With Sakonnet Point at one end and Watch Hill at the other, the smallest state has big albie opportunities. Albie interest around Rhode Island begins to spike around the Ides of August, says avid kayak angler Tyler Richman of The Saltwater Edge.
“By the last week of August, you should expect some action, but that’s not the case every year,” Richman says. “The peak is usually sometime in the first couple weeks of September.”
The conditions can also affect when the albies show—when the water is warm and clean, the fish will move in. They rarely arrive when the water is dirty or stained, say Richman.
The epicenter of the Ocean State’s albie run varies from year to year. “Some years,” Richman explains, “the fish never stop moving and you have to run and gun to find them on any given day.” Other years, fish will settle into an area with a strong supply of bait and stick around for weeks at a time.
According to Richman, this is especially true in Narragansett Bay. During years when the water temperature and quality are favorable to albies, they will run up the bay to gorge on the abundant baitfish for a few weeks before vanishing. He starts looking for albies around oceanside points before moving into “smaller” waters.
The latest reasonable shot at an Ocean State albie varies widely from year to year. If there are no major storms, it’s not unusual to find November albies. However, a good storm in October can dirty the water and send the fish packing.
Rhode Island anglers are more apt to blind-cast when targeting albies, says Richman. “When I fish the Cape or Connecticut, I generally don’t see people casting unless they are on breaking fish. Here, you’ll see surf, kayak, and boat guys casting for hours on end even if there is seemingly no action.”
Richman theorizes that the abundance of baitfish-holding structure in Rhode Island makes staking out an area and casting away an effective strategy. He also advises anglers to occasionally try a “low and slow” retrieve, letting the bait drop in the water column before retrieving it back at a slower/moderate pace. On some days, this is what the albies want.
