2026 regulation year
Mount Hope Bay 2026 — Rhode Island Fishing Regulations
Rhode Island statewide rules apply unless overridden below.
Last updated
Mount Hope Bay carries 2 special-regulation overlays on top of Rhode Island's 2026 fishing rules — covering Summer flounder (fluke). Verify the agency booklet before launching: in-season changes are not yet wired to this page.
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State-level special regulation
Northeastern arm of Narragansett Bay shared with MA (Fall River, Somerset, Swansea MA); striped bass + scup + summer flounder + tautog + bluefish + winter flounder; Mount Hope Bridge + Borden Light; RI saltwater registry honored with MA Saltwater Permit reciprocal
Source: Rhode Island special-water list
Per-species rules on Mount Hope Bay
Summer flounder (fluke) regulations →
19 in min, 6 / day; RI/MA boundary water
Official source
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) — Division of Fish & Wildlife publishes the authoritative 2026 Rhode Island fishing regulations. Special-regulation lakes and rivers are listed in the agency booklet — always verify before fishing.
Visit official Rhode Island fishing regulations →
Emergency-order channel
In-season closures, slot-limit changes, and run-count-driven harvest pauses are posted to Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's emergency-order feed — check it before any Rhode Island trip during the active season.
Other special-regulation waters in Rhode Island
- Atlantic Ocean — RI south shore
- Block Island Sound
- Block Island Wind Farm
- Carbuncle Pond
- Charlestown Breachway
- Greenwich Bay
- Narragansett Bay
- Narragansett Bay — Upper Bay
- Narragansett Bay — West Passage
- Narragansett Pier / Narragansett Town Beach (Narragansett)
- Ninigret Pond
- Olney Pond (Lincoln Woods State Park, Lincoln)
Frequently asked questions
- What special fishing regulations apply at Mount Hope Bay?
- Mount Hope Bay carries 2 special-regulation overlays that override Rhode Island's statewide 2026 rules, covering Summer flounder (fluke). One of them reads: "Northeastern arm of Narragansett Bay shared with MA (Fall River, Somerset, Swansea MA); striped bass + scup + summer flounder + tautog + bluefish + winter flounder; Mount Hope Bridge + Borden Light; RI saltwater registry honored with MA Saltwater Permit reciprocal." Every overlay on this water body is listed in full above.
- Do I need a fishing license to fish Mount Hope Bay?
- Yes. Mount Hope Bay is in Rhode Island, so a valid Rhode Island fishing license is required just as it is anywhere else in the state, issued by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) — Division of Fish & Wildlife. The special regulations on this page change the bag, size, slot, or gear rules for Mount Hope Bay; they do not waive the license requirement. Free-fishing days and youth exemptions follow the statewide Rhode Island rules.
- Do Mount Hope Bay's special rules replace Rhode Island's statewide limits?
- Only where they conflict. Rhode Island's statewide 2026 regulations apply on Mount Hope Bay by default; the overlays above replace the matching statewide rules for the species or gear they name, while everything not specifically overridden still follows the statewide rule. When a water-body rule and the statewide rule disagree, the water-body rule wins.
- Which species have special rules on Mount Hope Bay?
- Summer flounder (fluke) has a water-body-specific rule on Mount Hope Bay, each linking to its full Rhode Island regulations above. Species not listed here follow the statewide Rhode Island limits.