Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith is sailing for cod, tautog and cunner when conditions allow, and they will be adding squid trips in the near future, along with fluke trips sometime in late May. 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 has improved quite a bit this week. BJ Silvia of Flippin’ Out Charters reported better catches with fish to 8 pounds. With temperatures climbing quite a bit, we should see tog action continue to improve in and around the bay. Fresh striped bass, from schoolies to 34 inches and up, are being caught throughout the state. Some pogies have started to show up, but they are spotty, so most anglers are turning to small soft plastics and swimming plugs for bass. Stripers are responding to natural bait as well, with bass eating squid in the Providence River and clams/worms producing in the Seekonk. Squid have shown up in better numbers this week, with some solid reports coming from Tiverton and around the Newport Bridge. Scup season opens today, May 1. Anglers targeting early season scup should fish around Newport, Tiverton, Little Compton, Jamestown and Narragansett. The scup tend to congregate in schools around the mouth of the bay as they move in. In fresh water, trout fishing has continued to improve with warmer spring weather. Dave has everything you’ll need to get out on the water this weekend, including both Asian crabs and green crabs. He is open from 6 AM to 6 PM on the weekdays and 5 AM to 6 PM on the weekends.
Jay at Pamela May Charters had his shakedown run in the Narrow River over the weekend and was able to manage a bunch of stripers in the 12- to 18-inch range. The fishing was pretty good overall and remained consistent for most of the day, with the outgoing tide producing the best. Cocahoe Minnows fished on yellow jigheads were a top producer. Jay is all ready to go for the upcoming season with the addition of a new trolling motor. Jay is now booking for May and June striper trips in the bay and the worm hatches in the salt ponds, so be sure to reach out soon if you’d like to lock down a date!
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Eric at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown reports that spring fishing is in full swing! The big bass showed up this week and they are ready to eat. There are mixed sizes of fresh striped bass across the state, in most of the bays, tributaries, and out front. Make sure you have your Jumpin’ Minnows or other small topwaters on hand during the day, and your big baits and Red Fins at night. You are apt to find a lot of school-size fish out there for the most part, then a big one will come along and surprise you. The afternoon tog bite remains strong, and the morning bite is picking up. You can’t trust the forecast these days, so be ready to move around a little and find your productive tog spots.
Ralph Craft at Crafty One Customs said that striped bass had arrived in the bay and were being caught in good numbers all around the island. Guys fishing further up the bay had some action around the herring runs as well. Tautog reports are starting to heat up, with solid catches late last week from boat, kayak and shore. There have even been some squid showing up locally, as a few reports have come in from Goat Island this week. Freshwater guys continue to find good trout action from various stocked ponds on and off the island. 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 after another week of spring fishing: “Fresh migratory stripers are trickling in in waves. I haven’t run into them in a few of my early spots, but they are definitely around. Holdovers are still active in the estuaries, and they are generally feeding on herring. The blackfish bite has really picked up and should be at its early-season peak very soon. The squid bite has officially started up and should only improve over the next week or two. With the winds often being tricky, freshwater fishing has been a reliable back up for most kayak fishermen. The state continues to stock trout so that’s very reliable and largemouth fishing is solid as well. Our May calendar is very close to being full, but we have dates in June and beyond. Reach out to book your kayak fishing trip today!”
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Water temperatures continue to climb in Narragansett Bay, and like clockwork, tautog and striped bass have responded as you would expect. Better specimens of both species are being caught with regularity in the Bay, and are providing some excellent multi-species trips without having to travel too far. While some larger bass feed on squid and herring in the Bay, there are increased reports of smaller, fresh striped bass showing up around the Harbor of Refuge and along the beaches. Fresh pogies, live or chunked, always produce, 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.
Squid reports have been slowly improving, with some decent reports from Tiverton and Newport this week. Get out whenever you can, as both striped bass and tautog fishing are bound to hit a solid level of consistency as the squid action blows open. The scup season is also open as of today, and anglers will likely be reporting some solid catches over the coming weeks.
Freshwater anglers are reporting quality largemouth bass, especially in the herring ponds, and the trout fishing is as strong as ever following increased stocking and settled weather.