Rhode Island fishing reports
156 reports for Rhode Island — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Striper blitzes and tog pick up around Narragansett Bay
Water temperature at NOAA CO-OPS stations 8452660 and 8452944 sits at 62°F this morning, a comfortable fall number that keeps bait moving and predators feeding. Per The Fisherman — Rhode Island, Saltwater Edge reports large schools of striped bass working small bait, with a mix of sizes where one cast can produce a 25-pounder and the next a 25-inch fish. Light tackle and fly rods are doing well on the small bait. Quonnie Bait and Tackle describes aggressive feeds in and around the breachways as bait pours out of the salt ponds, and tautog fishing is picking up with more keeper-sized fish coming from both shore and boat.
Narragansett Bay striper bite stays strong as tog turn on
The water is cooling into prime fall range. Both NOAA CO-OPS stations (8452660 and 8452944) read 62.8°F and 62.4°F this morning, a comfortable window for bait to keep moving out of the bay and for bass to stay on the feed. Per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI), the striped bass bite has been incredible for weeks, tautog fishing is picking up as you'd expect for the time of year, and albies are around but demanding work to stay on.
Tog and bass fire up across Narragansett Bay
Water at both Narragansett Bay tide stations read 62.6°F on the evening of Oct 16, squarely in the range that keeps the fall run going. Per The Fisherman's Rhode Island report, Saltwater Edge saw large schools of striped bass feeding on small bait, with the size range wide, from 25 inches to a 25-pounder on consecutive casts. Quonnie Bait and Tackle noted bass working the beaches and breachways as bait exits the salt ponds, and tautog are picking up with more keeper-sized fish coming from shore and by boat. Snug Harbor Marina reported false albacore, bonito and weakfish this past week, though Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) says the albies are tough for most.
Tog and weakfish heat up as Narragansett Bay's fall run builds
Water in the bay is sitting at 62°F on both CO-OPS stations (8452660 at 62.1°F, 8452944 at 62.2°F), a comfortable fall range that keeps bait moving and fish feeding. Per The Fisherman — Rhode Island, Snug Harbor Marina reports false albacore and green bonito along the beaches and around the north end of Block Island, with striped bass producing at both beaches and breachways. Quonnie Bait and Tackle reports aggressive feeds in and around the breachways as bait exits the salt ponds. Tautog fishing is picking up, with more keeper-sized fish coming from shore and by boat. Multiple anglers also reported weakfish along the south shore this past week.
Tautog bite turns on as stripers and weakfish feed Narragansett Bay
Water temperature at both NOAA CO-OPS stations (8452660 and 8452944) read 63.1°F at the latest observation, a comfortable mid-fall number that keeps bait moving and fish feeding. Per The Fisherman — Rhode Island, Saltwater Edge reported large schools of striped bass working small bait around the island, with sizes mixed enough that one cast can produce a 25-pounder and the next a 25-incher. Light tackle and fly rods are doing well on the small bait. Quonnie Bait and Tackle noted bass from the beaches and breachways, with bait exiting the salt ponds and triggering aggressive feeds. Snug Harbor Marina reported weakfish caught by multiple anglers this past week, and The Fisherman (Northeast) flagged a big push of weakfish in Rhode Island, along with a tautog bite that has exploded this week.
Tautog and striper action builds across Narragansett Bay
Water sits at 63°F per NOAA CO-OPS station 8452660, with 62.8°F at station 8452944, right in the range where the fall run hums. The Fisherman — Rhode Island reports large schools of striped bass feeding on small bait around the island, with sizes mixed from 25 inches to 25 pounds. Quonnie Bait and Tackle noted bass working the beaches and breachways as bait exits the salt ponds. Tautog fishing is picking up, with more keepers coming from shore and by boat.
Tautog season ramps up as stripers and albies feed on bay bait
Water temperatures are holding in the mid-60s, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8452660 reading 63.9°F and station 8452944 reading 64.2°F. That is warm enough to keep bait active along the beaches. Per The Fisherman — Rhode Island, Quonnie Bait and Tackle reported that anglers did well on striped bass from the beaches and breachways this past week, with plenty of bait moving along the shore and exiting the salt ponds. The Saltwater Edge described large schools of bass feeding on small bait, with sizes ranging from 25 inches to 25 pounds. Light tackle and fly rods are doing very well. False albacore, green bonito and some bluefish are working the same schools. Tautog fishing is picking up, with more keeper-sized fish coming from shore and by boat.
Warm Narragansett Bay water keeps fall fishing in play
Water in the upper bay is holding in the low-to-mid 60s, with 63.7°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8452660 and 64°F at station 8452944 this afternoon. Offshore, NOAA buoys 44097 and 44085 both read 62°F, so the whole system sits within a couple of degrees. That is a comfortable range for fall feeding, and it lines up with the seasonal picture On The Water is painting. Their recent coverage centers on fall blitzes and the baitfish that fuel them, which is the story to watch as bait stays active in water this mild. Seas outside the bay are running big. Buoy 44097 shows 5.6 ft waves and buoy 44085 shows 4.9 ft, so open-water and exposed-shoreline trips deserve caution today. Protected bay water is the more practical place to plan around.
Fall blitz season builds around Narragansett Bay
Water temperatures in Narragansett Bay sit near 63°F this morning, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8452660 reading 62.8°F and station 8452944 reading 62.4°F. That is a comfortable fall range, cooled from summer but still warm enough to keep baitfish active in the bay. Anglers Journal describes the late-season blitz as one of the most action-packed stretches of the Northeast fishing year, when birds, baitfish and gamefish gather before heading south or offshore. On The Water's recent piece on the baitfish that fuel blitzes makes the same point: find the bait and the birds, and the fish follow.
Bass, albies and tog all in play across Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay water is holding near 63°F, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8452660 at 62.8°F and station 8452944 at 62.4°F. That is prime fall-run water. Per The Fisherman — Rhode Island, Chris at The Saltwater Edge reported large schools of striped bass feeding on bait around the island. Sizes are mixed, and one cast might produce a 25-pounder while the next brings a 25-inch fish. Much of the bait is small, so light tackle and fly rods are doing very well. The same source says false albacore and some bluefish are feeding on those schools. Quonnie Bait and Tackle noted bass along the beaches and breachways, with bait leaving the salt ponds and setting off aggressive feeds.
Tog and bass overlap as RI's fall run builds
Water in the bay is sitting near 62 to 63°F, with NOAA CO-OPS stations 8452660 and 8452944 reading 62.8°F and 62.4°F this morning. That is comfortable for a mixed fall bite. Per The Fisherman — Rhode Island, Quonnie Bait and Tackle reports local anglers did well on striped bass from the beaches and breachways, with plenty of bait moving along the beaches and out of the salt ponds. Snug Harbor Marina adds that bass are producing locally and that some weakfish turned up along the south shore this past week.
Fall run fires up in Narragansett Bay after the nor'easter
Both Narragansett Bay CO-OPS stations (8452660 and 8452944) read 62.8°F at 7:12 pm EDT on October 12. Per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI), October's fall run is on and fish are back on the feed after a hard nor'easter over the weekend. They add that the water may need a few more days to clean up in most spots. Anglers Journal describes this stretch of fall as the time when large migrations are underway, daylight is waning, and anglers try to tap into the blitzes the season is known for.