Hi Dan -
There are small bass around as Ray and others will attest. Also lots of shad. I've been to the Rhody coast as late as turkey day and although you'll be "on the edge" there could be some fun in store. The key is to find the bait that is being harassed by the fish, and the birds will tell you when you find it. Of course this is no surprise, but anyway...
If you don't already know, the Rhody coast is very accessible and as Terry says "sportsman friendly". That would be true for the access and geography but you need to watch out on the big surf and rocky breachways.
From east to west (the direction of the migration) you can hit Matunuck / Deep Hole, Charlestown Beach and Breachway (B&B), East Beach, Weekapaug, Quonachauntaug (sp?) or Quonny, Watch Hill, and Napatree Point all from shore. That would be a full day to say the least.
Two Novembers ago we found a huge blitz off East Beach after a dead morning at Quonny (a couple shad). Other times we would hunt around and catch word that Weekapaug was afire, and found it to be alive with pogies and marauding bass and blues.
My advice this time of year is to be flexible as to where you fish and use whatever means possible to find the action the day you go. This isn't always easy but the folks down at Weekapaug bait and tackle are a good start for shore bound fishing... especially if the action is at Weekapaug!
Generally, there will be plenty of silversides and pogies in the area this time of year. It should be straight forward to find schoolies and I'd wager there will be a few blues caught by chunkers on the beach.
Look for birds near shore. Even if you don't see the bait if the birds are working the fish will be in the surf. I do best when I work the fly in the washline, letting the receding surf pull the fly back into the dorp off.
I know this sounds crazy but a local told me to fish where there is cobble bottom... rocky instead of sand. I have followed that advice and done well.
Often the birds and fish are out of reach. Look for areas where there is commotion along the beach, even if the fish aren't showing.
I've stuck it out in the corner of the jetty (west side of CHarlestown breach) and bass would push bait into it on occasion. They would come and go but over the course of an hour the action added up to a decent amount.
Next year tell him to visit you during the season... and hook up with us for a trip on the Cape!
Good luck,
Juro
