9/18/26 This Isn't Just It!
Fall is creeping in, but days like today make it feel like the middle of summer. This is our favorite time of year here on the South Shore of Rhode Island.
Why is that? The days are shorter, the nights are longer, the sunsets are beautiful, and there is less traffic. More fish around and less fishermen to find them. The diehards show up, and our options of where to fish start to increase.
Striped Bass
Large numbers of fish have been ebbing and flowing in and out of the breachways. The coastal lagoons are loaded with bait, from silversides, bay anchovies, needlefish, bunker, mullet, and eels.
This week, fish just started to show on the beaches. Peanut bunker has been in the wash and is driving these fish in. The breachways have been producing well at night, with a mixed bag of sizes.
Bluefish showed up in good numbers around the breachways this week, which is great to see, even though some of you may not say the same.
If you are looking to get set up for the fall bass run, check out our Select Tackle for Striped Bass.
Tuna
The bite is still on for those looking to go for it. Plenty of mahi around, and the water temperature hasn't changed much this week.
Make sure you have some epoxies in your bag to throw at high flyers. Ron Z's are a good option to deadstick off the bottom, and don't forget a popper in case you see fish on top.
Check out our Select Tuna Tackle & Gear for everything you need for the tuna grounds.
Fluke
There have been some nice reports this week of fish coming out of the bay, with customers getting into a pretty decent bite.
There has also been some bycatch from tautog fishermen getting fluke on crab. You just never know.
This is your last chance to put some fluke in the boat before the bite completely dies off.
Tautog
Reports were iffy this week. The water temperature has stayed somewhat the same, and these warm days seemed to slow the bite down.
I also believe there is something to be said about the way tautog feed after a heavy rain. They definitely seem to slow down until the water clears up a bit.
Check out our Select Tackle for Tautog before heading out.
Bonito / False Albacore
There has been a healthy mixed bag of both bonito and false albacore. Some customers have been hitting the nail on the head with the right place at the right time, while others are covering a bunch of ground with not much action in sight.
They have been getting close to shore, giving guys fishing from the beach a shot at them. The outgoing tide has proven to be more productive.
Check out our Select Tackle for Bonito and False Albacore.
Lure of the Week – Joe Baggs Long Cast Resin Jig
The Joe Baggs Long Cast Resin Jig is a great option this time of year, especially when the fish are feeding on smaller bait and are just out of casting range.
The resin body gives this lure plenty of distance, making it a great choice from the beach, breachways, rocks, or the boat.
It comes in a bunch of different sizes and colors, so you can match what the fish are feeding on.
For albies and bonito, the smaller sizes are a great choice. For bass and bigger fish, you can move up in size.
This is one of those lures that is worth having a few of in the bag this time of year.
Tie one on, send it, and get tight.
North Cape Oil Spill
Oil Spill | Block Island Sound, RI | January 1996
What Happened?
On January 19, 1996, the tank barge North Cape and the tugboat Scandia grounded off Moonstone Beach in southwestern Rhode Island, spilling an estimated 828,000 gallons of home heating oil.
This was the worst oil spill in Rhode Island history. Oil spread throughout a large area of Block Island Sound and onto the surrounding shoreline, including the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge.
What Were the Impacts?
The spill had a major impact on marine life throughout the area.
It was estimated that approximately 9 million lobsters, 150 million surf clams, and 4.2 million fish were killed, along with large numbers of worms, crabs, mussels, shrimp, and other marine life.
A 250-square-mile area of Block Island Sound was closed to fishing and shellfishing for an extended period following the spill. More than 3,300 commercial and charter-boat trips were also lost.
In the coastal salt ponds, an estimated half-million fish, 6.5 million marine worms and amphipods, and more than one million crabs, shrimp, clams, and oysters were killed.
The spill also killed more than 2,100 marine birds, including 402 loons.
Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge contains one of the last undeveloped coastal salt ponds in Rhode Island and is also important habitat for piping plovers.
What's Happening Now?
The settlement from the spill helped fund several restoration projects throughout Rhode Island and New England.
One of the projects focused on restoring the lobster population. More than 1.2 million adult female lobsters were caught and released through a "V" notching program designed to increase egg production and help rebuild the lobster population.
Other restoration projects included:
- Shellfish restoration: More than 6 million oysters, bay scallops, and hard clams were released and seeded in South County coastal ponds and Narragansett Bay.
- Marine bird habitat: Funding was used to protect important nesting habitat.
- Loon habitat: Conservation easements were used to protect important loon nesting areas throughout northern New England.
- Ninigret Pond: Land bordering Ninigret Pond was protected from development to help protect water quality.
- Piping plover habitat: Funding helped protect and manage nesting areas on South County and Block Island beaches.
- Recreational fishing: Projects were completed to improve passage for anadromous fish, including river herring, in the Saugatucket River.
The restoration projects were completed by the early 2010s, with monitoring continuing afterward.
It's pretty crazy to think about how much this one event affected the waters we fish today. A lot of the areas we fish every week were directly impacted by the North Cape spill, and some of the restoration work that followed is still benefiting these waters today.
We're Fully Stocked With
👉 Live Eels
👉 Live Crabs
👉 Fresh Mackerel
👉 Sandworms
👉 Green Crabs
👉 Bunker
👉 Fresh Squid
👉 Clams
Get Ready Now
Get your gear ready before the fall run arrives.
Check your drags. Replace old leaders. Sharpen hooks. Restock your small resin and epoxy jigs. Make sure you have your topwater plugs ready, along with bucktails, soft plastics, and teasers.
And don't forget the basics:
- Check your rod guides.
- Clean and lubricate your reels.
- Check your leaders.
- Retie questionable knots.
- Replace rusty hooks.
- Make sure your drag is working properly.
- Have a small baitfish imitation ready to go.
Summer may be winding down, but the fishing is just getting started.
Stop by the shop or shop anytime online at Breachway Bait & Tackle.
Ask about our Special Rod/Reel combo deals to fish the Surf and from a Boat/Kayak. BIG SAVINGS!
We're open 7 days a week.
Shop Hours
Mon-Fri 7-6
Sat & Sun 6-6
Weekend Weather
Friday (9/18)
NW winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Wave Detail: W 2 ft at 5 seconds and E 1 foot at 9 seconds. A chance of showers in the morning.
🌡️ High: 80° | Low: 60°
Saturday (9/19)
NE winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt, becoming E 5 to 10 kt in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Wave Detail: NE 2 ft at 5 seconds and SW 1 foot at 5 seconds.
🌡️ High: 67° | Low: 53°
Sunday (9/20)
SE winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Wave Detail: S 3 ft at 4 seconds and SE 1 foot at 9 seconds. Showers likely in the afternoon.
🌡️ High: 65° | Low: 56°
Weekend Tides – Breachway Flow
Friday (9/18)
Incoming: 9:35 AM → 4:46 PM
Outgoing: 4:46 PM → 11:40 PM
Incoming: 11:40 PM → 5:29 AM*
Saturday (9/19)
Outgoing: 5:29 AM → 10:36 AM
Incoming: 10:36 AM → 5:38PM
Outgoing: 5:38 PM → 12:44 AM*
Sunday (9/20)
Incoming: 12:44 AM → 6:27 AM
Outgoing: 6:27 AM → 11:50 AM
Incoming: 11:50 AM → 6:34 PM
Denotes after midnight (following day).
🔥 It's on. Get out there and get tight.
Good luck this weekend, and tight lines!
 |
 |
 |
 |
