Trout Season Open April 13, Fish Stocked in RI Ponds, Lakes

PROVIDENCE, RI — With trout season open on April 13, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will be ready, having stocked more than 100 freshwater spots, including children’s-only ponds, with 60,000 fish.

New this year, Gorton Pond in Warwick will be stocked. A complete list of stocked waters can be found here. Fish stocked include brook, brown, rainbow, and golden rainbow trout, according to the DEM.

“Opening Day is a treasured pastime for thousands of Rhode Islanders who head out on the second Saturday of April to a favorite fishing spot to reel in their first trout of the season,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “The work and logistics involved in raising and stocking 60,000 trout are intense, and I am proud to recognize all members of the DEM Freshwater Fisheries Team who somehow pull off this feat every year – and keep freshwaters stocked throughout most of the year.”

Fishing is prohibited in all trout stocked waters until Opening Day. Even when fishing in non-trout stocked water, no trout or salmon caught can be kept during this period. DEM reminds anglers to respect their fellow anglers by adhering to this regulation and not fishing in these areas beforehand. Poachers steal the opportunity from anglers that correctly follow regulations. The closed season enables DEM’s dedicated fisheries staff to stock fishing areas statewide and allows stocked trout time to acclimate and distribute themselves, allowing more anglers to fish for them. The 2024-25 freshwater fishing abstract, which includes all rules and regulations, is available here.

Golden Trout Pins

Anglers who catch a golden rainbow trout on Opening Day and through May 6 will be eligible to receive a golden trout pin. Simply take a picture and email it to [email protected] for verification. Submissions must be received no later than Monday, May 6, 2024, to be eligible. One pin per person limit.

Water levels higher this year due to heavy rain

After a particularly wet winter and recent above-average rainfall accumulations, many waterbodies throughout Rhode Island will have raised water levels and fast-moving water. DEM is reminding anglers – particularly those fishing from a boat – to exercise personal safety precautions while in pursuit of their first trout of the season. Anyone going out in a boat, canoe, kayak, or vessel of any kind should wear a lifejacket, or personal floatation device (PFD) to help ensure they enjoy a safe Opening Day fishing experience. Wearing a PFD while paddling in Rhode Island is no longer optional; it is required, according to new boating safety regulations announced last year by DEM.

The new PFD regulation states that all operators and passengers of canoes, kayaks, sailboards, kiteboards, paddleboards, and any other paddle craft must always wear a United States Coast Guard (USCG)-approved PFD while underway regardless of age. DEM drafted the new rule in response to three fatal kayaking accidents in Rhode Island in 2022 in which none of the three drowning victims was wearing a life jacket.

Also, between 2018 and 2021, four out of the 10 boating-related drowning deaths in the state were paddle craft users not wearing life jackets, according to National Association of State Boating Law Administrators data. According to a USCG report, eight out of 10 boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length. Smaller vessels such as canoes and kayaks are less stable than larger vessels and in strong currents paddlers using them can put themselves in danger. Drowning is the reported cause of death in 75% of all boating fatalities. Of those who drowned, 86% were not wearing life jackets.

For more information on stocking, visit DFW’s Facebook Page or www.dem.ri.gov/fishing. Information about stocked freshwaters, size and creel limits for all freshwater fish species is available in the 2024-25 Freshwater Fishing Abstract, or by calling DEM’s Great Swamp Field Office at 401-789-0281, or DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education office at 401-539-0019.