The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) will be stocking ten lakes and ponds with rainbow trout, Sebago Atlantic salmon, and new this year, lake trout starting Monday, Jan. 9, and continuing through Friday, Jan. 17.
DEM will stock the following waterbodies:
- Barber Pond, South Kingstown: trout, salmon, and lake trout
- Round Top Ponds, Burrillville: trout and salmon
- Carbuncle Pond, Coventry: trout, salmon, and lake trout
- Carolina Trout Pond, Richmond: trout and salmon
- Meadow Brook Pond, Richmond: trout and salmon
- Melville Ponds, Portsmouth: trout and salmon
- Silver Spring Lake, North Kingstown: trout and salmon
- Stafford Pond, Tiverton: trout, salmon, and lake trout
- Watchaug Pond, Charlestown: trout and salmon
- Willet Pond, East Providence: trout and salmon
A 2023 fishing license is required for anglers 15 and older, and a Trout Conservation Stamp is required to keep or possess trout or salmon. Trout Stamps are not required for minors under 15, persons over 65, persons with 100% disability, landowners fishing from a property on which they are domiciled, possessing trout taken from a lake or pond that shares a border with Rhode Island, or privately owned trout from privately owned ponds. Fishing licenses can be purchased online on DEM’S Rhode Island Outdoors (RIO) portal.
DEM would like to remind anglers of the following Freshwater Regulations:
- The daily creel and possession limit for trout and/or salmon is two fish, of which two can be salmon, or two trout or a combination of one trout and one salmon, from Dec. 1, 2022, to Feb. 28, 2023.
- The creel and possession limit for trout taken in the Wood River, between the Route 165 check station and Barberville Dam at Arcadia Road, is two fish from the second Saturday in May through the last day of February. That portion of the Falls River, from the bridge at Austin Farm Road to the bridge at Brook Trail, is a catch-and-release area.
- The portion of the confluence of the Beaver River and the Pawcatuck River, upstream to New London Turnpike, is designated as a catch-and-release area.
- The daily creel limit for landlocked Atlantic salmon is two fish per day, statewide until Feb. 28, 2023, which must be part of the overall five-fish limit for trout and salmon.
- There is an eight-inch minimum size for any trout caught in any state waters.
- The minimum size limit for domestic (landlocked) Atlantic salmon is 11 inches.
- For the purpose of fishing through the ice, up to five lines with a single hook on each, personally attended, and held by any device designed for that purpose (tip-up), may be used. Exceptions are for Beach Pond, Killingly, and Hazard Pond whereby six lines with a single hook may be used while ice fishing in accordance with CT regulations.
The following activities are prohibited:
- The use of external felt-soled or any natural or synthetic porous material capable of absorbing water in any freshwaters in Rhode Island is strictly prohibited. This includes any waters shared with adjacent states in which Rhode Island fishing regulations apply.
- It is prohibited to enter or exit a state boat ramp with any vegetation attached to any type of boats, motors, boat trailers, or any other conveyance or equipment to curtail the spread of invasive aquatic plants.
DEM advises anglers to check with local municipal recreation departments regarding safe ice conditions on local ponds before ice fishing. DEM does not monitor ice conditions in local communities. DEM’s Division of Parks and Recreation provides information about Lincoln Woods State Park in Lincoln, Meshanticut State Park in Cranston, and Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick. Ice must have a uniform thickness of at least 6 inches before it is considered safe by DEM. It generally takes at least five to seven consecutive days of temperatures in the low 20s for ice to form and the strength of it is determined by several factors such as the size, and depth of a pond, the presence of springs or currents, and local temperature fluctuations.
Anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts are reminded to protect themselves from hypothermia. When outdoors in low temperatures, dress in layers and wear a warm hat and gloves. Hypothermia is caused by exposure to cold weather, wind, rain, or submersion in cold water. When the body’s core temperature reaches 95 degrees Fahrenheit it can be marked by shivering, dizziness, trouble speaking, lack of coordination, confusion, faster heartbeat, and shallow breathing. It is important to look for these symptoms in children and the elderly. If hypothermia is suspected, call for help immediately. Move the victim to a warm environment, remove wet clothing, and cover them with warm layers of clothing or blankets.
Information about stocked freshwaters, and the size and creel limits for all freshwater fish species are available in the 2022-23 Freshwater Fishing Abstract, or by calling DEM’s Great Swamp Field Office at 789-0281.
For more information on daily stocking, please visit DEM’s website at dem.ri.gov/fishing or DEM Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Outreach and Education Facebook page.
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