Rhode Island Fishing Report
Over at the Frances Fleet in Point Judith, they are eagerly waiting the return of nicer weather with plans to start fishing for tautog and cod as soon as conditions permit. They will be adding squid trips as soon as the bite starts to come together. They’ve been able to sneak out on the cod grounds a couple up times thus far, and the bite was pretty good, although it was short-lived due to brief weather windows. The grounds are loaded up with bait though, including sand eels, which portends well for the upcoming season. Looking a little further ahead, fishing for fluke will start up in May or as soon as they arrive in good numbers. Their full schedule can be viewed on the website where you can also make reservations for upcoming trips.
Dave at Ocean State Tackle in Providence reports that tautog fishing is off to a bit of a slower start, but savvy anglers that are putting their time in are managing limits. Striped bass fishing for holdovers is still good in the Providence and Pawcatuck rivers, and anglers are reporting some fresh fish around the coast, right up to slot size. Trout fishing was good for anglers who were willing to brave the cold and rain for opening weekend, including Jeff Spicer who caught close to 50 trout on the fly! Luckily, the weather looks much better this weekend. Dave has everything you 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.
Rob 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. Word from the saltwater guys is that some fresh stripers are starting to show up, and tautog reports are slowly improving with the warming weather. He’ll be transitioning to salt soon, so be sure to lock down a date for a trip before it’s too late!
Dustin at Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures provided the following report after another week of spring fishing: “Migratory striped bass are slowly starting to trickle in. I feel that we are a week or two away from any sort of consistency targeting the fresh fish, but there are some to be had. The holdover bite is still going strong. Sooner or later, the holdover stripers will mix with the fresh fish, giving anglers solid options and new locations to target them. Tautog fishing is slowly heating up, however, similar to the bass bite, I think we are about a week away from steady, reliable action. That being said, there are some quality keepers around if you have some patience. Cod is another saltwater option this time of year, but most fish have been short of keeper size. On the freshwater side, opening week was lights out for trout, with many anglers catching golden trout. The largemouth bite is hot, but it has taken a backseat to the trout bite. Spots in May for kayak fishing trips are almost gone, so reach out as soon as possible to book your kayak fishing trip(s) for 2025!”
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Eric at The Saltwater Edge in Middletown was happy to report that the first migratory striped bass have arrived in Rhode Island! More than a handful of anglers have landed some schoolie bass with sea lice on them. Small topwaters like Jumpin’ Minnows are true fish catchers this time of year, along with white soft plastics like the original Hogy 7-inch or Slug-go. Tautog fishing has been surprisingly good this week, and while no giants have been reported, plenty of keepers are around with more showing up daily. These fish tend to be on the picky side, but don’t get frustrated, they will eat eventually.
Elisa at Snug Harbor Marina reports that it was a slow week due to the weather last weekend, but with the weather improving this week, fishing should improve across the board. There is still a decent holdover bite in the local backwaters. A few headboats made it out for cod a handful of times, but the results have still been tough. Tautog reports are slowly picking up from the Newport and Jamestown area, and the bite inside the bay should really start to fire up soon. They are seeing a good amount of activity around the shop with customers gearing up for the season ahead. They are also getting in more gear for the annual used tackle sale which is coming up on April 26th and 27th. The shop is open most days from 10 AM to 2 PM, but it’s a good idea to call ahead because hours can vary. They plan to open full time starting the weekend of the 26th.
Ralph at Crafty One Customs said that the tautog reports have still been on the slow side, but things have started to pick up with the weather improving. Striped bass action has been mostly reserved to the salt ponds/rivers, but rumors of some migratory fish are starting to trickle in. Ralph has seen an uptick in activity around the shop this weekend with people dropping off rods and reels for service and picking up new gear for the upcoming season. If you do have gear that needs service, get it to them soon as the backlog is growing and the number of days that they have to get everything ready is shrinking. The shop is open 7 days a week, from 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays, and 9 AM to 3 PM on weekends.
Rhode Island Fishing Forecast
A steady improvement in weather over the next week should finally see spring patterns develop in Rhode Island. A few reports of fresh striped bass have surfaced over the past few days, and there will likely be a better push over the next ten days. Holdover striped bass fishing has remained solid in the meantime, with the largest specimens hanging around the herring runs. The bait numbers in said herring runs have improved quite a bit this week, so now is a great time to cash in on that bite.
Tautog season has started off slow, but reports have steadily improved for those putting in the time, and I expect to hear some much-improved reports from Narragansett Bay very soon. A nice bonus for tautog anglers remains the presence of cod as bycatch, although they are mostly on the smaller side.
Largemouth bass reports have been steady for the past few weeks, and the trout opener was a success for those who braved some rough conditions. Steadier weather and flow conditions this week should equate to more consistent fishing in the trout waters than we had for the opening week.