Fishing Report — 2025 Season Recap

Full Circle

From cold April mornings waiting on the first schoolies to November tog trips in gloves and hoodies — the 2025 season gave us just about everything Rhode Island fishing has to offer.

Spring started slow but steady. Early striped bass trickled into the breachways and salt ponds mid-April, followed quickly by strong bait presence — silversides, rain bait, mummies, and eventually squid and sand eels. Once the worm hatches kicked in, things really came alive. By May we were seeing consistent bass action locally, plus some quality fish showing in the breachways and ponds.

Late spring into early summer brought an abundance of bait into our waters. Squid, sand eels, bunker, and bay anchovies stacked up along the south shore, and everything followed. Bass, blues, fluke, seabass, weakfish, and even some early tuna all made appearances. The new moon in late May flipped the switch hard — blitzes up and down the beach, bigger bass moving through, and some memorable nights in the breachway.

Fluke fishing was steady through June and July with lots of shorts but a respectable number of keepers mixed in, especially in that 37–50 foot range locally and deeper around Block. Seabass numbers were strong again this year, and tog season produced solid fish from both shore and boat, capped off by a state-record tautog just under 24 pounds — a pretty fitting way to close out blackfish season.

Summer brought its usual challenges — warm water, sharks stealing fish, dirty drifts, weed in the ponds — but also some highlights. Sand eels dominated much of July, tuna fishing picked up offshore, and we had a nice mix of bonito, albies, and mahi opportunities. The salt ponds stayed loaded with bait most of the season, which kept bass and fluke around longer than usual.

August into September was classic fall build-up. Peanut bunker, mullet, rain bait, and bay anchovies poured out of the ponds. Stripers flooded the breachways and backwaters, with bluefish and bonito mixed in. Albies showed in waves, and when they were on, they were on. Surf anglers got their share of blitzes, especially around dirty water and storm edges.

The fall bite in our area the past couple years seems to get hot early, then really taper out — especially for daytime beach anglers.

October delivered some quality late-season bass and excellent tog fishing as cooler nights pushed bigger blackfish into our waters. The breachways continued to produce at night, and anglers willing to grind through wind and swell were rewarded with lean, healthy stripers moving through.

By November, things tapered off, but schoolie bass, late albies, and strong tog fishing gave us plenty of reasons to stay outside a little longer.

---

Looking Ahead to 2026

It's been a cold winter, which likely means it may take longer for our waters to warm up to attract our seasonal residents.

If this season taught us anything, it's that bait is king — and when the ponds are loaded, the fish won't be far behind. Assuming we see similar spring water temps and early bait activity, expect another solid mid-April to early May striper start.

Here's what I'll be watching for next year:

Spring
– Early breachway bass and pond fish once water temps creep into the low 50s
– Worm hatches late April into May
– Squid showing along the beaches shortly after
– Tautog moving shallow as dandelions pop (they come in to spawn when temperatures are right)

Summer
– Fluke in the 35–55 ft range locally with deeper water holding larger fish (shorts from this summer getting bigger in the off-season)
– Strong seabass presence again (regulations should change, allowing anglers to harvest more)
– Sand eels likely playing a major role if they return in numbers
– Tuna building offshore once the water warms (should have a longer season this year)

Fall
– Peanut bunker and mullet triggering pond and breachway feeds
– Bonito and albies pushing tight to shore
– Surf bite improving around storm edges
– Tog firing hard once temps drop

---

At the end of the day, this season reminded us why we do it — early mornings, late nights, surprise blitzes, slow drifts that suddenly turn on, and stories shared at the counter.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the shop, shared reports, grabbed bait, or just talked fishing. Your support --both in-store and at BreachwayBait.com keeps these reports going and the lights on.

Winter's here, but spring will be back before we know it.

Until then — tight lines, stay warm, and we'll see you in 2026.

Help Us Improve for 2026 — Season Survey

We're always trying to get better for our customers, and your feedback helps guide what we stock, what bait we carry, how we run the shop — and how we improve BreachwayBait.com.

We're offering a $50 Breachway Bait gift certificate to one random customer who completes the survey below.

👉 Click here to take the survey

Whether you shop in-store or online, we'd love to hear how we're doing with:

– Fishing products & bait
– Tackle selection
– Weekly fishing reports & guidance
– Online ordering experience at BreachwayBait.com
– Additional services (kayaks, propane, clamming gear, etc.)

Your input helps shape the shop for 2026 — thank you for taking the time and for supporting Breachway Bait.