Weakfish

Weakfish

Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) also known as squeteague, are one of the more interesting species you can target in Rhode Island. They are best described as an ocean trout, sporting a beautiful mix of colors of silver, purple and copper. “Weakies” also have crazy dagger-like teeth, almost like a vampire, and are often aggressive feeders. They have very distinct head shakes when fighting on the end of a line, and actually croak/drum at you when they come out of the water.

Apparently back in the 1980’s or so, weakfish were a very common catch and you could keep them by the bucket full. Sure enough their populations collapsed, and it became incredibly rare to find weakies. Even just five years ago if you managed to land a weakfish, it would be a very notable catch.

But around 2019 something changed, and these squeteague started to make a major comeback. Weakfish up to 30 inches were being caught on a regular basis, and these fish now seem to be thriving and are slowly losing their nickname “unicorns”. Although they are supposedly great tableware, I choose to release weakies since they were so rare not that long ago.

Size Limit

16″ Minimum

Open Season

Year Round

Possession Limit

1 Fish / Person / Day

2024 RECREATIONAL REGULATIONS

Learn about other Species

Sea Robin

For their relatively small size they can fight pretty hard, and their unique look will make anyone who hasn’t seen them before do a double take.

Scup

As one of the most populated fish in Rhode Island waters, these fish are a perfect species for beginners.

Shellfish and Crustaceans

There’s plenty of other species thriving in Rhode Island waters from tide pools to inshore.

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