Rhode Island Fishing Report
Over at the Frances Fleet in Point Judith they are eagerly waiting on the return of nicer weather with plans to start fishing for tautog and cod around mid-April and then add in squid trips as soon as the bite starts to come together. Fishing for fluke and black sea bass will start up in May as the seasons open for both species. Their full schedule can be viewed on their website where you can also make reservations for upcoming trips.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence reports that a large push of pogies have moved into the Upper Bay, and they are catching the attention of some fresh striped bass, along with continued steady numbers mixed-class holdover fish. Shore and boat anglers are finding fish in and around the Bay, and those numbers should start to pick up, with this recent influx of pogies. The tautog bite has improved quite a bit, however short fish are still out numbering keepers. A few more warm days like we had earlier this week should help to get those bigger fish moving. Squid reports have been quiet, but they should also be right around the corner, as we continue to warm up. The first week of trout season has been solid for most, although it was a bit tougher than usual due to the high flows and tough weather. The extended forecast looks much more settled and should provide steadier trout results.
Rob at Newport Sportfishing Charters told me he’s spending most of his time getting the boat ready for the upcoming season. That said, he’s found some time to target big largemouth bass, and has had plenty of success. The water is still cold, so the fish want slow presentations, mainly jigs, but they’re getting more aggressive each day, and he’s starting to find a better jerkbait bite. He’ll be transitioning to salt soon, so be sure to lock down a date for a trip before it’s too late!
Matt at Snug Harbor Marina reports that the weather has been keeping things pretty quiet around the shop this week, but a few customers reported catching holdover striped bass and winter flounder. Tautog fishing remains slow locally, as the water temperatures are still in the mid-40s. Another week or two of warming water should really help to kick the spring tautog season into gear. Trout fishing has been a popular option for many customers and reports were generally good for anglers fishing the local rivers and ponds that were recently stocked. There have not been any confirmed reports of migratory striped bass showing up along the beaches yet, but they should arrive any day. The annual used tackle sale is coming up on April 27th and 28th and they have been taking in a lot of gear for the sale. They will be opening full time following the sale.
Eric at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown reports that things are waking up on the striped bass front. While the full push of migratory striped bass hasn’t arrived yet, there seems to be a nice trickle of fresh fish moving in, along with some resident holdovers. In the next week or two we’ll likely see a big push of liced up striped bass, which should be willing to crush topwater offerings. In the meantime, slowly retrieved swimming plugs and large soft plastics have been getting the job done. The herring runs are holding the biggest fish to think large soft plastics or swimbaits like the 9-inch Magic Swimmer to imitate that herring action. The tautog are also slowly making their way into local waters. Some fish can be found in the shallows up in the bay, and some are being taken out front in 60 feet of water or so. This is a telltale sign that they are filtering their way into with the water slowly warming, so the shallow inshore rockpiles should start fishing very nicely with a few more degrees of water temperature.
Ralph at Crafty One Customs said that reports have been relatively quiet, but he expects that to change quickly over the next few weeks. A slight increase in water temperature is all we need for the tautog bite to really get going, and the migratory striped bass should be showing up around the islands in the near future. Anglers targeting tautog early this season are actually reporting a better bite than usual for early-April and there are plenty of holdover striped bass to be had. So while we’re still a few weeks away from things really blowing up, there are still some good options available. You can add squid to the list of fishing options that are also right around the corner, nothing reported yet, but that could start up any day now.
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures told me that he once again saw a slight uptick in tautog action this week, and while it’s far from lights out, it’s improving every day. With some steadier/warmer weather forecasted, it should really start to improve, as we only need a slight increase in water temps to kick the bite into gear. Solid cod action can still be found when the weather allows and should go strong for another week or two. Holdover striper action is still very strong but with the fresh stripers on the way the holdover bite will see a decline over the next few weeks. Freshwater fishing has been solid, with everything biting from largemouth to carp. Trout season has been solid, despite some tough weather, while anglers tossing trout imitators in some of the ponds are scoring some giant largemouth. Dustin is really looking forward to the upcoming season. For those interested in booking a kayak trip, head over to his website, weekend dates for the next few months are almost gone, so be sure to book ASAP!
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
A slow but steady improvement in weather has things starting to look more spring-like in Rhode Island. A few reports of fresh striped bass have surfaced over the past few days, and more importantly, an influx of pogies portends to a larger arrival of fresh bass in the coming weeks. Holdover striped bass can also be found throughout the area, with the largest specimens hanging around the herring runs. The bait numbers in said herring runs have improved quite a bit this week, so this is a great time to cash in on holdover action. Tautog season has started off slowly, but reports have steadily improved for those putting the time in, and it should only improve as we get more consistent warm weather. A nice bonus for tautog anglers has been the influx of inshore codfish, which has provided a consistent second option for those targeting tog. Largemouth bass reports have been stellar for the past few weeks and the trout opener was a success, despite some less-than-ideal weather. Steadier weather and flow conditions this week should equate to a more consistent fishing in the trout waters than we had for the opening week.