6/19/26 Bow to the Cow!

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Southern Rhode Island Fishing Report – June 19th

Bow To The Cow

The striped bass team is still leading the tournament, and the big girls are showing up. The new moon tides this week had the cows chewing, and some incredible fish have been reported from around Block Island, the South Shore, and our local reefs.

I was hoping the weekend conditions would favor the bottom fishermen, but the wind has other plans. Sunday looks like the best opportunity to get out and chase some fluke and sea bass.

The tournament isn't over yet though. Bass may be leading the scoreboard, but the bottom species are slowly starting to make a comeback.

Striped Bass

Fishing around the Island absolutely went off this week. Fish have been caught on live mackerel, eels, Gravity Tackle, Joe Baggs Patriot Tails, Doc Plugs, and just about everything in between.

The new moon tides had fish feeding aggressively. There continues to be a healthy population of bass on the South Shore rock piles, and with the water still relatively cool, these fish are hitting hard and making strong releases.

Salt pond fishing picked up slightly this week, especially on the incoming tide when small bait was pushed into the ponds. The bait has been tiny and difficult to identify.

Plenty of eels are moving around the backwaters, juvenile tautog, sea bass, and fluke are beginning to build in numbers.

Bluefish

Bluefish have been around in good numbers this week, gorging themselves on sand eels and squid.

Once you find them, they have been relatively easy to catch and much less picky than the bass.

Fluke

The fluke team finally put a few points on the board.

Reports have been slightly better this week, but there are still plenty of short fish mixed in. Most fish are coming from 15–65 feet of water.

Sticky bottom, rock piles, and structure have been producing better than clean sand. It is also worth spending some time in the channels of the salt ponds, where fluke should be starting to settle in for the summer.

Black Sea Bass

Sea bass are beginning to pick up the slack for fluke.

One surprise has been the quality of fish. There have not been many small fish around, giving anglers a better chance at landing some of the larger ones.

If you can locate a school of sand eels on a piece of hard bottom, chances are there are sea bass nearby.

Rig of the Week – Buddy Rig (10% Off)

A local favorite tied right here in South Kingstown by Fish Master Fred.

Designed specifically for fluke and sea bass, the Buddy Rig features a tandem hook setup that helps increase your hookup ratio when fluke are short-striking.

Key Features:

Colorado blade for added flash
Rubber squid, bucktail, and mylar for movement
Tandem hook design for better hookups

These rigs are only available in a handful of Rhode Island shops. If you haven't fished them yet, this is the year to give them a shot.

👉 10% Off This Week

Bait Update

The bait situation is loaded right now.

Squid are still around in good numbers. Mackerel can be found consistently, and bunker are beginning to move through the area. Scup numbers have increased dramatically this past week, and the bass are going to start taking notice.

Sand eels are still abundant, and schools of banded killifish can be seen lining the breachways.

Did You Know? – There Are Different Types of Mackerel

The mackerel we commonly catch in Rhode Island are Atlantic mackerel, known for their green backs and wavy black stripes. Another species, the chub mackerel, occasionally mixes in with them and can be identified by a more spotted appearance and different body shape.

Both species are excellent live baits and are a favorite meal of large striped bass. A Bass Ice Cream Cone.