Rhode Island Fishing Report
Over at the Frances Fleet in Point Judith they are excited for this recent improvement in the weather and have started fishing for tautog and cod when the weather permits. They will also be adding squid trips as soon as the bite starts to come together, and fluke trips sometime in late May. They’ve been able to sneak out on the cod grounds a couple of times over the past week and have done pretty well for cod and cunner (bergall). There hasn’t been life on all the rockpiles, but the ones that are holding fish have decent numbers. 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 tautog fishing is off to a bit of a slower start, but savvy anglers that are putting their time in are managing limits. Striped bass fishing for holdover fish is still good in the Providence and Pawcatuck Rivers, and anglers are reporting a better push of fresh fish in the area. Squid have appeared in better numbers this week, and they are helping to fuel this striped bass bite. Squid reports have been best in East Bay, Tiverton, and select spots out front, and there will likely be bass on their tails at all these spots. Trout fishing has continued to improve as the weather improved, with customer Jeff Spicer reporting better numbers and better sizes this week. Dave has everything you’ll need to get out on the water this weekend, including both Asian crabs and green crabs. The shop is open from 6 AM to 6 PM on the weekdays and 5 AM to 6 PM on the weekends.
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 chilly, so the fish want slow presentations, mainly jigs, but they’re chewing well. Word from the saltwater guys is that some fresh stripers are starting to show up, and tautog reports are slowly improving with the warming weather. He’ll be transitioning to salt soon, so be sure to lock down a date for a trip before it’s too late!
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Jay at Pamela May Charters told me that he is planning on putting the boat in this weekend for a shake down ride. There have been both holdover and fresh striped bass in and around the local river and in the salt ponds. Tautog has reportedly been hit or miss, but there are some fish starting to chew. This weekend’s new moon tides should bring in a fresh push of striped bass and also may get the tautog moving. Freshwater anglers are reporting consistent trout action on the fly following the recent stockings. Jay is now booking May and June for trips in the Bay and the worm hatches in the salt ponds, so be sure to reach out soon if you’d like to book a trip!
Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina reports that activity has been picking up locally, with anglers hitting the beaches and walls in search of striped bass. There have been a few fish caught, and it seems to be improving daily, but the bite hasn’t really taken off just yet. A few customers are trying for tautog, but those reports have been even slower, as we still need the water temperatures to come up a few degrees. Reports from those targeting trout in the local freshwater ponds and rivers have been pretty good. They plan to open full time this upcoming weekend, and they are also getting in more gear for the annual used tackle sale, which is coming up on April 26th and 27th.
Ralph at Crafty One Customs said that not much had changed over the last week as far as reports go. They are still hearing of a few holdover striped bass caught up in the Bay and in some of the rivers and salt ponds. There have been rumors of a few fresh fish caught from the beaches, but they could also be holdovers that moved out of the salt ponds or rivers. Social media has been coming alive though, with photos and videos of stripers, sporting lice, that were caught from the beaches of Aquidneck Island and up in the bay. Tautog fishing hasn’t really picked up yet, but the fishing will improve over the next couple of weeks. They have been taking in a lot of gear for service over the last few weeks which is keeping everyone around the shop very busy.
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report: “Migratory striped bass numbers have slowly increased once again this week. I feel that we are a week or two away from any sort of consistency targeting the fresh fish, but there are some to be had. The holdover bite is still going strong. Sooner or later the holdover stripers will mix with the fresh fish, giving anglers solid options of where to target them. Tautog is slowly heating up, however, similar to the bass bite I think we are about a week away from a hot bite. That being said, there are some quality keepers around if you have some patience. Cod is another saltwater option to target at this time of year but most fish have not been keeper size. Freshwater opening week was lights out for trout, with many anglers catching golden trout. The largemouth bite is hot, but it has taken a backseat to the trout bite. Spots in May for kayak fishing trips are almost gone, so reach out as soon as possible to book your kayak fishing trip(s) for 2025!”
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
With a nice uptick in temperature combined with one of the drier weeks we’ve had in a while, it feels like we’re finally approaching the precipice of the winter/early spring chill leaving us and the spring run taking off.
Water temperatures are approaching 50 degrees in Narragansett Bay, so while tautog reports haven’t been lights out just yet, we should be close to it really blowing open anyday now. 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 out front.
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 of bass to be had when you include all the holdovers chasing herring in the upper Bay. A recent push of squid into the Ocean State has also caught the attention of both holdover and fresh striped bass. 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 sunrise and sunset. Get out whenever you can, as both the striped bass and tautog bites are bound to hit a strong level of consistency over the next week.
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.