge. Bass and tautog are also biting in Newport, he said.

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS

Wednesday morning, there were bass, bluefish, false albacore and bonito boiling at the mouth of the Narrow River, said State Travisono of Breachway Bait & Tackle. Yesterday, the wind shifted, and the fish disappeared.

Also Wednesday, bass were biting in the Charlestown Breachway, and some huge scup were taking menhaden chunks on large bass hooks over the South County reefs, he said.

"Alligator blues" were biting all along the reefs Wednesday, but they were deep, Travisono said.

What a strange season this has been. Normally, this is the week when a visitor to the Weekapaug Breachway would see schools of bonito and false albacore in the breachway, bass and bluefish working schools of bait off the beaches, and clouds of monarch butterflies in migration to Mexico.

Wednesday, videographer Mike Laptew, "The Diving Fisherman," said he saw only one small school of bass at Weekapaug and a single monarch flying overhead.

Fluke fishing has slowed, said Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina, but scup and sea bass continue to bite. Tautog fishing is very good as even shore fishermen are catching blackfish where there are rocks. One angler broke his rod while landing a 9-pound blackfish at Charlestown Breachway, said Travisono.

OFFSHORE

At last, tuna fishing is improving in the waters south and east of the Horns, said Al Conti. Trollers have been taking small bluefin, and the charter boat Snappa caught a 150-pound fish on chunks this week. Another boat caught a 140-pounder Wednesday. There are mahi in the area, too, and a blue marlin was sighted, he said.

Only a few boats have steamed all the way to the canyons, but one boat caught albacore and big-eye tuna at Veach Canyon this week.

BLOCK ISLAND

Bass have been biting in the waters off the south side through the week, said Chris Willi of Block Island Fish Works. They range from schoolies to 30-pounders, he said.

The first grand slam of the season -- a bass, a bluefish and a false albacore -- was taken by blind casting Sunday.

FRESHWATER

Bass fishing has been improving in northern Rhode Island, says Beverly Mouradjian of Big Bear Supply. She cited Echo Lake in Burrillville and Waterman Lake in Greenville as places where anglers say they're catching fish, but the bite isn't as active as it has been in years past.The best bet is to try gaining access to private or restricted bass ponds in Providence County, she said.

Nicholas Gallo, the 7-year-old angler who caught a trophy catfish in Johnston Memorial Park last week, returned to pursue bass this week. His father said "the action was nonstop." They were fishing with shiners.

Bass are also biting shiners on Tiogue Lake in Coventry, according to David Henault.

TOURNAMENTS

The fourth annual Christopher Potts Fishing Tournament is scheduled to start Friday at 3:30 p.m. Named in memory of a local soldier who was killed in Iraq in 2003, the event benefits children who have lost a parent in the Mideast wars. The tournament ends Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by a cookout with live music at the Portuguese American Club on East Main Street in Portsmouth. Cash prizes will be awarded in bass, bluefish and blackfish divisions, as well as a grand-slam category for all three species. Classes include shore, boat, kayak and women's. The entry fee is $25 per person, and registration forms are available at Riverside Marine in Tiverton, Edwards Fishing Tackle in Newport and Sam's Bait & Tackle in Middletown.

The Block Island Inshore Fishing Tournament is also scheduled for this weekend with headquarters at Block Island Fish Works. Proceeds benefit the National Children's Cancer Society. The entry fee is $40. For more information, visit Block Island Fish Works on Ocean Avenue or online at www.bifishworks.com.

BEST BITES

Block Island:

Bluefish, bass, false albacore

Narragansett:

Bluefish, bass, tautog, scup

Providence River:

Bluefish, possibly bass

HOT BYTES

For more frequent fishing reports, go to Hot Bytes in the sports section of projo.com.

THE TIDES

The moon causes tides and affects the activity of saltwater and freshwater fish as well as animals on land. Anglers generally find the best fishing two hours before and after a high tide, but fish and other animals also become active around the time of low tide. This table shows the height of tides in feet at Castle Hill near the mouth of Narragansett Bay. Recreational shellfishermen prefer to dig for clams when the tides are lowest, shown on the chart as “minus tides.”

What's the catch? Send your fishing reports and photos to Tom Meade by e-mail at tmeade@projo.com.