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Rhode Island Fishing Reports / Target Species / Hatch Charts

Welcome to River & Riptide Anglers weekly fishing reports page (Fishing Bites). Here we'll post a weekly fishing report for our local waters. On occasion we'll report on areas outside of Rhode Island to include the Farmington and Housatonic rivers in Connecticut as well as the Salmon River in New York. Reports submitted will based on experiences on the water from both local and regional anglers. River & Riptide Anglers will do its best to provide you with the most up to date and accurate information available in order to make your trip on the water a successful and memorable outing.  

For additional information please feel free to contact us at the shop for up to the minute reports, local weather and marine forecasts. REMEMBER SAFETY FIRST...

For those looking for a guided trip along our saltwater shoreline. Chec out the vessel 19ft Triumph Bay, powered by Mercury Optima 150. Give us a call for available dates:

Tight Lines

Owner/Captain David Porreca

Fresh Water Fish We Target
Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)                                                      Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)

 

 

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhychus mykiss)                                          Steelhead (Oncorhychus mykiss)
  

 

 

                                               
Saltwater Fish We Target
Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis)                                                       Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix)
Atlantic Bonito (Sarda sarda)                                           False Albacore (Euthynnus alletteratus)
Blue Fin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) 

WHAT DO YOU SAY WE GET BACK TO FLY RODDING.

Monday night fishing August 30th: We'll start off at Middle Bridge on the Narrow River. Depending on the amount of anglers we may have to spread out both up and down river. See you then.

 Rhode Island Fishing Report 

Wednesday September 1st Rhode Island Fishing Report:

Ed Sully and I headed out early am just to get one in before the storm. Heading out of Napatree we found flat calm seas, it was nice... We hit te Watch Hill Reef and found huge Blue Fish on the surface. 1st cast and hooked up with a bite off. Added RIO wire and bang, at least a 10lb racer blue fish. As the tide stopped so did the fish and things became very quiet. Water temps were 70 degrees from WH west to the Race. Sporadic fish popped but nothing to right home about. I am convinced we needed the tide to turn. There was massive amounts of bait pooled up everywhere. The down side is, I had to open the store. We headed off by 10am as I would believe we are most likley missing some good fising before the storm. See you out there on Monday. Batten down the hatches.

Monday August 30th Rhode Island Fishing Report: Last night was a well needed break away from throwing heavy 10wts. The Monday night gang hit Middle Bridge over the Narrow River. The Horseshoe was pretty lively with peanut bunker, silversides, needlefish and small blue fish, thus making the shad fishing lots of fun. With 10 of us on the shoe we all fished together and had a great night. I enjoyed fishing my new Sage Xi3 8wt. The rod is super light and throws and intermediate line like butter. Cudos to the gang over a Sage for making the Xi3 one of the best saltwater fly rods oout there.

Sunday Rhode Island Fishing Report August 29th: With anglers Clive Bennett & Gary Koss aboard we hit the reef along Watch Hill. Water temps have not cooled from the recent weather. Bass were around with a few blitzes on the WH reef. Fishing was tough through the South West End of Fishers. Bait was present and it appeared we may have seen some sporadic funny fish. Bright sun and a bright moon the night before may have slowed the bite. Plenty of bait in the area. Stay tuned for better reports over the next several days and weeks to come.

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All rods retail for $625 (US). Find the current TXL series of rods on sale at River & Riptide Anglers

 

August 22nd Rhode Island Fishing Report;

Well I had the privelage in guiding Sheila & Bill Hasan this morning. Or at least I thought. We arrived at Barn Island Boat Ramp in Stonnington expecting 5 knot winds and seas 1ft or less, partly sunny and rain in the afternoon. Yeah Right... We hit the usual spots and motored around Fishers, by the Race and back to reef. Seas were at least 3ft and the wind could have hit 20k. Lets not forget the eye stinging rain which poured down upon us. A few birds on the reef with nothing to brag about. There were several anglers on the water and all of us shrugging our shoulders. Who predicted this...We scratched the trip at 8:30.

GO FISHING; August 21st

Over the past several weeks I have been hearing the same thing from everyone "when are we going to get some rain, the Wood River is so low" I must have said it 100 times in the last few days myself. Did you know that when the Wood River is this low the majority of the water is fed by aquifer... What does this mean? Water is filtered through the soil which cleans and cools the water throughout the river. So what do I say to that,,, get out and fish. The big issue is there is less feed with more fish congregating in some of the major pools in the river creating skittish fish. This doesn't mean you can't get out and enjoy the river. My suggestion would be to release your fish as soon as possible and if able avoid touch the trout. I would also concentrate early am as the water temps will drop a few degrees throughout the evening and this is all it take to make trout a little more aggressive. I stopped by the check station this evening and yes the water was low however, it was cool and there were a few fish rising below the steps. With water levels this low what a great toime to fish ultrlight fly rods such as the Sage TXL's. Once we get a drop in temperature and the water cools the algae will disappear and we'll be back to great fishing. As for right now get out there and enjoy.

  

August 11th Rhode Island Fishing Report:

Fall Run Come Early, OR WAS IT SPRING... Clients Steve Martini and his friend Rob chartered my boat this am. As we motored out of Barn Island the new moon was relevant. Inside the harbor we found the lowest of low tides, No water. As we motored out of Sandy Point and hit the inner point of Napatree. Bait fish everywhere or at least we thought. Dropping the throttle I was amazed to see one of the largest Cinder Worm hatches ever. School bass were all over the place. The hatch stretched from the red channel marker all the way to Watch Hill Reef. We went back in time and threw on some worm patterns; made a few casts and said "are we nuts" I would also take to my grave that Green Bonito were on these worms. Permit like tails were boiling on the worms. As we headed to the reef and the tide turned water temps were 64 degrees and bass were everywhere. Both Steve & Rob caught a bunch of fish with Steve losing a pig which pulled hard and broke off in the reef. This morning was a charter I will continue to question and remember for a long time.

 

August 10th Fishing Report:

I received a generous invite from my friend Gary Koss to fish with Captain Tim Brady of Manchester Mass. The target was inshore BlueFin Tuna. Tim's boat was an impeccable 26ft Regulator powered by twin Yamis... The morning started with dense fog however, we found a few fish inshore, I mean less than 1/2 mile inshore. As the fog broke we found more fish. These BFT's were anywhere from 80 to 200lbs. The amount of bait was incredible, tinker Mackerel were everywhere. The tough part is the BlueFin just wouldn't stay up for consistent shots with flies, plugs or tins. I was hoping to break-(in) my new Sage Xi3 Fly Rod. The experience was tremendous and Tim was one of the best guides I have ever fished with. His service and determination was second to none, I would recommend him to anyone.

 

 

Somewhat Offshore Rhode Island fishing Report Sunday August 8th

Joe and Chris joined me for some sharkin offshore. We loaded my CC with Mehaden chum and headed south out of Point Judith. We set up roughly 3 miles east of the north rip. We found a small shelf which dropped from 90 to 140ft. Water temps were 71 degrees. We set up the slick. Swells were at least 4ft but it wasn't bad. The fly stayed on the boat however we dead drifted some squid on 8/0 Gami circle hook with 40lb RIO wire. After losing two baits to Blue fish we set up on one and kept him in for bait. One more bite off on squid we sliced up the blue fish for bait. An 8" fillet went into the slick. It wasnt 5 minutes and the stand-up gear went singing. Joe grabbed the rod and the fish sound below the boat. After a 5 minute tustle the fish broke off. 50lb braid for shark is not the right choice. As we reloaded one of the blue sharks came to the surface and decided to play with the boat. The fish was roughly 6ft plus and proceeded to chew on my lower unit. I placed a bright Marlin fly tied to my Sage Xi3 Fly Rod #14 in the sharks nose with my 14wt and it didn't even phase him/her. We then dropped another bait in the slick and bang, now Chris is fighting the fish. Another break off... By 10:00am the south wind started to pick up and we decided we had enough fun for the day. We'll be much better prepared on the next venture out in hopes of getting out a little further and bring in some Mako's.

 

Weekly Rhode Island Fishing Report Friday August 6th:

I'm beat... After a week of guiding and opening the store 1/2 hour late every day I am looking forward to some sleep. No rest for the weary. We hit the reefs from Watch Hill to Lords passage. Stripers are in heavy on incoming and outgoing tides. It seems there is a mix of peanut bunker and butter fish (still yet to identify). Watch the outgoing on the reefs as they can get pretty gnarly. The reefs have mostly stripers and its one of the best bites I have seen for this time of year in the past few years. Around 8:00am we headed west toward the race. Just off Fishers Isle airport we found bitzing blue fish which created some fun. Once the tide began to turn we headed back to the passage and tangled with some nice stripers. Once again, on outgoing tides this area is not for the faint of heart, use caution. Clients were fishing Redington CPX Fly Rods & Sage Xi3 Fly Rods with intermediate and fast sinking fly lines.

Thusday August 5th Rhode Island Fishing Report: Braved the fog and thunder storms and fished the reefs out of Napatree. The fog was so dense you could barely see 30 yard off the bow. Once the weather got worse and the storm warning increased we headed in. Once we got 100 yards from the ramp mother nature unleashed her fury. We tied the boat up with others left them there and headed for the refuge of our vehicles. WOW was she PO'D. The storm headed east at 30 miles per hour. We headed back out the bass were still playing on the reef. It's a great late summer bite. Can't wait until the Albies are mixed. Nice chance for a new england slam.

Monday August 2nd Rhode Island Fishing Report:

Fall run comes early... Or is it here to stay. Unlike last year we fished Watch Hill & Fishers in search of bass and blues. They were there last year just not in the numbers I am seeing this year. Yesterday we found big blues with stripers mixed in along the race as well as inside. The usual coves didnt produce due to non-favorable tides. Lords Passage to the Watch Hill Reef had huge schools of stripers and blues on the surface all morning. DJ had a blast chasing fish. Stripers were aggresive enough to be caught while using wire. Yellow Deceivers did the trick. As the days go by we'll soon find the palegics in the mix. Its looking to be a great summer and start to the fall.

Thursday July 29th Rhode Island Fishing Report:

It was nice to have Kerry back to get his hands on a striper with a fly. Kerry is used to the big boats of So Cal and big fish I might add. Last year was a little tough for us however this year we decided not to waste time and brave the threats of storms this AM. We launched out of Barn Island and hit my usuall spots. Nothing on the Watch Hill Reef, headed to Fishers, South Beach was lifeless. Isabella Beach had a strong tide heading east and the wind heading west. This created anice rip and the bass were there. After landing a nice fish and losing what was believed to be a big bluefish rain and clouds moved in. We decided to head east back to the rips. This paid off. We found birds from Lords Passage to Catumb Rock and more stripers on the bait. Olive and white clouser and black deciever did the trick. The only problem is there not enough time in the day. I hope to have Kerry bakc out next week before heading west.

 

Last night our TU chapter had Brad Gage from Sage/Redington/ RIO. Brad showcased some of the new toys coming in from Redington. Speaking on behalf of the group, the night was great. We casted some great rods and I feel the most popular were the Redington CT rods launched in 2010. In my opinion this rod has the classic action similar to the LL models. Redington is truly coming to the plate with great new products.

Wednesday July 28th Rhode Island Fishing Report:

Took a quick trip out of Point Judith today. We headed to Stinky Beach and found acres of bait in front of the fish trap. Dead slack low tide and no fish on them. We decided to head to the center wall where it seemed of few Bonito popped up and vanished. From there we hit the west wall with birds working the edge. We found a commercial boat dumping its by catch well outside of Matunuck Beach with blue fish gorging. Joe Grenon did manage a nice blue and one cut off with the fly. We cut the trip short to a minor marine malfunction. Warranty completed within one hour of my return thanks to my friends at C&L Marine. Back at it tomorrow, Fishers Island sound

Monday July 26th Rhode Island Fishing Report:

We hit Hull Cove Jamestown last night, although it was a perfect evening, this fishing wasn't at all perfect. We fished both with fly and plugs. A few snapper blues popped up and one hit my pencil popper. I think my plug was bigger than the fish. While on the water I recieved reports of bonito along Narragansett & Scarborough beach. This is great news for fly anglers. Photos of bones landed should be on their way for confirmation. The intel cams from a very reliable source. Tight lines anglers.

Sunday July 26th Rhode Island Fishing Report:

Wen't out the bay with Bob Hines on the Skeeter Sunday. We motored from Greenwich Cove to Barrington Beach, around Prudence Island and back into Warwick Neck. We found water temps which ranged from 75 to 81 degrees. WOW. The bay temps continue to heat up. Its the weather is playing a roll in increasing temps however I wonder how much the lack of bait is causing changes as well. You'll see us out at WH & FI.

Weekly Rhode Island Fishing Report:

The Wood River although levels are low the Hex Hatch continues in select areas. look for muddy water where burrowing nymphs reside. Left the shop last night at 10:00 and the windows and light post were covered with duns. Late hatches will produce. The gang reported on the Farmington River tis past weekend with mid day hatches of Needhami Duns (small mahoganies) throughout the river. These flies are small and hatch in mass. #26 & 28 mayflies.

Saltwater: Reports of bonito contiune west of RI. Old Saybrook CT has seen some numbers of Bonito. They should be hitting the RI shoreline soon. Best bets are Narragansett Beach early am for stripers. For those which have access to boat or Kayak The outer reaches of Napatree continue to show life with blues and bass in the mix. Outer Fishers Island offers excellent opps for stripers early am.

July 16th Rhode Island Fishing Report;

Captain Bob Hines and I ventured out today early AM. We hit the Watch Hill Reef by 5:00am with not much activity at all. From there we headed to my favorite spots along Fishers Island. You don't have to go to Block Island to get big stripers. Water temps along Fishers Island are around 67 degrees. We found blues and bass sporadically on the surface. Bob Hines hooked a mix bag striper and blue fish. I hooked and faught the largest striper in my life only to see it on the surface near the boat and spit the hook at my prop. Bob and I both agreed it was in the 20lb class. Thats fishing... We'll be back. Tide was dead low then slight inward.

 

July 5th Rhode Island Fishing Report:

Launching out of Barn Island at 5:30am we hit our usual spot along Watch Hill Cove. Early AM produced no Stripers in this area. Water temps are kreeping up. Inside Little Narranganssett Bay Water temps are hitting 69 degrees.  We did manage a bluefish on Watch Hill Reef. In search of stripers we headed outside Fishers Island and found bass on the surface in several areas. With the high sun early am fish were a little skiddish. Crystal clear water and big sun is not the perfect combination. If you venture out for summer time bass focus earl am or evenings. The outer reaches during chaging tides can always produce bass.

Wood River Fishing Report July 1st:

Guided clients Nelson and Chris last evening along the Wood River. We started above the Pines and hit some of my favorite water. We were on the river by 2:30 and had sporadic rising fish. Water temps did cool a bit to mid to low 60's. This will slow the Hex hatch down abit. Caddis and some Lt Cahils were around. As evening grew closer we headed down stream insearch of som muddy water. We managed a few fish on various patterns. Switched to Hex flies at 9:00pm and picked up a few more. Mix of browns and bows. We did see a few Hex flying around but nothing to right home about. Reports from other anglers who ventured further down stream did experience a heavier hatch. Its not over by any means. For those just getting out the Wood is anew river this year. There are deep holes, new sand bars and eroded banks. Use caution when venturing out.

DP

RI Fishing Report June 30th: A bunch of fished the Wood River this evening in hopes of some Hexagenia activity. No signs of Hex in the area below the deer check station I was fishing. Chris Grenon reported some Hex flies about 100 yards below me. I did land 4 Brook Trout on Caddis and 2 nice rainbows on Prince Nymphs. No Hex through 9:00 from my area.

On a saltwater fron there seem to be some buzz on the arrival of funny fish (false albacore & green bonito) In my experience these fish arrive when summer water temps are at their peak and the butter fish arrive first followed by the bay anchovy. This typically is a month + away for RI and nearby CT & NY waters. Lets not rush this as there is still great striper fishing to take advantage of before the palegics arrive. Water temps are around 62 degrees in the Watch Hill area. This is lower than it was last year based on my records. Bass should stick around and the arrival of the funny fish truly means summer is over. Don't rush it its comming. ><)))"> 

Weekend Fishing Report:

Friday June 25th I met clients at the Barn Island Boat ramp. We headed to Watch Hill Cove. As the sun rose stripers were all over the surface. Steve landed 2 bass on a pink Squid Fly. We decided to move to the Watch Hill Reef were birds were on the surface. With a little too much traffice we headed to one of my favorite spots along Fishers Island. Once there we had Stripers breaking. We set up a drift and it was perfect. In tight to the rocks I was marking some good bass in 20ft of water. Steve cast a gray / white clouser with the 9wt Redington CP and deep sinking line. The rod went tight. The Striper sounded hard and eventually came to the surface. "Nice Bass". As the fish came to the boat it sounded again and then spit the clouser. What we saw of the bass when on the surface was well into the 30 inch class.

Sunday June 27th:

The River & Riptide gang headed to North Monomoy for some flats fishing. Although it is very late in the season for the best action we decided to give it a shot. We loaded up on the Rip Ryder and headed over. With incoming tide sand eels made their way into the edge of the flats. A few snapper blues were breaking on the edge and then Mr. Seal popped up. There were a few other angler about with no stripers to speak of. It was a long trip and a lot of ground to cover. We had fun but it would have been nice to catch some fish.

Wednesday June 23rd. Jay O'Donnell Reports a great night with his new G.Loomis 10wt Experience:

What a great night!  Some pictures attached. We fished off Castle Hill in Newport in my brother's new Whaler (well, new to him).  Fish were busting everywhere!  No idea what they were chasing but birds and bass were THICK!  I managed to land 5 total including a chunky keeper (all fish were C&R'd). Two more may have been right at 28 but we didn't measure. I hooked another keeper for sure that pulled off after about a minute of tug o'war. She went straight down after being hooked and I was muscling her pretty hard (too hard I guess) and she pulled off. I also had a big ol' gal follow the fly to the boat. I almost soiled myself when I saw her. She was 36+ inches. It was an awesome sight!  The rod worked perfectly!  I was slinging a big super hair fly with ease.  Actually, I had countless bumps from fish too small to take the fly!  It's exactly what I was looking for.  Thanks so much for your help!

Sunday June 20th Saltwater Fishing Report:

With clients Steve Martini & his freind Rob aboard we headed out early am arriving at Barn Island around 4:30am. We hit the flats between Sandy Point & Napatree, tide was high and the bass didn't seem to be lurking. We then moved along Napatree Point and found fish on the surface. After taking a few fish and traffic increasing we headed to the clumps of Fishers Island. Middle Clump, one of my favorite was void a fish. Maybe it was the seals sitting on the clumps which kept the bass away. From there we headed West to the dumplings. The water was like glass. Once we arrived we found some good size bass on the surface however they just wouldn't stay up for us. We decided to motor around Fishers Island to hit some subtle reefs on the outside. We found fish working the edges. After noticing a nice boil on the edge of the rip Steve cast a gray / white clouser just beyond and the bass nailed it. After about an 8 to 10 minute fight the 30" + fish spit the hook right at the boat. From there we headed to the Watch Hill Reefs. With not too much traffic and some good drifting we managed a few fish on the reef in the 26inch rangs. When the tide slowed so did the fishing so we headed inside Napatree and found bass & blues on the beach in roughly 5 - 6ft of water. We picked up a few bass here, one follow to the boat was a fish close to the 40" class. Hot flies were gray / white clousers, & yellow flat wings. Water temps outside were 61 degree. Bait present was sand eels, silver sides, and it looks like some mullet were present based on what a caught bluefish coughed up for us. Water temps are good I axpect the fishing to remain good through July in these areas.

Tight Lines, Capt David

Tuesday June 15th Wood River Fishing Reort:

John Troiano & Joe Grenon report sporadic Hex May Flies on the Wood RIver last night. Sporadic Sulphurs were emerging as well. The Wood is a great levels and water temps are in the mid to low 60's. With the warm weather forecasted over the next few days we should see more Hexagenia May Flies emerging over the next few days. Everthing is right on schedule. You'll also see Gray Drake spinners prior to theHex hatch aroung 8:00pm. Durning this spinner fall you'll find may flies in skinny water with fish rising consistantly. Fish a rusty spinner in size 12 & 14.

Monday June 14th Fishing Report:

The Monday night gang met at the north parking lot of Narragansett Beach. I always like walking the beach as I make my way to the mouth of Narrow River. The walk paid off. We found stripers in the 2ft of white water right on the beach. I love fly fishing the surf. You get a little wet however it’s worth it. My initial fly was a yellow deceiver and school size bass. As the sun began to set I switched to an all black deceiver and the hook-ups were 1,2,3. The seemed to be small snapper blues in the mix. Bait was 2 inch sand eels... Lots of them. It’s good to see stripers in the surf. And there were plenty of them. Remember when fishing the surf cast from a comfortable depth and cast parallel behind the surf in the white water. This is where the bait turns up making them easy pickens for stripers. It was a great night with plenty of fish..

RI Fishing Report June 11th: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Lets start from the West. Reports along Fishers Island have been pretty good. Bass have been congregating along structure, rips & ledges. Heading East Quonny Pond has some school bass during outgoing tides. WORM HATCH... Done! You may find some sporadic worms but nothing to write home about. Switch your lines to Intermediates and fish your usual patterns. Try evenings and early am. The channels in outgoing tides will produce some great flats action before sun up. The mouth of Narrow River produced good action on larger bass on Tuesday. The gang headed back to the flats in Narrow last night. Peak of the high tide produced a few fish up to 24" however the action was slow. We didn't stay for the outgoing which was sure to produce better action.
Its Trout Time: The Wood River is chocked full. Early evening hatches include mahogany duns, light Cahills & some gray drakes. The Hexagenia Limbata Hatch is right around the corner. Get ready for the Hex... Flies In stock. For those who have been itching to hit the Farmington River, get out there. I vote this river as one of the best tailwaters in the north east. Lots of fish, many over 20inches. Contact the shop for details on guided group trips along the Farmington

Tuesday June 8th Fishing Report:

The RISAA Fly Committee headed to Narrow River this evening only to find a ton of anglers entering at the Sprague Bridge. Joe Grenon and I headed north up the river and found big bass feeding on bait in skinny water. Amazed by the fish we found our intermediate lines dragging the bottom. We moved into deeper water and picked several fish. Only issue these were not the bass pushing water. They were much smaller in size. All in all it was a boat load of fun. We'll be back to the flats with flaoting lines for those big bass.

Weekend Update June 5th:

Get out and fish, wait for the lightning to stop first. Trout anglers will find a mix of browns, rainbows, and wild brook trout along the Wood River. Mahogany Spinner late evening and early am. Sporadic caddis, and Light Cahills at dark.

The Worms have returned to Ninigret Pond, actually they never left this is just another emergence, If you can stand the fog youll find stripers on worms in various coves. Additional reports of bass along Napatree through to Western Fishers Island have been positive.

Sunday May 30th Fishing Report:

 

Long over due, several of us made the trip to the Farmington River. Heading out a 6:00am we were hoping to catch some early AM spinner falls with sporadic mayfly and caddis activity. We arrived on the river by 8:30 we scattered about just above the Bone-Yard. We took a few fish early on caddis with a 22+ inch bruiser I landed on a size 14 Mahogany Soft Hackle Dry¦ Thanks to Chris Grenon for netting the fish for me. Although there was some wind it was nice to throw my 9ft 3wt Sage, a welcome break away from the 9wt saltwater rods. As the day progressed the activity began to slow. We broke for lunch at Ovation Guitar Co. After lunch Clive managed a few fish on sub surface patters. As evening approached we settled in at the 318 Bridge and Church Pool. The 7 us dominated the area. Fish were rising on Caddis & sporadic Vitreus mayflies. As the sun set there was tremendous spinner fall. Rusty Spinners & Mahogany Soft Hackles became key patterns. Taking the holiday into consideration there were not as many anglers as one would expect. I wonder if it may have been due to the license fee issue. None the less the Farmington River is truly a class fishery and it may be one of the best in the North East. See a few photos below of some of the fish landed.

 

Best David,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday May 26th Fishing Report:

I spent a few hours with the gang on the Wood River last night after our TU meeting. We fished just down from the Deer Check station. We found an immense population of Wild Brook Trout throughout this section. Mahogany Duns started around 7:00pm with Light Cahill spinners to follow. A few nice rainbows were landed within the mix.

In the 20 + years I have been fishing the river I have never seen this amount of wild brook trout. I think we have all done a great job preserving this resource. If we follow these steps we can continue to see this river prosper for generations to come.

  • Use single barbless hooks

  • Crimp the barb on barbed hooks

  • Bring fish to net as quickly as possible

  • Avoid handling fish for any length of time (A trouts gils breakdown after 13 seconds out of water

  • Its Ok taking a trout for table fare, practice catch & release whenever possible

  • When returning from a fishing trip especially out of state rinse your gear thoroughly with mix of bleach and water

Monday May 24th Fishing Report:

The Monday night gang headed to Charleston Breach-way. We made the trek inside the channel, crossed to the East and fished the Green Hill side on Ninigret Pond. Prior nights fishing from kayak we found a good amount of worms with good size stripers. This evening we found just a few worms however the stripers were there. Is seems they were looking for the same thing we were. Along the east end of the flat I found myself in a pod of nice size bass feeding on sporadic worms and what appeared to be silver-sides. I did manage a nice 30 inch fish +/- which took me to my backing on my 9wt CPX. Several other short strikes for the evening and one small schoolie. For the month of May, Ninigret, Quony, Potters, & Point Judith Pond have all seen good size stripers. The action should continue through June before the bass begin to run the shorelines.

We may squeeze one more night of Striper fishing before the weekend and Sunday the gang is heading to the Farmington for some 16ft leader, dry fly, brown trout activity...

Thursday May 20th Fishing Report:

Ed Sullivan and his son Alex invited me out for a night of Kayak fishing in Ninigret Pond. It was a nice night away from guiding and I got to stretch a line for a bit. We launched the Yaks on the Green Hill side on Ninigret around 6:30. The area was loaded with worms and stripers were everywhere. It seems the worms are emerging further out on the pond where water is at the temperature to entice the spawn. None the less it was a wonderful evening. Ed Landed 2 nice stripers, Alex hooked 5 the first I wish was landed, it moved water the size of a Volks Wagon, I landed two nice bass and lost one. The key here is to be mobile and move about the pond. For the wade fisherman it may be difficult however explore your options and you’ll be pleasantly suppressed.

On another note: Last evening I fished new rod I offer during my guided trips; The Redington CPX in a 9ft 9wt, I was pleasantly surprised at how light a feel this rod was and how simple it loads. Sage has made tremendous strides in perfecting this rod and its well worth the investment.

Tight Lines,

Capt David Porreca

 

 

 

Saturday May 15th Fishing Report:

Anglers and friends Ron Marafitoti, son in-law Daryl and grand son Jake fished aboard the Blackstone yesterday in search of worm swarms. Water temps have spiked back up to 64 degrees in Ninigret Pond however worms are scarce. Stripers are cruising the edges in search of bait. We did find small swarms of worms around 6:30pm. They lasted for a short time with bass feeding on the surface. The anglers had a few misses with one nice 28 inch bruiser which took us into our backing on an 8wt Xi3. Ron’s grandson Jake fought his first striper and did a great job battling the fish. See Photo later this evening. There were many anglers on the pond last night. Use caution later in the evening as there are many kayak anglers on the pond.

May 11th Tuesday: RISAA Fly Fishing Group

We were all hoping for worm swarms for our first outing however 46 degree air temps and water temps droping 10 degrees from a week ago didn't help. Several of the group did brave the wind and cold this evening. Most of us fished floating lines with sub-surface patterns. Tom Smotherman and Henry Cougno were top rods landing a couple of nice bass for the night. Due to the weather we cut the night short. See photos of Tom & Henry's fish. Lets hope for warmth & worms.

 

 

May 10th Monday Night Fishing:

Several of us headed to Narrow River for Monday night angling. We fished south of the Sprague Bridge. Intermediate lines with clouser minnows. Gray & white was the color. Several of landed some short stripers at the peak of the incoming tide. As the tide went slack the bite turned off. We didn't stay much longer however we had a few bumps as the tide began to turn outgoing. Jim Less was top rod with a couple a fish including this chunky 26 incher.

May 7th - 8th:

Had the pleasure of guiding 2 great guys this weekend. Joe Herbert & his son in-law Tom Gibson we're in search of worm swarm and striped bass. Friday started off with some tough winds and no worms to speak of. Water temps were around 64 degrees. We ended up tight to the point of Mansion Cove in Ninigret Pond. I saw one worm the entire evening however there were several fish breaking along the seam. Joe & Tom did land several shorts with a few a couple of good size bass.

Saturday was all together different. As the storms passed a cold front came through with gale force winds and colder water temps. The new moon brought in big tides and water temps aroung 59 degrees. With the cooler nights coming I would anticipate a dramatic slowdown. This may prolong the hatch of which; I'll take... See Joe & Tom's stripers below.

May 6th Thursday:

Last evening the weather held out for us. Worm swarms were in less numbers than previous nights and the striper bite was a little better. Several fish were landed by my clients with the biggest a chunky 26 inch fish. There are many large bass in the mix well over keeper size. We also noticed shore anglers landing fish. The worms ranged 1 inch to over 3 inches and in all the years of fishing these swarm I just wan't to worn everyone; they do bite. We'll be back at this evening. Stay tuned.

May 5th Wednesday:

Worms continue to swarm in various coves in Ninigret Pond reports; Captain Bob Hines. Last evening Bob guided Charlie Vachon and landed several good size stripers on Bob's Waking Worm. Bob reports don't be affraid to fish in the wind as bass will be less skiddish and may not pay as much attention as they would to the naturals; of which are in abundance. He also stresses fishing the edges of the worm swarms as you can target fish moving to the swarm. 

May 3rd Monday:  

We headed to Ninigret Pond in search of swarming worm. Water temps were around 63 degrees and worms are swarming every where. This can sometime make difficult fishing however many of us at least caught a few Bass. We found some areas where bass were cruising like basking sharks feeding on Krill. Avoid those fish as your fly competing with millions of worms is just a waste of time. Fish the edges where bass may be coming in to find the swarms.

 

Bob Hines Waking Worm and Page Rogers Worm both caught fish. Ed Sullivan & Chris Grenon both caught fish in the 30 inch range. Quality Stripers on the pond and they’re full of sea lice.

 

 

May 2nd Sunday:  Joe & Chris Grenon reported a great day on the Wood River this past Saturday. Soft hackles did wonders on rising trout throughout the High Banks and Pines section of the Wood. As stated in previous reports somtimes a storm can change things in nature which can prove to be a benefit to a fishery. For those fond on Magic Pool tred with caution as it's very deep and un-wadeable. It looks like Magic Pool may be magical once again.

On the Saltwater front the Cinder Worms are on. Last evening we found worms throughout Ninigret Pond with pods of Stripers. There is no shortage of Bass in Ninigret. For those which have been waiting, the store is well stocked with a nice selection of Captain Bob Hines worm flies. Get them while they're hot.

Week In Review April 24th: I took a walk along the Wood this week in the Arcadia area and its amazing how the Wood has changed. For regulars it’s a new river. It appears that nature has purged the river of choking silt. Pools and deep holes seem to be back to what they were. The river will need some restoration as many mature trees are lying across the river. Over the past few weeks Black Quills, Gray Drakes, Egg Laying Caddis have been extremely prolific throughout the river. I fished a short evening last week along the Falls River and landed 5 wild brook trout in the 8inch range.  The Wood River was stocked earlier this week and several of the popular spots should be fishing well this weekend.

The Farmington River is beginning show life as Hendrickson Mayflies are starting to hatch. The CT DEP stocked 7000 trout throughout the catch & release area this week. 1000 of those fish were in the 2-3lb range.

Sunday April 18th:

Narragansett Bay Fishing Report: A few of launched out of Greenwich Cove, Joe & Chris Grenon joined me aboard my boat. This was my 1st trip just to get the boat running. After a few reports of bass in the bay we did find some fish in Upper Greenwich Cove, one small school size bass was landed by Joe Grenon. The fish were breaking for just a few minutes. Tide was in-bound and the fish caught had sea lice on it. The wind began to kick up however we tried several other locations including Sally Rock, Green River, and Warwick Country Club. Water temps were 50 to 53 degrees. The fish are starting to show...

Sunday April 11th: 

Spent the morning fishing with my son GianLuca, at 2 1/2 yrs young GianLuca landed his 1st trout at Frosty Hollow Pond in Arcadia. The morning was great, actual Gray Drakes were emerging and kids were catching trout all over the pond. The afternoon several of us headed out with Kayaks in search of some Pike with the fly in Wordens Pond. Several Pickerel and a few Smallies but no pike. None the less the the morning and afternoon was great & the Freedom Hawk 14 Stand-up kayak is great to fish with.

Saturday April 10:

Anglers report decent fishing around the Arcadia area of the Wood River. Friday rains did raise the water levels a bit. The checking station, High-Banks and the Pines all had fish. Chris & Joe Grenon reported good catches of brook trout in the Falls River with one fish over 12 inches. Although the state advised against fishing the lower stretches of the Wood (Hope Valley / Richmond) due to high water, anglers headed out and enjoyed the day. It goes to show the passion for the sport.

The saltwater anglers are seeing more bass in the estuaries. The major Connecticut Rivers contiue to see their share of bass at their outflows. The Narrow River has fresh bass entering due to the amount of River Herring entering the river. 

dp 

April 8th 2010: 

Well anglers this is just an early report as we are just days from the opener of Trout Season. Before venturing out be sure to call the local police in the town you plan on fishing in. Many sections of the Wood River are closed due to the recent storms. Other than that the Wood River in Arcadia (check station) is in great shape. I have been visiting the river every evening this week and the water level is actually wadable. Black Quills are emerging mid day and yesterday there was a great hatch of Gray Drakes. The river will be new to us this year creating new opportunities to explore and learn. It also seems to me that much of the lose silt which may have been choking the river is now on the banks or in the forest. Talk about a natural correction. None the less get out and enjoy but tred with caution.

On the saltwater front, the bass are here...what are you waiting for? River Herring are chocked full at Gilbert Stewart Birthplace. Keeper bass are being taken in Narrow River, especially the upper reaches. The warmer temps are going to turn things on. For those interested in last minute shopping we'll be open a bit later on Friday evening.  

Stay safe and tight lines. dp

 

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