Rhode Island fishing reports
156 reports for Rhode Island — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
RI Bottom Bite Surges as Stripers Go Nocturnal in the Doldrums
Rhode Island saltwater fishing has settled into its typical late-July pattern this full moon week: Saltwater Edge reports striper action slowing during daylight as the "summer doldrums" set in, with the best bass bite now happening after dark on live eels. Quonnie Bait and Tackle notes quality stripers still holding in the breachways and rocky stretches for anglers willing to fish the night shift, while Snug Harbor Marina says solid bass are still coming from around Block Island, though sharks are becoming an issue for hooked fish there. The stronger story right now is on the bottom. Black sea bass fishing is described as "very good" and improving by both Frances Fleet and Snug Harbor, with more keepers moving into the area. Fluke reports are mixed but trending better, with Quonnie seeing more keepers in 50 to 60 feet off the beaches. Scup remain steady and plentiful throughout the bay.
Bluefin Bite Off Block Island Breaks Up Narragansett Bay's Doldrums
Two boats jigging bluefin tuna at Tuna Ridge off Block Island had strikingly different results this week, per On The Water — a sign the offshore bite is active but still spotty as late July settles into what Saltwater Edge (RI) calls the annual 'summer doldrums,' the hot, windy, sleep-short stretch that shows up every year once the Fourth of July fades in the rearview mirror. Inshore, striped bass fishing runs on standard summer patterns: OTW Surfcasting notes anglers working sand fleas along the beach lip for cruising stripers by day and live eels on circle hooks for bigger fish after dark. Fluke anglers are working deeper structure, with On The Water flagging Northeast flatfish grounds still producing double-digit doormats into September. Black sea bass remain a steady bay option. Tonight's full moon pushes bigger spring tides, so plan around the stronger current swing.
Full moon has Narragansett Bay stripers and fluke both in play
Saltwater Edge Blog just posted its Fishing Forecast for the July Full Moon, timed to land right alongside today's full moon over Narragansett Bay, and the read is a classic mid-summer lull with real openings for anglers who adjust. The shop calls this stretch the "summer doldrums," that one-month window when heat and short nights slow the bite, yet stripers are still very much in play: recent posts cover rigging your own Slug-Go for big linesiders and Yo-Zuri's lure lineup built for Northeast striped bass, while OTW Surfcasting notes mole crabs (sand fleas) and live eels are producing along the summer surf line. Offshore, On The Water reports a mixed bag jigging bluefin at Tuna Ridge near Block Island, two boats, two very different days, which tracks with typical summer tuna inconsistency. Fluke fishing is in its prime window too, per On The Water's rundown of Northeast doormat hotspots running June through September. Bring options and cover the whole water column.
Night eels keep Narragansett Bay stripers biting as sea bass boom
Striped bass fishing around Narragansett Bay has slipped into what Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) calls the typical summer doldrums — daytime bites have gotten tougher, but live-eel soaks after dark at breachways and rocky stretches are still turning quality fish, per shop reports carried in The Fisherman — Rhode Island. Black sea bass are the story of the week: Frances Fleet, Snug Harbor Marina, and Quonnie Bait and Tackle all describe more keepers moving into the area on recent trips. Fluke fishing is grinding but improving, with keepers now showing from 50 to 60 feet off the beaches, though Booked Off Charters notes numbers are still running below past years. Scup remain a steady bonus catch throughout the bay. One wrinkle worth planning around: sharks are increasingly crashing striper trips near Block Island, per Snug Harbor Marina, pushing some anglers to work closer to shore instead.
Sea Bass and Scup Carry Narragansett Bay as Stripers Stay Hot at Block Island
Black sea bass and scup are carrying Narragansett Bay's bottom bite right now, with Saltwater Edge calling sea bass action "very good" around the islands and the mouth of the bay, while Frances Fleet reports more keeper-sized sea bass pushing in on both full and half day trips, taking pressure off a fluke bite that's also improving. Fluke remain mixed but workable, per Quonnie Bait and Tackle and Snug Harbor Marina, with keepers running up to about 25 inches off local beaches, in salt ponds, and around breachways, alongside plenty of shorts. Striped bass are the headline species around Block Island, where Booked Off Charters is putting light-tackle anglers on 30 to 40 pound bass, though sharks are becoming a real nuisance for boats working that ground. The Fisherman's regional forecast confirms the striper bite has stayed hot between Newport and Block Island this week.
Big stripers hold hot around Block Island as sea bass surge in the Bay
Booked Off Charters has been putting anglers on striped bass in the 30- to 40-pound class around Block Island this week, working light tackle as the bite holds strong — a pattern echoed by The Fisherman (Northeast)'s New England Video Fishing Forecast, which notes the striper bite remained hot between Newport and Block Island through July 23rd. Black sea bass has turned into the story of the summer in the Bay: Saltwater Edge, Frances Fleet, and Snug Harbor Marina all report more keeper-sized sea bass pushing into local waters over the past two weeks, easing pressure off a fluke bite that's improving but still mixed — Quonnie Bait and Tackle calls it inconsistent, while Snug Harbor and Frances Fleet see steady keepers. Scup remain a reliable bonus around the islands and breachways. One wrinkle: sharks are becoming a nuisance around Block Island stripers, per Booked Off Charters and Snug Harbor, pushing some anglers to relocate mid-trip.
Big Block Island stripers lead a strong RI bottom-fish bite
Striped bass fishing remains strong around Block Island this week, with Booked Off Charters reporting anglers boating fish in the 30- to 40-pound class on light tackle, though sharks are increasingly intercepting hooked bass near the island, according to both Booked Off Charters and Snug Harbor Marina. Bottom fishing is carrying the rest of Narragansett Bay: The Saltwater Edge (RI) calls black sea bass and scup fishing "very good" right now on bottom rigs tipped with squid or clams, or jigs worked on the drift. Frances Fleet echoes the sea bass improvement, noting more keeper-sized fish have moved in, which is taking pressure off a fluke bite that's also picking up. Fluke reports are mixed — Snug Harbor Marina points to keepers to 25 inches in 35 to 50 feet off the local beaches, while Quonnie Bait and Tackle calls the bite inconsistent but productive for anglers willing to put in the time. Scup remain plentiful per both shops.
Narragansett Bay stripers key on sand fleas as summer pattern holds
On The Water and OTW Surfcasting both flagged sand fleas (mole crabs) as a go-to bait right now for summer stripers cruising tight to the beach lip, a technique that translates directly to Narragansett Bay's sandy stretches. OTW Surfcasting also points anglers toward inline circle hooks fished with live eels for after-dark linesiders. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Bay this cycle, so we don't have a hard water-temp number to report, but late July typically has Narragansett running solidly into summer striper range. Offshore, OTW Saltwater's Northeast report has bluefin tuna spreading from New Jersey into the Gulf of Maine, a sign the broader regional bite is active, though that action sits well outside the Bay itself. Bluefish, scup and fluke are the other Bay staples this time of year; we don't have direct reports on any of them from this cycle, so treat their status as typical-for-season until fresher intel comes in.
Narragansett Bay stripers push offshore as summer doldrums set in
Saltwater Edge Blog (RI) sums up the current stretch bluntly: we're in the "summer doldrums," the annual mid-to-late-July lull when the bite slows without shutting off. Per the shop's recent forecast notes, striped bass have already pushed out to the oceanfront and into deeper, cooler water for the season, while scup, black sea bass, and fluke settle into their usual summer haunts in and around the bay. Surfcasters are still finding fish: the shop's rundown of six surfcasters' plug bags stressed covering the whole water column, something for the bottom, middle, and top, to stay connected to bass holding deeper. Rigged Slug-Gos remain a go-to striper bait per the shop's step-by-step piece, and Yo-Zuri's Chris Bishop walked through lure designs built specifically for Northeast striped bass this season. Expect a grind more than a blitz through this window, with fish present but requiring more precise presentation than the spring push.
Fluke bite steady in Narragansett Bay as offshore bluefin push north
OTW Saltwater's Northeast Offshore Report (July 15, 2026) has bluefin tuna spreading from New Jersey into the Gulf of Maine with quality yellowfin showing in the canyons, a sign that the summer pelagic push is building off southern New England. No captain or shop filed a Rhode Island-specific report this cycle, so this update leans on typical mid-July patterns for Narragansett Bay: fluke should be holding over structure and channel edges, and On The Water's new Z-Man MudStudZ review flags backwater soft-plastic fluke fishing as a technique worth trying on the Bay's mummichog-rich flats. Striped bass remain a summer Bay staple, though OTW Surfcasting's recent piece on lagging spawning success is a reminder to handle and release fish carefully. Black sea bass should stay active over reef and rock structure. Check current RI regulations before keeping anything.
Offshore Tuna Push Builds as Bay Anglers Work Stripers, Fluke
Offshore, OTW Saltwater's Northeast Offshore Report from July 15 notes the tuna bite continuing to evolve this week, with quality yellowfin showing up in the canyons and bluefin spreading from New Jersey up toward the Gulf of Maine — worth watching for boats running out of Rhode Island. Inshore, Narragansett Bay's mid-summer patterns hold steady: OTW Surfcasting points anglers toward live eels and rigged Slug-Gos for stripers worked in low light, while OTW Saltwater flags Z-Man's new MudStudZ soft plastics gaining traction among backwater fluke fishermen imitating killifish and mummichogs. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Bay this cycle, so water temp should be treated as typical for mid-July until the next check. OTW Surfcasting also flags ongoing concern over striped bass spawning success, a good reminder to handle stripers carefully and confirm current slot limits before keeping any fish. Bluefish, a Bay summer staple, weren't referenced directly in today's sourcing but are typically active through mid-July.
Narragansett Bay eases into the summer doldrums as stripers slide offshore
Per Saltwater Edge Blog (RI)'s July New Moon forecast, Rhode Island anglers are settling into what the shop calls the mid-July "summer doldrums" — hot, windy, and short on sleep after a busy start to summer, though the shop notes there's still plenty to find if you're willing to grind. No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through this cycle, so check a local instrument before you launch. Saltwater Edge's prior June Full Moon report describes striped bass pushing out of the shallows to the oceanfront's deeper, cooler water as the season warms, while scup, black sea bass, and fluke settle into their usual bay haunts. Surfcasters working the stripers can lean on a rigged Slug-Go, walked through step-by-step in a recent Saltwater Edge how-to, or a bag built to cover the whole water column per shop regular Pete Utschig. Offshore, On The Water's July 15 report has yellowfin showing in the canyons and bluefin spreading from New Jersey to the Gulf of Maine, though that's well outside the Bay itself.