Now is the time to go trout fishing on your own or with family and friends. Trout season opened last week and, with freshly stocked waterways in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, it is fairly easy to catch a fish.
What’s not to like? Being outdoors in fresh, clean air with the anticipation and excitement of catching a fish can truly be a ton of fun for both children and adults. And fishing can take place from the safety of shore.
Next week, the state Department of Environmental Management will conduct a second round of trout stocking at heavily fished areas. And, due to enhanced conditions, Foster Green Acres, Foster; Memorial Park Pond, Lincoln; and Geneva Brook and Pond, North Providence, will be stocked.
How to get started
It does not have to cost a lot to gear-up for trout fishing in April. Manny Macedo of Lucky Bait & Tackle in Warren, said: “We have light-tackle trout rod-and-reel combinations ranging from $16 to $30. You can use them for trout and later in the year to catch snapper blues [baby bluefish] in coves and harbors.” The price range on starter rods and reels for adults can vary and rigs may have the ability to be used for light-tackle fishing in saltwater, too.
“Starter rigs range from $25 to $60 with middle-of-the-road gear are priced at about $40 for a combination.” said Tom Giddings of the Tackle Box in Warwick. Ken Ferrara of Ray’s Bait & Tackle in Warwick said: “We have trout rigs ranging from $20 to $40. But if you have a rod and reel already, all you need is $4 worth of bait and you are off fishing.” Ferrara sells trout rigs designed for PowerBaits made by his son, Ken, with hooks and weights for about $2.
States stock ponds with hatchery-raised trout that have been eating manufactured food, so the bait of choice in most of April is a prepared or formulated bait like PowerBait by Berkeley. As the trout acclimate to the wild (two to three weeks), they begin to start foraging naturally, so meal worms, other natural baits and lures work best then.
“Many are fishing with just a hook and split shot [a very small piece of lead attached to your line],” Macedo said, “to get the line down a bit and then tipping the hook with a formulated bait. Berkeley PowerBaits working well include Chunky Cheese and Hatchery Formulated baits.” Both soft baits, hooks and lures can be purchased at your local bait shops to go along with some free advice on where to fish and what fish are biting. Giddings said: “I would suggest starting out with a variety of trout baits. Some days they like pink and other days yellow PowerBaits. But you might want to take some trout worms or meal worms, too. I always like to take a couple of lures, like a small Kastmaster. So you can teach the kids how to cast and retrieve. And they work great for trout, too.”
Stocked waterways
Visit www.dem.ri.gov for a complete list of trout-stocked ponds in Rhode Island. In Massachusetts, visit www.mass.gov.
Fishing licenses
In Rhode Island and Massachusetts, if you are 15 or older, you need a fishing license before casting your line. In Rhode Island, a Trout Conservation Stamp is also required of anyone wishing to keep or possess a trout or to fish in a catch-and-release or “fly-fishing only” area. Fishing licenses for Rhode Island residents are $18 and Trout Conservation Stamps are $5.50. For more information, see the links above.
Where’s the bite?
Freshwater: Capt. Tom Pelletier of Quaker Lane Bait & Tackle in North Kingstown said: “Silver Spring Lake, North Kingstown and Carbuncle Pond, Coventry, have been producing some nice-sized trout for customers.”
“The stocking has been great in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts,” Macedo said. “The trout bite at Willet Avenue Pond, Riverside; Stafford Pond, Tiverton; and Melville Pond, Portsmouth, has been excellent. We have reports of some 3-pound trout being caught, too.”
“Customers have had great luck at Olney Pond, Lincoln; and one customer caught trout and a small spotted salmon at Wood River,” Giddings said.
Tautog season is open through May 31 with a minimum size of 16 inches. The limit in Massachusetts and Rhode Island is three fish/person/day. Regulations change June 1, with the season closed in Rhode Island during the tautog spawning season and reopening again on Aug. 1. In Massachusetts, the season does not close, but the bag limit drops to one fish/person/day. “Not many fish being taken by anglers yet but that could open up this week,” Macedo said. “Reports of spear fishers doing pretty good and I heard of one 19-inch fish being taken on rod and reel.”
Striped bass: “Anglers are catching fish at the West Wall and are catching holdover fish in the Narrow, Providence and Pawtucket Rivers,” Giddings said. “One customer landed a 42-inch striped bass off Jamestown when casting for school bass. One other positive sign: Warwick Pond was jumping with herring this weekend.” Surf fishing angler Gil Bell said: “No surf fishing report. Crazy cold weather has not helped any. Magic seaweed [Surfer’s site] reports surf temperature 46 degrees as of April 14. Surfcasted about eight times this month for no hits. Ocean warms up in day [if sun], then cools down at night with low air temperatures. I almost feel we are a month behind.”
Dave Monti holds a captain’s master license and charter fishing license. He serves on a variety of boards and commissions and has a consulting business that focuses on clean oceans, habitat preservation, conservation, renewable energy and fisheries-related issues and clients. Forward fishing news and photos to dmontifish@verison.net or visit www.noflukefishing.com.
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