Rhode Island Fishing Report- July 31, 2025

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The Frances Fleet in Point Judith had another busy week with mixed success on most of their trips. Their full-day fluke/sea bass trips have seen mostly strong results with an uptick in action this week. The keeper-to-short ratio is still tough on some of the trips, but bu they’ve been able to box enough for the table. Keeper sea bass have been easier to come by, and there have been better numbers of keeper fluke on both the half- and full-day trips. Trips are heading out daily, so be sure to check their website for updated scheduling and reservations.

Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence told me that tuna fishing remains the hottest story in the area. The jig bite has really started to turn on this week around The Gully, and most of the other usual hotspots south of Block. Fish in the 30- to 80-pound class can be found in just about any of the good water from Montauk to Block. If you’re not finding them on the jig, you can likely find some action by trolling daisy chains or spreader bars. Purple has been a hot color, along with green, squid, and rainbow. Back inshore, the striped bass fishing has remained consistent for shore and boat anglers. Fish are still in the bay, but water temperatures are still rising, so drifting eels from dusk to pre-dawn has been the most productive. Out front, most of the reefs and breachways across South County, and at Block Island are producing more consistent bass results for boat and surf anglers. Surfcasters are catching on eels and needlefish all over the state, and metal lips or darters are doing the trick around the breachways. Bluefishing has been hit or miss, with the best results coming from the Providence River. Scup fishing has been very good in the lower bay, and they have started to move into the Providence River this week. They are being caught with some consistency at Sabin Point and Salter Grove. There are also still a fair number of squid being caught out front by those who are trying. Blue crabbing has been good around the state and clamming stayed strong in the salt ponds. Ocean State Tackle will be open from 430 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, until Labor Day.  

Captain Connor at Tall Tailz Charters provided the following report: “Most of our fishing this week has been at the tuna grounds south of Block Island. Our past couple of trips have seen an excellent jig bite, as we were able to boat over a dozen fish on each trip. A faster speed-jigging style toward the bottom half of the column has been working best. Jigging World Maguro jigs in glow/pink and sand eel patterns have been lights out. A dead-sticked and slow-twitched RonZ in pink or green has also brought success. We’ve been able to nab a few small mahi on some of the pots on our way in as well. The inshore bass bite is still red hot with giant schools of 20- to 30-pound class fish on the southern reefs and ledges. The action is great no matter where you’re fishing!” 

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain for Rhode Island 

Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures told me the striper bite remains hot. On most trips, Dustin has been getting clients on nice fish, and a few trips have actually seen quite a few slot-sized bass. Bluefish are still around; however, they are getting stripers 80% of the time. The water temps are pretty much at their peak, and with that has come a huge uptick in shark activity. Fish are either being bitten in half, or they’ve been enjoying some fun fights on light tackle. Like most people have reported, they are seeing more sharks this year than in previous seasons. Saltwater fishing has been so busy that Dustin hasn’t been paying attention to freshwater, but this time of year is usually great for frogging, pitching/flipping, and low-light topwater. Summer has been very busy, and he expects the fall run will be as well. It’s right around the corner, so book your kayak fishing trip ASAP! 

 

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Captain Rob Taylor at Newport Sportfishing Charters has continued to spend most of his time offshore this week. The weather cooperated for the most part, and so did the tuna. Most of the usual offshore haunts are home to some massive tuna feeds. The key continues to be finding clean water, and once you do, you should be greeted with bait and plenty of pelagics. Trolling bars is a good way to find them, but they are mostly feeding on sand eels right now, and are responding well to jigs. While tuna fishing is catching quite a bit of attention, Rob also noted that the striped bass fishing has remained tremendous this week, whenever he’s targeted them. Bass are taking topwaters during the day and when the surface bite shuts down, they can be caught on live bait and jigs. Rob hasn’t done much bottom fishing this week, but sea bass and fluke reports seem to be trending in the right direction. 

Ralph at Crafty One Customs said that local fishing is still very good for a variety of species. Striped bass reports are holding up well especially after dark and in the low-light hours around dawn and dusk. There are some bluefish around as well. Fluke fishing has slowed down a bit but those putting in the time are still finding some keepers. Sea bass reports have been decent with enough keepers around for most boats to easily limit out. Tautog fishing will start back up on August 1st. 

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

With the calendar hitting August, we are deeply entrenched in steady summer fishing patterns. It was another week of incredible mid-shore tuna action, along with solid striped bass fishing and relatively steady bottom fishing.

Tuna reports continue to be very consistent from southwest of Montauk to the southeast of Block Island, and the numbers intensified, likely due to some better weather this week. 40- to 60-inch bluefin have been prevalent, but there are some much bigger fish in the mix, so be prepared! Trolling the usual presentations, especially in purple, has been getting the job done, and is a great way to find the fish. However, the jig bite has really picked up and is the preferred method for most anglers. All the usual jig styles, like Jigging World Maguros and UVTs, as well as RonZs in pink and/or sand eel patterns have been getting the job done. Water temperatures are rising quickly, and out by the canyons you can find yellowfin, bigeye, and plentiful mahi, with the latter now being spotted closer to home.

Back inshore, striped bass fishing still rolls on nicely. Fishing in the bay has turned into more of a low-light game, but there are plenty of bass across the reefs in Newport and South County. Surfcasters working the night shift have reported better results this week around the breachways and rocky points. Bottom fishing has remained steady across the state, with improved scup reports and steady enough fluke and sea bassing to keep things interesting. Tautog season opens on August 1st, and will soon provide another, often more reliable option for bottom fishermen. Another great way to spend a summer day is shellfishing, and now is the time with good crab and clam results around the Ocean State.