Rhode Island Fishing Report
As the Ocean State weather keeps getting colder, ice fishing action just keeps heating up. From coastal ponds loaded with white perch to inland ponds that were recently stocked with trout and salmon, there are plenty of options for hard water enthusiasts going into yet another frigid weekend. If you’ve never tried ice fishing, now is the time to do it. Historic low temperatures have created some of the safest ice conditions in years. And although no ice is “safe” ice, there’s comfort in knowing that most lakes and ponds have anywhere from 6 to 9 inches—far beyond what’s considered the bare minimum (4 inches) for ice fishing.
The typical warm water species—bass, perch, and panfish—are plenty active. But hardy cold-water fish like pickerel and pike, and of course, stocked trout, are drawing the most attention.
Brookies, rainbows, golden rainbows, browns and Atlantic salmon are all being caught through the ice, and the anglers fishing ultralight tungsten jigs with small mealworms or wax worms seem to have the most consistent results. Pike and pickerel however, are swiping at larger baits like medium and large shiners or suckers. If esox are your target, suspend your baits at different depths over tall weeds and grass beds in coves where panfish such as white and yellow perch tend to congregate, and play around with different rigging techniques to make your bait appear as natural as possible.
Anglers who prefer to fish for trout (but lack a jigging rod) should secure a few dozen shiners and try setting them in relatively shallow water (10 feet or less). Keep the bait suspended high, just beneath the ice. Stocked trout tend to rove around not too far below the ice and while they can be very spooky as a result, targeting the upper half of the water column is a good method to weed out pesky perch that can interfere with your offerings closer to bottom.
Tyler at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown said just about all of Rhody’s lakes and ponds, at least those in the vicinity of the shop, have safe and fishable ice. Most anglers are seeing around 6 inches. There were a lot of rainbow and golden trout, along with some salmon, stocked by the DEM recently, so the stocker fishing has been very productive. Perch, panfish and bass are also coming through the ice to a slightly lesser degree. Anglers are employing a mix of techniques with jigging being the most popular, although that may be due to the difficulty of finding live shiners, he said. If you’re struggling to find a shop with live bait in your area this winter, consider trapping shiners on your own.
Dustin Stevens of Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures reported that he was out on the ice 3 or 4 days ago and he had 7 to 9 inches to work with. He’s catching mainly panfish and perch since most of his outings are only 2 hours or so at a time, which has kept him jigging rather than setting traps. Dustin mentioned that a couple of anglers fishing the same pond as him have been pulling in rainbow trout, but the state has also stocked golden rainbows and salmon in select ponds. For the perch and panfish, Dustin said small tungsten jigs tipped with mealworms are getting the job done.
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Samuel at Quaker Lane Bait and Tackle in North Kingstown said there’s been a lot of interest in ice fishing lately, especially since the recent trout stocking at the end of January. Their customers are catching golden and rainbow trout pretty reliably, mostly on jigs tipped with mealworms. He said they’ve got anywhere from 7 to 9 inches of ice on the local ponds, so conditions are prime heading into another brisk weekend during which temperatures will approach 0°F. That should only create thicker, harder ice for the week ahead. Samuel said he’s also been catching a bunch of crappie lately, with some nice specimens to 14 inches in the mix. He added that the shop has live shiners and mealworms in stock for the weekend, so swing by if you’re planning to hit the hard water.
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Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Ice conditions are stable and based on the weather forecast, they’ll only be improving throughout the weekend. Trout, pickerel, pike, perch, and crappie will likely remain the most reliable options as temperatures fall into the single digits, but bass are also still in play; they’re just a little more lethargic in these Arctic-like temps.
Some areas may even have ample ice to make holdover striped bass a viable target. Extreme caution should be exercised in any spots that are influenced by tides or consisting of brackish water.
The ice fishing season is here to stay for a while, so bundle up, grab some bait, get outside, and steer clear of wind-blown shorelines as an additional safety precaution.
Have fun and be safe out there!