Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bar · Rhode Island

Hunt Ledge

41.65°N · 71.39°W · Bar · Narragansett Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · Black sea bass

78/100Great
Now
7310 PM EDT
Best window
10-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.3 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score73Great
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward SW
Wind7 kn NNEgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherPartly cloudy31% cloud
Water68°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with RIDEM before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Black sea bass is best here

Peak season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at peak

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Black sea bass in Rhode Island

Spot profile

Hunt Ledge

Depth
15-20 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonBlack sea bass

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Hunt Ledge

Hunt Ledge is a bar in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are bluefish, black sea bass and little tunny. It is peak season now for bluefish, black sea bass, little tunny and Atlantic cod, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Bluefish peak from June through July and in September. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Little tunny peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Sand Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    78
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 78
    • Little tunny 75
    • Bluefish 72

    8 kt NEL 11:39 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:04 AM · 3.8 ft

  • Gould Ledge

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    74
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 74
    • Black sea bass 73
    • Atlantic cod 72

    7 kt NNEL 11:36 PM · 0.8 ftH 5:56 AM · 3.7 ft

  • Southeast Ledge

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    74
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 74
    • Black sea bass 73
    • Atlantic cod 72

    7 kt NNEL 11:36 PM · 0.8 ftH 5:56 AM · 3.7 ft

  • Deep Hole

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 72
    • Black sea bass 72
    • Bluefish 72

    8 kt NEL 11:36 PM · 0.8 ftH 5:56 AM · 3.7 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with RIDEM before you keep a fish.