BAY

Surf fishermen have been catching schoolies along Ocean Drive, says Sam Toland of Sam's Bait & Tackle. The fish have been hitting plugs. There's good news coming from Mount Hope Bay, where baitfish and bass are beginning to appear after a long dry spell.

Striped bass in the 30- to 32-inch range were biting near the railroad bridge in Tiverton on Wednesday, said Joe Latinville of Riverside Marine.

Big bluefish have been biting in deep water off Newport, Toland says, but there haven't been many blitzes on the surface. Three- to six-pound blues have been biting in Greenwich Bay, Potter Cove and off Rocky Point, said Kenny Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle. Larger fish were biting near the Prudence Island T-Wharf and Halfway Rock, he said. Bluefish are biting throughout the Sakonnet, says Latinville.

Tautog -- many of them small -- are beginning to bite near the Flat Rock spindle, Hope Island and Coddington Cove, Ferrara said.

Scup fishing is still very good in Newport, says Toland, and fluke fishing should resume when seas settle down. Latinville recommends the waters near the Mount Hope Bridge for catching both scup and sea bass.

The fluke off Jamestown aren't as large as the fish off Newport, Ferrara says.

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS

Bass are still biting on the reefs off South County beaches, says Al Conti of Snug Harbor Marina, but bluefish have moved in, and they're stealing bait. Blues have been biting at Watch Hill between 4 and 6 p.m. for the last couple of days, says Tim Yvon of Quonny Bait & Tackle. Live-lining scup, boaters have been catching large bass on the reefs off Watch Hill and Stonington, said Jim Gray of Gray's Boatyard. Bass fishing has improved on most of the beaches to the west of Charlestown. Stonington Harbor still holds schools of menhaden, says Don Michaud of King Cove Outfitters, and the baitfish are attracting bass.

There are more keeper bass in the waters off the Fire District Beach and Weekapaug, says Yvon. One angler caught his limit fishing from Monahan's Dock in Narragansett early Wednesday evening, Yvon said.

The fluke bite has faded since the storms, but sea bass continue to bite, Conti says.

"If somebody targets porgies and doesn't catch any, they should shoot their feet off," says Don Michaud. For shore fishermen, he recommends the breachways at Quonochontaug and Weekapaug, the public fishing pier in Stonington, the jetties at Stonington Point, and the former Monsanto plant in Stonington. Scup also have been biting among the rocks off Watch Hill, according to Yvon.

Sea bass are biting for boaters off Watch Hill and Stonington, Michaud says.

PARTY BOATS

Bill Smith of Windsor, Conn., caught a 13.5-pound fluke Wednesday, fishing with the Frances Fleet. The fleet has been catching large fluke, including four fish over 12 pounds apiece. "All in all for nearing mid-September the action ranks as quite satisfactory," says Frank Blount, owner of the fleet.

Storms early in the week disrupted scup and striper fishing.

OFFSHORE

Small bluefin tuna -- between 30 and 35 pounds apiece -- have been scattered in the waters from the Acid Barge to Jenny's Horn to Tuna Ridge, says Conti, adding, "There's plenty of space between them." Before this week's storms, the fish were taking chunks near Tuna Ridge.

BLOCK ISLAND

There were plenty of small bass hitting soft-plastic lures at the North Rip on Wednesday evening, said Chris Willi of Block Island Fish Works. Larger bass -- between 25 and 30 pounds -- have been biting along the south side of the island, but anglers have to get beyond the bluefish there. Trollers pulling tube-and-worm rigs have been doing well.

Bonito and false albacore have disappeared, even though a variety of bait abounds, he said.

Fluke fishing faded fast, said Jim Gray.

FRESHWATER

Seven-year-old Nicholas Gallo caught a 5-pound catfish in the pond at Johnston Memorial Park on Wednesday, said his father, Dean Gallo.

On the Wood River, trout are taking grasshopper imitations this week.

TOURNAMENT

The Billy Carr Fishing Tournament, which benefits local charities, is scheduled to start Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. The entry fee is $50 for boat and shore divisions, and $20 for juniors. Applications are available at the following locations: Snug Harbor Marina, JB Tackle East, Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle, and Westlakes Gas & Convenience in Narragansett. A steak fry and award ceremony are scheduled for Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. at the Bon Vue Inn in Narragansett. For more information, call Barry Centracchio, 932-4468.

BEST BITES

Aquidneck Island:

Bass, bluefish, fluke, scup

Long Island Sound:

Bass, bluefish, scup, seabass

Block Island:

Bluefish, 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.