7/24/26 Chicken Joe

Home/Store/Rhode Island Fishing Reports/7/24/26 Chicken Joe

Southern Rhode Island Fishing Report – July 24th

Chicken Joe

The surf's finally down and the weather's looking right. We've had enough wind and rain, and excuses.

Kind of reminds me of Chicken Joe—just rolling with whatever the ocean gives you. Maybe we could all take a lesson from that this weekend.

Fishing has a funny way of rewarding the anglers who adapt. One day you're chasing tuna offshore, the next you're drifting squid for fluke or throwing plugs along the breachway. Sometimes the plan changes, and that's okay. The fish don't read the forecast—they just eat when the conditions line up.

The bait in the salt ponds is as good as we've seen all season. Everywhere you look there's life: peanut bunker, squid, shrimp, silversides, sand eels, and all kinds of tiny rain bait that's to small too identify. We've also noticed an encouraging uptick in smaller striped bass moving into the area. Those fish are tomorrow's trophies, please treat them with care. We have not had alot of small fish around this year!

Striped Bass

It's been great seeing more smaller fish in our local waters this week. Most are coming from the breachway rocks, beaches, and inside the salt ponds, ranging from roughly 12–25 inches.

Some quality larger bass were also landed from the surf during this week's rough weather. Mid-summer storms often stir up the shoreline, pushing bait tight to the beach and giving surfcasters a chance at aggressive fish that normally stay deeper.

Offshore reports have been lighter simply because fewer boats were able to get out, but with the weather settling down this weekend, we expect a lot more information coming in over the next few days.

Tuna

The inshore grounds remain a bit of a mystery. There are scattered reports of fish, but nothing that's really concentrated yet.

This weekend should bring plenty of boats offshore looking for signs of life. The bait is around—the challenge is finding when and where the tuna will decided to feed.

Fluke

Fluke fishing continues to improve.

Several customers checked in with quality fish this week, including fish pushing 12 pounds. That's exciting to hear because those are truly fish of a lifetime. Southern Rhode Island once produced these fish much more regularly, and hopefully we're seeing signs of that quality returning.

As water temperatures continue to rise, don't hesitate to explore deeper structure after checking the shallows.

Black Sea Bass

Sea bass fishing remains excellent with plenty of keeper-sized fish being reported. Bucktails and slow-pitch jigs continue to outperform traditional bait rigs over rocky bottom.

🔥 Lure of the Week – Born To Fish Bucktails (10% Off)

These bucktails are built on premium heavy-duty jig hooks designed to handle abuse.

Each Ultra Minnow head is hand-poured, hand-painted in Born To Fish's custom colors, and finished with natural bucktail that breathes and pulses through the water.

Available Styles

Fixed Hook
Swivel Hook

The Swivel Jig is especially impressive. The rotating hook helps prevent fish from throwing the lure during violent head shakes while reducing torque on the hook—an excellent option for both Seabass and Fluke.

👉 10% Off This Week

Did You Know? Tuna Never Stop Swimming

One of the coolest facts about tuna is that they never truly stop moving.

A bluefin may travel 50–90 miles every day, with some covering well over 200 miles in a single day while searching for bait.

Why?

Unlike most fish, tuna rely on constant movement to push water across their gills. If they stop swimming for too long, they can't breathe efficiently.

That's why when the bite seems to disappear overnight, those fish may simply be 50 miles away chasing another body of bait.

We're Fully Stocked With

Live Eels
Fresh Mackerel
Sandworms
Bunker
Fresh Squid
Clams

Get Ready Now

Late July is one of the best times of year because anything can happen.

Before leaving the dock:

Check your drag.
Inspect knots and leaders.
Replace rusty hooks.
Restock bucktails and terminal tackle.
Check rod guides for chips.
Clean and lubricate your reels.
Keep one rod rigged with a topwater plug—you never know when bass or bluefish will erupt on the surface.

Stop by the shop or shop online anytime:

👉 www.breachwaybait.com

We're open 7 days a week.