Nothing has really changed. As I write this the temperature hovers near 90 degrees and the water along the Bay and oceanfront is like bathwater. So, fishing for stripers and blues is less than ideal, and downright slow in most places. However, there is bait around that comes and goes and where there is a lot of bait, you have a decent chance at finding blues by day and stripers after dark.For shore fishermen looking for stripers and big blues, the breachways along the south shore offer the best bets at this time of year. They will be crowded on the outgoing tides at night, the best times to hit these spots for a "lucky" keeper bass or a large blue. By day, the blues are hit or miss depending on the bait. I have no recommendations for good spots. It could happen anywhere along the oceanfront or the lower Bay.
For boat fishermen with big boats, Block Island continues to be the hotspot for large bluefish and keeper bass. It's a different world out there compared to the inshore waters. Inshore, the best bet by far for small boat fishermen is fishing bottom for black sea bass (see phot of recent catch) and large scup, which are plentiful along the south shore in 40-60 feet of water. Squid strips on fluke rigs are hot tickets to success. You've probably heard rumors about false albacore around. I guess there may have been at least one fish caught along the oceanfront, and the reports jump all over this. Truth is that these sought after gamefish are not really around in abundance in RI right now. I'm guessing about two more weeks.
Finally, think about freshwater if you want guaranteed action. Largemouth bass fishing continues to be hot in this heat, and they are around in abundance in most spots. Plastic worms, crank baits and topwater plugs are all good choices. Fish early or late in the day to avoid the yahoos that will be hitting the water in force during the daytime hours.
