For such a small state, the fishing possibilities off Rhode Island each season are enormous. This year, given the trends of the last few seasons, Rhode Island anglers can anticipate a relatively early arrival of slot-size stripers, fewer schoolies, great togging, and a steady summer tuna bite. It’s a great time to be a fisherman in the Ocean State.
Start the Season in the Bay
Look for slot-size stripers to hit Narragansett Bay in late April. Fishermen have been seeing fewer schoolie-size fish, so don’t be afraid to throw larger offerings from the start of the season onward, as the first run will most likely consist of 30-inch and larger fish chasing herring, squid, and bunker.
Bunker numbers have been lacking the last couple of seasons, which has spread out the bite as spring stripers focus on more abundant baitfish, including small spearing and sand eels.
Beware of Sharks
Summers are getting pretty sharky off Rhode Island with the proliferation of brown sharks in recent seasons. Fishermen are growing accustomed to losing hooked stripers to sharks not just at Block Island, but on the mainland as well. When landing a striper, be aware that a shark might be circling nearby,
While brown sharks are protected, they can be caught and released provided you don’t remove them from the water. They are an increasingly popular target for surfcasters, kayakers, and small boat fishermen looking for a big fight without having to run offshore. Eels, bunker, mackerel, and bluefish are all excellent baits for browns.
Big Ones at the Block
Look for trophy striper season at Block Island to kick off in mid-June again this year. The action should peak in July around the new moon, and if 2025 was any indication, the good fish should stick around into October before beelining for New York and New Jersey.
Head out there with eels, long, slender, soft plastics, and topwater walkers. While most of the action at Block happens close to the bottom as the bass scrounge for sand eels, early mornings can bring bass (and giant bluefish) to the surface. In 2025, big schools of mackerel held around Block for most of the summer, so bring some mackerel rigs in case the opportunity to catch large live bait presents itself.
Short Runs to Tuna Jigging
Anglers can look forward to another good year of bluefin fishing on the midshore grounds off Block Island. The fish should trickle in by late June, with trolling accounting for most of the early action. By late July, the bait (and the bluefin) will be holding in 170- to 200-foot depths, making jigging the top tactic.
The bite can move around quite a bit from day to day, so staying in touch with a network of friendly boats can help zero in on the most recent hot spot.
Pink and olive Jigs in the 150- to 220-gram sizes are the most effective, but never hit the tuna grounds without a few pink, white, and purple RonZs to dead-stick near the bottom.
Storms Fire Up Fall Stripers
Watch the forecast for bad weather in September and October, as it’s sure to fire up the bass bite for both boat and surf anglers. Mullet and peanut bunker will fuel most of these storm blitzes from Newport to Watch Hill.
While the fall runs have been consistently inconsistent over the last few years, almost every fall storm resulted in memorable fishing. Always put your safety first so you can enjoy many more seasons of great fishing in bad weather.
World-Class Tog Fishing
Even with increased pressure and captains traveling from out of state to run Rhode Island tog trips in the fall, the blackfish fishery remains strong. With many captains committed to releasing large tautog and the regulations allowing only one 21-inch or larger tog per person, the viability of Rhode Island as a trophy tog destination continues.
Look for great tog fishing to ramp up in late September. The number of fishermen targeting tog will depend on the strength of the albie and striper runs.
Albies and/or Bonito?
After a dismal albie season in 2024, the 2025 run was much improved. The fish were on the smaller side, but fishermen reported great numbers during the early weeks of fall. These two years also had bonito running early and often, which some angler theorized may have impacted the strength of the albie run.
Anglers should be cautiously optimistic about the albie run in 2026, but the fish made somewhat of a premature exit in 2025, so try to get your fix early. As for bonito, a third straight year of seeing big numbers from midsummer to late fall seems unlikely, especially as the average size has grown each year, suggesting a single large year-class is making up this run.
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