Rhode Island Fishing Report
Over at the Frances Fleet in Point Judith, they are happy to report that their parking lot work is still on schedule, and they still plan to get back on the water this weekend. They are booking spring tautog trips now, while bookings for the squid and fluke trips should start to pop up closer to May. They are also making reservations for private charters for the 2026 season. The full schedule can always be found on their website, where you can also make reservations. Be sure to get on the schedule before they start sailing again!
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that things are starting to shape up across Rhode Island, despite a slow/cold start to the season. Overall, the striped bass fishing has been a bit slow, but it has started to improve over the past few days. Keeper-class fish are coming from the Taunton, Seekonk, and Providence Rivers. These are still mainly all holdover fish foraging on whatever bait fish they can find, and anglers have been catching them on clams and sea worms in those locales. The South Shore has also been relatively slow, but a few solid fish were taken around Narragansett and Stonebridge this week on large plugs and soft plastics. There have been a few pogies reported around Warwick, but we should start seeing much more, along with some squid, as the water temperatures rise through the 50s. Tautog fishing has gotten a tad better as well for anglers dunking crabs or worms, but we could also use a nice bump in water temperature to get the bite going. Freshwater fishing has been excellent across Rhode Island, with more than 60,000 fish stocked recently. Plenty of those trout are in the 3- to 6-pound range and are eating PowerBait, mealworms, and nightcrawlers. White perch are active in the Seekonk and Palmer Rivers, while pre-spawn largemouth from 3- to 5-pounds are being caught on shiners and Yamamoto worms in the ponds. Ocean State Tackle is now open 4:30 AM – 7:30 PM daily and is now accepting PayPal, CashApp, and Zelle, along with the usual forms of payment.
Jay at Pamela May Charters was happy to report that he survived the brutal winter and got the boat back in the water last week for a shakedown cruise. There have been holdover striped bass in and around the rivers and salt ponds near Narragansett, and they managed some nice good luck schoolies on their first trip out. He hasn’t made it out front yet but has heard of some fresh fish with sea lice showing up, so the Harbor of Refuge area should get going soon. Tautog has reportedly been hit or miss, but there are some fish starting to chew. A few more degrees in water temperature 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 for late 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!
-
Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in Rhode Island
Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina did not have much for updates this week saying that it still seemed like the water was a little cold for tautog and migratory striped bass though fishing for both should start to pick up soon. There have been reports of some nice-sized holdover striped bass caught around the herring runs over the last couple of weeks and a few more fish out front along the mouth of the bay. Besides saltwater, many anglers are still hitting the freshwater lakes, streams, and ponds for trout, largemouth and panfish. They have not opened the shop full time yet but often have someone there on the weekends. You can also call ahead and arrange a time to meet someone there. Their annual Used Tackle Sale will be held May 2nd and 3rd, and they have a good amount of both inshore and offshore gear that will be available. They are also still taking in used gear for the sale, so give them a call if you have something you would like to sell.
Dustin Stevens of Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report: “As the water temps have crept up, more people are finally finding a decent blackfish bite. The bite should only get better to close out the month, especially if we can string together a few more warm days in a row. Striper activity has been less consistent, but that is normal at this point in the season. We have had a small wave of fresh migratory fish and holdover fish are still active. On the largemouth grounds, some fisheries have already started to experience the spawn so, on slow days, look for beds and you’ll see some huge largemouth. Considering how cold the winter was, I anticipate a lot of things will fire up late, so many of our trips will start in May. With that being said, there’s limited space for May and June so book your kayak trip ASAP!”
View this post on Instagram
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Water temperatures are heading in the right direction after last weeks warm-up. That said, it has started to level off with temps approaching 50 degrees in Narragansett Bay, so while tautog reports haven’t been lights-out just yet, we’re close to the bite really improving. Keepers are being caught with some regularity in the Bay, and while the fish are still moving in, you can likely intercept some on the deeper reefs and rock piles outside the bay.
Fresh striped bass have been confirmed throughout the Ocean State, but the numbers remain spotty. We’re still probably a week away from some big masses showing up, but there are plenty of bass to be had when you include all the holdovers chasing herring in the upper Bay. Fresh chunked bait, sandworms, and clams have been getting the job done for many striped bass anglers, but for those throwing artificials, the bass seem to be responding to big soft plastics and swimming plugs. Get out whenever you can, as both the striped bass and tautog bites are bound to hit their strides over the next week.
Freshwater anglers are reporting an excellent start to the trout season, with fish from 3- to 6-pounds falling for PowerBait and worms. Pre-spawn largemouth fishing has also been steady, with a few 3- to 5-pound catches reported over the past few days.