Rhode Island Fishing Report
Over at the Frances Fleet in Point Judith, they are eagerly waiting on the return of better sailing conditions, with plans to start fishing for tautog and cod as soon as weather and interest permit. They will be adding squid trips as soon as the bite starts to come together. The fleet is starting to book their 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. With warm weather right around the corner, the crew is looking forward to getting back on the water soon!
Eric, at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, provided the following early season report: “We’ve seen some increased holdover activity; it’s a great way to get the rust off and get your mindset back to fishing. Classic spring lures like the Jumpin‘ Minnow and SP Minnow are reliably producing some nice fish. Tautog season has started, but the bite probably needs a few more warm days to really kick off. While many shops aren’t stocking crabs yet, a quick trip to the shoreline yields some easy opportunities to grab shore crabs or fiddlers. We never know when it’s all going to break open, so the best thing you can do is go fishing and be the one making the report rather than asking for it. Looking for some new gear for the season? We have our annual Striper Kickoff Show this Saturday, April 11, at the shop. The best plug builders on the east coast come to our shop for one day only. Don’t miss it!”
Captain Rob Taylor 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 cold, so the fish want slow presentations, mainly jigs, but they’re chewing well. 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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Dustin Stevens at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report: “The holdover striped bass bite has been consistent. Smaller school striped bass are to be expected, but more slots have come up recently. Herring runs are in full bloom so it’s a good time to upsize your presentation to try for a larger fish. Tautog fishing continues to be slow. Only one fish each outing for me while fishing for around 3 hours. Fish are around, but things should really start to improve next week, after the water temperature ticks up a few degrees. With pre-spawn being a great time to try for largemouth, I’ve focused a lot of my effort there. The bite has been very consistent. Trout opening day is Saturday, so a lot more freshwater fisheries will be open, which will create great opportunities for trout, largies, crappie, and carp. The main fishing season is right around the corner, so reach out ASAP to book your kayak fishing trip!”
Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina said she sold a few dozen crabs last week to customers hoping to catch their first tautog of the 2026 season. No one had reported catching yet and the water is still pretty cold, but the bite should start to pick up soon. There were reports of a few winter flounder being caught in the salt ponds and holdover striped bass are becoming more active, especially around the herring runs. It seems to be a good year so far for herring, and there have been reports of some mackerel off of the beaches. Trout fishing will start this Saturday, and anglers are having some luck now targeting largemouth bass, pike, and panfish. They are not on regular hours at the shop yet, but someone is typically there on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can also call ahead and arrange a time to meet someone there. They are still taking in a good amount of gear for their annual used tackle sale, which will be held May 2nd and 3rd.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that anglers are getting excited about the prospect of both freshwater and saltwater fishing. A few anglers are finding some tautog, but the bite hasn’t fully developed yet, with the recent cold weather trend holding the water temperatures down. Anglers looking for holdover striped bass are reportedly catching well in the usual early season haunts. Freshwater anglers are also reporting an uptick in white perch activity over the past week or so, which is holding them over until the kickoff of trout season this weekend. Dave will be opening for the season on the 10th of April, and will be fully stocked for your opening day trout, freshwater, or saltwater needs. He will be open from 430 AM to 7 PM until Memorial Day weekend, then will be open daily from 430-8 from Memorial Day weekend through the rest of the season.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
While anglers across Rhode Island wait for some better weather to help facilitate their saltwater fishing, opening day of trout season this weekend will provide some excellent angling opportunities across the state. Tautog season has started off slowly, with some cold nights resulting in colder water, but a warming trend this weekend should help to get things moving in the right direction. The local, holdover striped bass don’t seem to mind the cold and are chewing well. As more river herring enter the systems, these bass take notice, and can be fooled on large swimming plugs, soft plastics, and topwaters. We’re a mere couple of weeks away before the masses of migrating fish show up, and the first of those reports may start trickling in over the next two weeks. There are reports of mackerel showing up along the beaches, which could help fire things up when migratory bass arrive. Largemouth bass reports have been stellar for the past few weeks and whether you’re into bass or trout, there’s going to be a big number of water bodies that will open up this weekend with the trout season opener.