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 as soon as the weather decides to stabilize. They then plan to add in squid trips as soon as that 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. Call their office for updates on planned sailing times as spring fishing is often weather dependent.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence reports that striped bass fishing is improving across the area, with some fish over 35-inches being taken around Providence this week. Reports from the beaches have been quieter, but there should be some nice schools of fresh bass showing up any day now. SP minnows, darters and various soft plastics are the top producers for striped bass right now, but with some more pogies moving into the area, anglers are starting to get some bass on big gliders and metal lips. Anglers are reporting the best action after dark or right before dawn. Blackfish reports have improved a bit over the past week, and it appears they are starting to move inshore. Some quality keepers were taken in the Providence, Warren, and Barrington Rivers over the past few days. Trout fishermen are taking advantage of some fresh stocking and better weather, with good reports from across the state. Dave is open daily 6 AM to 6 PM for all your freshwater and saltwater needs.
Rob at Newport Sportfishing Charters finally got his boat in the water and told me to expect some tautog and striped bass reports in over the next week. 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.
Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina heard reports of migratory striped bass caught locally early last week, when conditions were favorable with warm sun and a southwest wind. The bite seemed to shut down later in the week with the cold and rain, but the good news is that the bass have arrived! The tautog bite is still slow but will improve as the water temperatures continue their slow climb towards 50 degrees which seems to be the magic number for tautog. That being said, a few anglers reported limits of fish to 5-pounds over the past 2 days, so we’re close! A few boats have made the run out around Block Island in search of cod, but reports have been pretty poor so far this spring. There have not been any reports of squid showing up locally yet, but they should arrive within the new few weeks. The annual used tackle sale is coming up this weekend on April 27th and 28th and they will have a wide variety of both inshore and offshore used gear available for sale!
Ralph at Crafty One Customs has been hearing of more pogies/bunker showing up in the bay over the past few days, along with more striped bass. The striped bass range in size from schoolies to 35-inches or so, and the quality seems to be improving daily. Tautog fishing has started off slow, but shallow water reports have been encouraging over the past few days, and we should see a big increase in action over the next 10 days or so. Squid reports have been quieter than usual, likely due to some cooler temperatures, but they should be right around the corner.
Chris Catucci of Hobie Pro Team told me he’s been mixing up his time between the salt and the freshwater. He got out after some striped bass yesterday and found some bass willing to hit small soft plastics around the mouth of one of the herring runs in the bay. He said action was far from lights out, but he marked a good number of fish, so things are trending in the right direction. In the freshwater, he placed 3rd in a bass tournament at Indian Lake last weekend and said he had most of his success on small herring imitators, worked just under the surface. He also reported solid trout action at Lincoln Woods, including a giant brown that broke him off before he got it to the kayak, but provided an excellent fight nonetheless.
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures told me that the early spring bite is in full bloom with saltwater and freshwater. The migratory stripers have been in for a little over a week now and seem to be more consistent by the day which means that the holdover activity is staring to decrease. Tautog fishing has been excellent and will only get better for the next few weeks. Squid fishing should fire up in the next week, which means that Scup won’t be too far behind. The first few weeks of the trout season has been really good, with a lot of goldens being caught. Pre spawn largemouth are getting really active with a lot of quality fish being caught on jigs and large presentations. Dustin’s May and June weekend trips are pretty much booked, but there are still plenty of dates available throughout the season. Be sure to head to Rikfa.com and schedule a trip before it’s too late!
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
With a slight uptick in temperature combined with one of the driest weeks we’ve had in months, it feels like we’re finally approaching the precipice of the winter leaving us and the spring run taking off.
Water temperatures are approaching 50 degrees in Narragansett Bay, and like clockwork, the tautog bite has responded as you would expect. Better keepers are being caught with regularity in the Bay, and while the fish are still moving in, you can likely intercept some on the deeper reefs and rockpiles outside the bay. Fresh striped bass have been confirmed throughout the Ocean State, and while we’re still probably a week away from some big masses showing up, there are plenty bass to be had when you include all the holdovers chasing herring and pogies in the upper Bay. Fresh chunked bait always produces, but for those throwing artificials, the bass seem to be responding to big soft plastics and swimming plugs right before and after the sun is present. Get out whenever you can, as both the striped bass and tautog bite is bound to hit a strong level of consistency at anytime now. Freshwater anglers are reporting quality largemouth catches, especially in the herring ponds, and the trout fishing is as strong as ever following increased stocking and settled weather.
Got a nice Rainbow this week in Ten Mile River in East Providence. Large Brook trout in Adamsville Brook in Tiverton.