Tuna Ground

the Gully

A steep-sided trough off Rhode Island. The Gully is a deeper cut running through the grounds off Rhode Island and Block Island, the kind of bottom feature that funnels bait and current and lets predators trap it, and holds tuna on its edges.

The Gully is one of those descriptive local names, it refers to a deeper cut or trough in the bottom off Rhode Island and Block Island. Depressions like this are important structure: they funnel current and gather bait, and bluefin use the edges of the cut to ambush what the current brings.

The ground

Fish the edges and lips of the depression, where the bottom changes depth. Current moving across the cut concentrates sand eels, squid and other forage, and the tuna hold on the productive edge.

How to fish it

Troll the edges to find fish and jig the marks, paying attention to the depth changes on your sounder. The bait that stacks in the cut tells you what to match.

Tip Watch your sounder for the edges of the cut, that is where the fish are. Trolling straight across a depression is far less effective than working along its productive lip where bait and tuna concentrate.

About the coordinates The coordinates on this page are an approximate reference to orient you, not a navigation waypoint. Fish move, and numbers vary boat to boat, get exact, current marks locally and always run on a plotter with proper charts.
Regulations Tuna are federally managed highly migratory species requiring an HMS permit, with category, size and retention rules that change through the season. Confirm current rules with NOAA Fisheries HMS before fishing.
From the page to the water

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Note: fishing regulations (size limits, bag limits, seasons, permits) change often. Always confirm current rules with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (saltwater), MassWildlife (freshwater), or NOAA Fisheries (offshore/HMS) before you keep a fish.