Rhode Island Fishing Report
The Frances Fleet in Point Judith has been fishing when conditions permit and reported slightly better results with the tautog this past week. The water is still cold but heading in the right direction and the fish are moving in as expected. There hasn’t been much for reports of squid locally yet, so they are holding off for another week before adding squid trips to the schedule. They are planning to target blackfish on Friday, then run their first fluke trips of the season on Saturday and Sunday. Depending on how the bite goes, they will either begin to focus more on fluking, or transition back to blackfish for a bit. Things can change fast this time of year, so keep an eye on their website for the schedule of upcoming trips. They are also making reservations for private charters for the 2026 season.
Dave, at Ocean State Tackle in Providence, reports that the striped bass fishing has slowly but steadily improved in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers. The lower Providence River and the Upper Bay seem to be producing the largest striped bass. There has also been a steady pick of slot to just-over-slot bass in the east Bay. These areas are still greatly outproducing the South Shore, where the water temperatures are still low, but hopefully that starts to change soon. Scup anglers are reporting a decent start to the season around the South Shore, Tiverton, Jamestown, and Narragansett. There seem to be enough scup to keep everyone busy, but it will also significantly improve as the water temperatures creep up. Largemouth bass fishing has been good with live bait and topwater presentations. 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.
Captain Rob Taylor at Newport Sportfishing Charters is starting to transition into his season and got out on the tautog grounds a few times this week. While things have been behind schedule, he saw a solid improvement in the action over the past few days, including a few fish pushing double-digits. His combo trips should see a strong striped bass bite as well, as the number of migratory fish has continued to rise over the past few days. An influx of pogies in the bay has caught the attention of these fresh-arriving bass, along with some of the larger residents that have been up in that area chasing herring. Squid reports have continued to be quiet, but the dedicated squid fishermen are starting to find a few.
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Captain Connor MacLeod at Tall Tailz Charters provided the following report for the week: “The bite has been very steady this week. Most trips had been focused on tautog, but we had a couple bass trips sprinkled in. The tog bite is steady with fish still holding deeper than expected. At max ebb, we’re seeing the warmest water at around 54°F, which is when the bite has been the best. The fish have been coming almost exclusively on dark-colored Tall Tailz Tog Jigz. The bass bite has been very good considering how early it still is. We’re getting a few fish on topwater, but the money maker has been working flutter spoons in deeper water. Plenty of fish around and it’s still heating up!”
Eric, at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown, provided the following report for the week: “The fish are still showing up strong in the bay and oceanfront. It seems like every tide brings a fresh batch of new fish into our water. I heard someone say that it feels like every striped bass in the ocean is in Rhode Island right now, and while it’s a bit of a stretch, we do have a lot of good fish in our waters. Big glide baits and big soft plastics are the popular lures at the moment—even the under-slot fish are looking for a good meal. The tautog bite is getting better, too. We’re hoping the upside of all of the recent wind we’ve had is some warm water blowing our way to get the tog a bit more active. Shore crabs on jigs seem to be the winning ticket, and if you can’t get crabs try flipping some rocks or hunting around estuaries for fiddlers.”
Dustin Stevens at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report: “Striped bass activity has been pretty consistent over the last week. The average-size fish has been around the slot, however, there are many schoolies and big fish in the mix as well. Tautog hasn’t really fired up as expected, but with time we have been able to catch limits. Squid seem to be trickling in but it’s not yet at its peak. We are patiently waiting for a hot squid bite. On the freshwater side, largemouth activity has been very consistent, while the warmer days have slowed the trout down a little. Carp is another great option for a hard-pulling freshwater fish. May is off to a good start for us. Reach out to book your kayak fishing trip ASAP! ”
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
Water temperatures are still behind schedule but are slowly climbing enough in Narragansett Bay to produce some solid fishing. More (and bigger) striped bass and tautog are being caught with regularity in the Bay, providing some excellent multi-species trips. Waves of pogies and fresh migratory striped bass continued to collide in and around the Bay. Throw in some herring and large holdover fish, and there is some great striped bass action starting up. Live pogies always work, along with sand worms or clams, but don’t hesitate to throw some large artificials. A few fish are rising for topwater, especially on warmer days, but working flutter spoons in deeper water has really been the ticket. As the water continues to warm up, we should start to see some better fishing along the South Shore, but the best action remains in the bay/rivers at the moment.
Tautog fishing is still a bit slower than usual, but reports have certainly improved this week, with a few fish close to the double-digit mark hitting the scales. Like bass, the slightly warmer waters of the bay seem to be the best place to look for active tog, and if your schedule allows you to fish the end of the ebb tide, that is when you’ll see the warmest water and best action.
Scup season is open and a few reports have come in from the lower bay. This bite will certainly improve as water temperatures climb, especially if we can get some more squid to move inshore.
Freshwater anglers are reporting quality largemouth catches, especially in the herring ponds, and the trout bite is still strong due to cool water temps.