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Block Island Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Twelve miles offshore: Block Island’s rips and beaches hold striped bass, bluefish and bonito all season.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Next tide
Low 9:21 PM
Air / High
81 / 82 F
Wind
W 7 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8459681, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Block Island offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 82. Tides: high 1:23 AM and 1:58 PM, low 6:56 AM and 9:21 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 72 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

BluefishExcellent

Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Striped bassGood

Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 75 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8459681 (Block Island (Old Harbor)). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH1:23 AM2.4 ft
LOW6:56 AM0.3 ft
HIGH1:58 PM3.1 ft
LOW9:21 PM0.5 ft
Sat
HIGH2:35 AM2.3 ft
LOW8:09 AM0.4 ft
HIGH3:15 PM3.1 ft
LOW10:30 PM0.4 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp81 F
High / Low82 / 69 F
WindW 7-9 mph
Pressure1008.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain15% cloud, 56%
Sunrise / Sunset06:15 / 19:13
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~72 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 82/69 F, wind 14 mph, rain 56%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Block Island: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Best: Sep-Oct blitzes

The ocean's most honest fish: when blues blitz bait on the beach, everything with hooks gets bit. Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

When to come: the Block Island calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
Bluefish
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 72 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~72 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Block Island today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Bluefish led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 20 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 74 F, wind to 16 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Bluefish led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 19 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Rhode Island requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Rhode Island license or saltwater registration. Striped bass slot limits and seasons change annually: check current DEM regulations.

Access

Ferry from Point Judith, New London or Montauk; Old Harbor and New Harbor docks; extensive shoreline access.

About this water

An island twelve miles off the Rhode Island coast, Washington County: rips, boulder fields and beaches.

Fishing Block Island: the full guide

An island in the current

Block Island sits twelve miles off the Rhode Island coast, surrounded by rips, boulder fields and current that make it one of the Northeast’s premier striped bass destinations. Southwest Ledge and the surrounding rips concentrate bait and predators, while miles of beach and rocky shoreline give surfcasters access to water that produces fish through the night all summer.

Stripers in the rips

The island’s reputation rests on big striped bass: boats work the rips at Southwest Ledge and the North Rip with live eels, wire-line trolling and jigs, especially at night and around tide changes. Surfcasters fish the boulder fields along the southwest and southeast shores, and the fish run large: forty-pound bass are landed here every season.

Bluefish and bonito

Bluefish arrive with warming water and blitz through the rips and along the beaches, taking anything that moves. Late summer brings false albacore and bonito to the rips and around the harbor mouths: fast, hard-fighting fish that draw fly and light-tackle anglers. Fluke work the sandy bottom around the island through the summer.

Island logistics

Access is by ferry from Point Judith, New London or Montauk, or by private boat. Old Harbor and New Harbor provide docks and services, with rentals and charters available. Surfcasters can reach most of the shoreline on foot or by bike. The island’s exposure means weather governs everything: a forecast that looks fine on the mainland can be rough twelve miles out.

Common questions

Why is it so good for stripers?

The rips: current over structure concentrates bait and predators, and the island sits in the migration path.

Can I fish from shore?

Yes: the boulder fields and beaches are legendary surfcasting water, reachable on foot or by bike.

When do bonito show up?

Late summer into early fall, in the rips and around the harbor mouths: fast fishing on light tackle and fly.

Is fishing good at Block Island right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Point Judith14 miNinigret Pond14 miWatchaug Pond16 miNarragansett19 miWorden Pond19 miPawcatuck River19 mi
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