Rhode Island Fishing Report – April 6, 2017

Pictured above: Tom Perron landed this giant carp in RI last week.

Rough weather this week is ending just in time for opening day, and anglers across Connecticut and Rhode Island are getting ready.

Rhode Island Fishing Report

The Frances Fleet in Narragansett finally got a reprieve from the wind and got out on the water earlier this week. The fishing remained on the slow side, due to the dirty water conditions caused by the weekend weather, but Captain Frank noted that a ton of bait was marked on the fish finder. The weather will be breaking over the weekend, and the spring-like weather should get the fish chewing again. The fleet is now on a new sailing schedule, they will be sailing at 5 AM every day except Tuesday and Thursday.

Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reported that the opening day trout hysteria is starting to take over, but the carp crew has been stealing the show during the last few days. Carp angler’s Ron Lippe and Tom Perron landed some beautiful fish over the past few days, and it should only get better as the water warms up. The entire Blackstone River system holds good fish and is fishing well, other spots you may want to investigate include: Scott’s Pond, the ponds at Roger Williams Park and Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods. Dave is still wrapping up some renovations at the shop, but all the trout gear is stocked and on display. The rivers are running quite high, but should settle quickly throughout the weekend. Stream anglers are stocking up on small spoons and inline spinners, while anglers fishing the lakes and ponds are using powerbait fished on a very small treble hook (sz 12-14). Some school striped bass are still hanging in the river systems and with a blast of warm weather approaching; we should start to see more herring and some fresh bass. The Rhode Island tautog opener is April 15th, and they may also start chewing relatively soon if the water warms drastically.

Mike, at Watch Hill Outfitters in Westerly, is now open 7 days a week once again, from 9-6 Monday thru Saturday and 9-2 on Sunday. He reports that some anglers have been out after winter flounder, but results have been sub-par. Conditions have not been ideal, but they look to be improving rather quickly. A number of local anglers have also been out after holdover bass in the Connecticut and Rhode Island tidal rivers, and most have reported some very steady fishing. Mike also noted that he has the shop fully stocked with trout gear, so you can get all the necessary supplies if you are in the Westerly area.

Connecticut Fishing Report

At Fishin Factory 3 in Middletown, Andrew was back at the shop full time this week and the trout madness has been in full swing. The cold and rainy weather has kept a lot of anglers inside this week, but it hasn’t stopped them from coming in to load up on trout gear and to buy licenses. All the rivers, big and small, are quite high at this point, but the weather looks excellent next week and things should settle right down. A few anglers got out on the Connecticut River for schoolie bass this week, and the best reports are still coming from the lower river tributaries. In the central part of the river, anglers are starting to dunk sandworms and some fish are being taken here and there. The white perch have moved back into Hamburg Cove, and the fishing should vastly improve with the warmer temperatures next week. Pike fishing in the Haddam area has been up and down, but if you catch it on the right day you can really score some good catches. One particular angler last week managed a dozen or so pike by early afternoon on Sunday. The warmer days in particular seem to be best, so this weekend could be solid once the river settles a bit. The shop will be open until 10 PM Friday night, and will reopen at 4 AM Saturday to cater to all the opening day anglers. If trout isn’t your thing, consider checking out the North East Carp Conference 2017 taking place this Saturday, April 8, at the Elks Lodge, 44 Maynard St, Middletown, CT 06457 and runs from noon to 6 p.m. with a tag sale prior at 10 am. There will be clinics on rigging, bait and tactics; tons of vendors; an expert panel Q&A forum with a live video feed with one of the UK’s top carp anglers; special guest speakers; a slew of door prizes and much more. Food and beverages will be available for purchase throughout the day. Advance tickets are $15 (just $5 for CAG members) and may be purchased online. Tickets may also be purchased the day of the event at the door for $20 ($15 for CAG members) and attendees under the age of 16 are admitted free with a paid adult.

Rich, at Fisherman’s World in Norwalk reports that there hasn’t been much to speak of from the flounder crew due to the weather, but next week’s warmer weather should be enough to get the mud flats to start producing. The local rivers and back waters are starting to see more schoolie striped bass, but the Housatonic remains the best bet. The daylight hours have been the best for numbers, but nighttime anglers are finding some fish into the 40-inch class. Next week’s warm weather will certainly bring a few herring into the river, so some big fish will be traveling to the northern stretches. The shop will be open at 6 AM Saturday for all of your trout needs, and many of the western CT rivers have been stocked heavily and will fish well.

Torrey, at Upcountry Sportfishing in Pine Meadow, reports that fishing throughout the Farmington was strong prior to the rains, and things should continue that way next week as the water cleans up. The highest quality fish (holdover & wild) have mostly come out of the permanent Catch & Release lately, but the best numbers by far have been upriver. Rumor has it that 3 DEEP stocking trucks hit the upper 4 miles in Riverton again on Sunday for the second time in a month! With the milder temps coming, look for the permanent Catch & Release in Pleasant Valley/New Hartford as well as downstream to pick up. Recently it’s been a quality over quantity deal in the permanent C&R, with patient fisherman picking up some very nice trout. Lately the best fishing has typically been late morning through mid-afternoon, which correlates with Midge activity. Remember that water temps are still cool to cold, so most trout are in slow to medium speed water with some depth, and not so much in the fast water. Colebrook Reservoir is now almost full, and at the rate water is coming into this week, I’m guessing it will hit 100% capacity before Opening Day. After the drought we’ve seen the past year or two, that’s VERY good news!

Rhode Island Fishing Forecast

Since all the ice melted for the last time, it seems that the weather just hasn’t been conducive to much fishing. What has been a long month of March has finally ended, and it seems Mother Nature was waiting for opening day to switch her patterns. Starting this weekend the weather is forecasted to be delightful through the 10-day, with some 70 degree highs appearing. For all the trout anglers out there, enjoy your opening day. For everyone else, spring fishing should really kick off this week. Spring run striped bass activity will pick up, the perch and pike bite will strengthen in the river and the carp fishing should continue on as strong as ever.