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Block Island Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Block Island in Rhode Island Sound: striped bass, bluefish and fluke under Rhode Island rules, with federal waters closed to striper fishing.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
High 6:25 PM
Air / High
54 / 55 F
Wind
NNE 18 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Block Island is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings clear skies, wind NNE around 18 mph, steady pressure near 1027 hPa and a high of 55. Tides: high 6:13 AM and 6:25 PM, low 12:36 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 64 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:19 AM-11:19 AM and 9:49 PM-11:49 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassExcellent

Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

BluefishExcellent

Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

Tomorrow: Similar at 57 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Rhode Island requires a fishing licence from age 15, from $24.00 for residents, and salt water needs its own licence here. What a Rhode Island licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing striped bass here? Check the size and bag limits with RI DEM before you keep anything. The season dates for Rhode Island, read off the agency, are on the Rhode Island seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8459681 (Southwest Point, Block Island). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
HIGH6:13 AM3.0 ft
LOW12:36 PM0.2 ft
HIGH6:25 PM2.8 ft
Sat
LOW12:23 AM-0.0 ft
HIGH6:50 AM3.3 ft
LOW1:16 PM0.0 ft
HIGH7:06 PM2.9 ft

Narragansett tide chart: the week and the month β†’

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp54 F
High / Low55 / 48 F
WindNNE 18-22 mph
Pressure1027.1 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:07 / 17:53
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~64 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Block Island this week

The best day on Block Island this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:19 AM-11:19 AM and 9:49 PM-11:49 PM
Minor period
3:41 AM-4:41 AM
Sun
07:07 to 17:53
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 19 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

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 inland; on the coast, during the seasonal migrations

The largest of the temperate basses, a sea-run fish of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that now also lives in reservoirs across much of the country after hatchery stocking. Inland, it follows schools of shad and herring through open water. Spring and fall are the shoreline seasons: ODWC points to windblown points, riprap and dams during the May shad spawn and the pre-winter feed.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Peak harvest: May-Oct, most in Jul-Aug (NOAA)

Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) are sharp-toothed schooling predators that move up and down the Atlantic coast with the seasons and feed in surface blitzes on menhaden, silversides and squid. Fall turns the migration south toward the South Atlantic Bight, and fish feed along beaches and inlets on the way. Follow the bait and the birds.

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 64 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~64 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, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 62 F, wind to 27 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 28 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 58 F, wind to 28 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 27 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 63 F, wind to 27 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

A Rhode Island recreational saltwater fishing license is required: $7 a year for residents, $10 for non-residents, $5 for 7 days (RI DEM guide, updated May 20, 2026). Limits from the 2026 guide (updated Oct. 5, 2026): striped bass 1 a day, 28 to under 31 inches; bluefish 5 a day (shore and private boats); summer flounder 19 inches, 6 a day, April 1–Dec. 31; black sea bass 16-inch minimum. No striped bass fishing in federal waters.

Access

RI DEM publishes a list of state-owned saltwater boating access sites; check it, and local town listings, before planning a launch.

About this water

An island off the Rhode Island coast in Washington County, on Block Island Sound.

Fishing Block Island: the full guide

State waters and the federal line

Block Island lies off the Rhode Island coast in Washington County, with federal waters close by. Federal rules prohibit recreational fishing for striped bass in the Exclusive Economic Zone. Between Block Island, Point Judith and Montauk lies the Block Island Transit Zone, a small area of federal water almost surrounded by state water. NOAA Fisheries lets boats carry stripers caught in state waters through it, provided they do not fish there and stay in continuous transit; in 2021 NOAA asked for comment on opening it to recreational striper fishing, so check for any change.

Striped bass rules

Rhode Island allows 1 striped bass a day, at least 28 inches and under 31 inches measured with the tail pinched, all year. Circle hooks are required when fishing for striped bass with bait. Fillets and racks are restricted: no filleting while lines are in the water, and racks must be kept whole until the boat is docked or out of the water.

Bluefish, fluke and sea bass

Rhode Island raised the 2026 bluefish limit to 5 a day for shore and private-boat anglers (7 on party and charter boats), with no minimum size. Summer flounder must be 19 inches, 6 a day, from April 1 to Dec. 31. Black sea bass must be at least 16 inches for shore and private anglers in 2026.

Tides

Tide predictions on this page come from NOAA station 8459681, Southwest Point, Block Island, a prediction-only station.

Common questions

Can I keep a striped bass?

One a day in Rhode Island waters, from 28 inches to under 31 inches. Fishing for striped bass in federal waters, including the Block Island Transit Zone, is prohibited.

Can I carry stripers home through federal water?

Yes, across the Block Island Transit Zone, if the fish were caught in state waters, you do not fish there and you keep moving (NOAA Fisheries).

How many bluefish can I keep in 2026?

Five a day from shore or a private boat, seven on a party or charter boat, with no minimum size.

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: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

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

Where this page's numbers come from

Tide predictions
NOAA CO-OPS 8459681 β€” Southwest Point, Block Island
Harmonic predictions, datum MLLW, local time. 11 high and low events returned for today and the next two days. A prediction, not a measured water level: wind and surge move the real thing.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 41.1700, -71.5700 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.