Big Difference Between Shore and Boat Fishing Right Now

This is one of several schoolies landed last night. For the
shore fishermen, numbers are down and sizes are down.
There is a noticeable lack of small bait.

The shore fishing right now in RI for stripers can be described as "fair" at best. Many would rate it poor. The water is warming, and there is a noticeable lack of small bait in close. Those abundant 20-30 inch fish that we had back in May seem to have moved on.  What is left is a few schoolies here and there grubbing for shrimp in many places. You have to work for them, and generally the fishing is strictly a nighttime game right now.
I got out four times from shore in the last week and caught a grand total of 5 schoolies (all about 20 inches) along with 7 bluefish.  I put in a lot of hours for these few fish. The schoolies were fussy and occasionally one would take a white Slug-Go or a Red Gill teaser.  I have seen just about no one fishing from shore and the few guys you talk to are all disgusted with the poor fishing from shore and lack of bait.
Contrast that report with what you have been reading from the magazines and newspaper.  Those reports tell of some very good numbers of big fish falling to the boaters who are using menhaden in the Bay and fishing the waters off Block Island at night.  Fishing with menhaden (livelining, chunks, yo-yoing) is generally effective from a boat in deep water. Once in a blue moon you stumble upon a school while fishing from shore, but it is rare these days.
So, just like last year, we are seeing marginal fishing from shore.  I have little hope it will improve in the next two months along the Bay or the oceanfront.  I see late August or early September for the turn around when schools of bay anchovies start to hit the oceanfront. Until then, it will be a fish here and a fish there for shore fishermen.