Trout fishing in Rhode Island

I recently made a trip to the northeast of the US to fish with a contributor to the Trout Bandit blog, who invited me to fish with him on his home waters in Connecticut.  I had never caught a fish in Connecticut and so I was intrigued by the prospect of checking it off my list of states where I have caught fish.  I have also not caught a fish in Rhode Island so I decided to piggyback a visit there following the two days in Connecticut.

Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State due to its extensive coastline.  Its state fish is also an ocean fish – the striped bass, or striper as it is commonly known (unless you are from Maryland, where the species is called rockfish for some reason).  But the Trout Bandit blog is dedicated primarily to trout fishing, so I set about sleuthing the world wide web to determine if indeed it is possible to catch trout in Rhode Island.

a stocker on the Wood River

The answer is yes!  And that would include wild brook trout (along with stocked rainbows and browns) in the western part of the State, a short 60-minute drive from where I had been fishing in Connecticut.  So, I was thrilled at the prospect of checking off two more states on my list within the space of 3-4 days.

I identified a few possibilities around West Greenwich and deemed the most promising to be in the Arcadia Management Area, which is included in the Rhode Island State Parks system.  Most of the stocking program undertaken by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) focuses on lakes, but also comprises a few rivers, among them the Wood River in the Arcadia Management Area.  The DEM stocks rainbow, brown and brook trout, but also manages and protects certain waters that harbor wild, naturally reproducing brook trout.

The website of the Rhode Island chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU) highlights local waters that one can fish for trout, which gave credibility to my pursuit.  The emphasis on the “Wood River and its tributaries as being part of the nationally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers and TU’s Priority Waters Program” elevated these waters as having great potential.  So, I decided to base myself in nearby Coventry and spend the first morning in recon mode around the Wood River looking for fishy water.

Wood River access points

It was not hard to identify where I should begin.  Several sources, among them the local TU chapter website, were specific on the best access points along the Wood River and its tributaries of the Falls River and Flat River.  All of these were within a half mile or less of the check station and canoe launch along Route 165 within Arcadia Management Area.  I spent about an hour driving up to the named points to check the access, look for fish and chat with other anglers, and garnered a lot of helpful information.

the check station on Route 165

The Arcadia Deer Check Station at Route 165 (Ten Rod Road) in Exeter is a natural starting point to get bearings and assess the water.  Here there is plenty of parking, along with toilet facilities, a few trailheads and a canoe launch.  My sense is that the combination of these amenities contributes to a high level of traffic and related fishing pressure.  I saw no fish during an hour of prospecting at this location.

access point on the Wood River at Blitzkrieg Trail

A short drive to the west brings you to Mt. Tom Road, which will take you to the Blitzkrieg Trail, where there is another access point to the Wood River.  There clearly had been many anglers at this point as I saw plenty of footprints and flies hanging from tree limbs.  I found this stretch of the Wood River to be skinny, with lots of obstacles – a bit like bushwacking.  I did not follow Mt. Tom Road further along, but there are other access points referred to on the local chapter TU site if you continue on from Blitzkrieg Trail.

The most interesting and promising pools I found going a short drive east to the Midway Parking access point off Route 165.  Upon entering the Midway trail by car and passing the parking area you will come to two separate pools at bridges spanning tributaries of the Wood River at what is referred to as the confluence.  The first is the Flat River and the second is the Falls River.  I spotted fish at both access points, but it was at the latter that I satisfied my quest for putting a Rhode Island trout in the net.

a wild brook trout from a Wood River tributary

And it was a wild brook trout!

Tight Lines!