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August 31, 2026
Black Sea Bass Regulations Now In Late-Season Protocol for RI’s Salty Anglers
Black Sea Bass photo by Tom Schlichter.
Just a quick reminder that Rhode Island’s black sea bass fishing regulations have now advanced to their late-season requirements. This transition brings updates to daily harvest limits and future season milestones that all Rhody anglers need to follow to remain fully compliant through the end of the year.
The most significant shift taking effect right now directly impacts the for-hire party and charter boat sectors. Under the prior regulation block that ran through August 31, charter anglers were restricted to a four-fish daily bag limit with a sixteen-inch minimum size requirement. Starting September 1, the new regulations expand this daily possession limit to a six-fish bag limit per person, providing a major boost for late-season trips while maintaining the exact same sixteen-inch minimum size. Meanwhile, private recreational and shore-based anglers will continue under their own late-season structure—which took effect on August 27—allowing a three-fish daily bag limit and maintaining the same sixteen-inch minimum size constraint.
The updated regulations will run through the end of the season on December 31, 2026. Anglers are reminded to always utilize rigid measuring tools to accurately verify their catch before retaining any fish.
It’s always a good idea to give the most current fishing regulations a look before heading out. You can find the latest and greatest updated marine regs for the New England region at the following links:
CT: Connecticut DEEP Species Regulations Guide
RI: Rhode Island DEM Saltwater Limits Table
MA: Mass.gov Recreational Saltwater Regulations
Written by Tom Schlichter
“Outdoor Tom” Schlichter has been a features writer, columnist, book author, photographer and seminar speaker for over 45 years, with credits in a wide array of national and regional venues. Among other endeavors, he has served as managing editor of The Fisherman Magazine, associate editor at On The Water Magazine, and a features writer for Offshore Magazine, Saltwater Sportsman, Boating Magazine, BoatingLocal.com, plus many others. He is also a current features writer and past outdoors columnist for Newsday, one of the ten largest newspapers in the U.S.A.
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