5/16/25 Bountiful

It's truly remarkable how quickly our waters transform from seemingly barren to teeming with life in just a month. Our New England fishery has really come alive this week, and we're fortunate to witness such abundance.

The striped bass numbers continue their upward trend, and we've seen some impressive sizes, with reports of fish up to 47 inches caught in the Ctown Breachway this week. Both tides have been productive, and they are actively feeding on a variety of bait, including silversides, needlefish, shad, eels, and squid. While bunker have been present in the bay, they haven't lingered much in our area. Bluefish have also been caught consistently throughout the week.

It's encouraging to hear more reports of weakfish. For those unfamiliar, weakfish, also known as Squeteague or tiderunners, were once abundant in Rhode Island in the early 1900s. They nearly disappeared around 1960, but in recent years, we've seen a growing, targetable population, particularly in Narragansett Bay. Along the south shore, most catches have been incidental, but reports are increasing. I've heard stories of large schools moving through the breachways years ago, a sight we'd all love to see again. The most popular methods for targeting these fish with their distinctive mouths are soft plastics and bucktails, with pink being a favored color, though they will also take bait like clams or sandworms.

With squid now showing up in good numbers along the beaches this week, fluke and seabass have followed. The majority of fluke reported are currently on the smaller side, but we anticipate larger fish moving in soon. We've also heard of a few anglers catching them from shore. Depths between 35 and 55 feet seem to be producing the best action.

On the tautog front, they are being caught in depths ranging from 5 to 25 feet, and the shore fishing is improving daily.

The recent rain has affected the clarity and salinity levels in Ninigret Pond, impacting the worm hatches. While this week wasn't exceptional, worms did emerge in a few spots, and fish were caught. Given that many areas haven't yet seen significant hatches and with a less rainy week forecasted, I anticipate some good action. Be sure to check your leaders, as there are some large fish around.

Weekend Weather report:

Friday 5/16:Sw Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Wave Detail: S 3 Ft At 7 Seconds. Patchy Fog In The Morning With Vsby 1 Nm Or Less. High of: 70 Low of: 57

Saturday 5/17:S Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Wave Detail: Se 3 Ft At 7 Seconds. A Chance Of Showers. Patchy Fog In The Morning With Vsby 1 To 3 Nm.
High of: 64 Low of: 57

Sunday 5/18:W Winds 10 To 15 Kt With Gusts Up To 20 Kt. Seas 2 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: S 3 Ft At 7 Seconds And W 2 Ft At 3 Seconds. High of: 70 Low of: 57

Breachway Tides:

Friday Incoming from 8:05 A.M. till 2:00 P.M., Outgoing from 2:30 P.M. Till 8:45 P.M Incoming 9:15
Saturday: Till 2:00 A.M., Outgoing 2:30 A.M. till 8:45 A.M., Incoming 9:15 A.M. till 3:30 P.M., Outgoing 3:55 p.m. till 9:30 P.M., Incoming 10:05 P.M. till
Sunday: 2:55 A.M., Outgoing 3:15 a.m. till 9:15 a.m., Incoming 10:15 A.M. Till 4:15 p.m., Outgoing 4:45 pm till 10:45 pm


Shop Hours This Week:
Friday 7:30-6
Saturday/Sunday 7-6
Monday-Thursday 7:30-5