How often are you skunked?

[Dinsdale]

I know it's called fishing, not catching, and I love just spending time on the water. I've been tooling around Narragansett Bay for 2 seasons now, and the ratio of hours spent to number of fish caught is beginning to be discouraging. I realize that going after stripers may be an insurmountable challenge for me because without live/fresh bait and a willingness to be on the water alone at 3AM or rock hopping in a wetsuit in the surf in the wee hours, I'm pretty much out of luck. But what about the other fish? I study the "hot spot" charts, read about 5 regional fishing forums, and check the local reports. I have the tackle, I have the bait, I watch for bird or boat action. So far this year, I've caught 2 slightly undersize black bass. Last year (with a late start), I managed 2 short fluke. Both the fluke and bass were caught around Newport. I've had no "luck" anywhere else. Usually, I have multiple lines in the water, a fluke rig with squid, some clams off the bottom, and some thawed chunks drifting around. Where are the bluefish? I keep reading that a ton of fluke are being caught, but most are shorts. I'd even be happy with scup. Where are all the fish in the Bay?