Outdoors in RI: Trout season up next, know the rules. Sweet’s Hill conserved. Pooch beach ban.

Photo, top: Charlie Chupko reeled in his first trout last year – a golden rainbow trout that anglers have an opportunity to catch to earn a golden trout pin! 

60,000 fish stocked in over 100 waterbodies

Opening Day of trout season is set for Saturday, April 12, and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has stocked more than 100 freshwater locations, including children’s-only ponds, with 60,000 fish – brook, brown, rainbow, and golden rainbow trout. A complete list of stocked waters can be found here. 

Fishing is prohibited in all trout stocked waters until Opening Day. Keep it reel – even when fishing in non-trout stocked waters, no trout or salmon caught can be kept before Opening Day. DEM reminds anglers to respect their fellow anglers by adhering to this regulation and by also not fishing in trout-stocked waters before Opening Day. 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 2025-26 freshwater fishing abstract, which includes all rules and regulations, is available here.

Go for the gold – 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 5, 2025, to be eligible and there is a one pin per person limit.

For more information on stocking, visit DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife’s (DFW) Facebook Page, visit www.dem.ri.gov/troutwaters, or call DEM’s Great Swamp Field Office at 401-789-0281, or DEM’s Aquatic Resource Education office at 401-539-0019. 

Opening Day is a spring tradition 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 DEM’s Freshwater Fisheries Team who pull off this feat every year – and keep freshwaters stocked throughout most of the year.” 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.

Boat regs

State law requires boaters to have personal flotation devices (PFDs) for each person, and all operators and passengers of canoes, kayaks, and any other paddle craft must always wear a PFD, regardless of age. DEM also reminds anglers to protect themselves from hypothermia. When outdoors, especially 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. For information on Rhode Island boating laws, please visit http://www.dem.ri.gov/safeboating. Following personal safety precautions and staying up to date on the weather forecast is the best way to ensure a safe and fun Opening Day fishing experience.

Information about stocked freshwaters, size and creel limits for all freshwater fish species is available in the 2025-2026 Freshwater Fishing Abstract. A 2025 fishing license is required for anglers 15 years of age and older and a Trout Conservation Stamp is required to keep or possess trout. Trout stamps are not required for persons possessing trout taken from a lake or pond that shares a border with Rhode Island. Fishing licenses can be purchased online on DEM’s Rhode Island Outdoors (RIO) portal.  

Know the rules!

DEM reminds anglers of current Freshwater Fishing Regulations: Fishing in trout stocked waters begins at 6 AM on Saturday, April 12.The daily creel/possession limit for trout and/or landlocked domestic salmon singly or in aggregate, is five from April 12, 2025, through November 30, 2025, however, only two salmon may be possessed per day. The number is reduced to two December 1, 2025, to February 28, 2026.

The creel/possession limit for trout or charr, taken in the Wood River between RT. 165 Arcadia Check Station and Barberville Dam at Arcadia Road is two fish from the second Saturday in May through the last day of February 2026. There is an 8-inch minimum size for any trout, stocked or wild caught in any state waters.The minimum size limit for domestic, (landlocked) Atlantic Salmon is 11 inches.That portion of the Falls River, from the bridge at Austin Farm Rd. to the bridge at Brook Trail is a catch and release area. That 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 following activities are prohibited: The use of external felt soled waders or boots or those soled with 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 strictly 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 in order to curtail the spread of invasive aquatic plants or invertebrates.

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RI Speaker of the House enlists Janet Coit as environment advisor:

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151 acres conserved in Burrillville – Sweet’s Hill

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces the conservation of 151 acres of forested land in Burrillville for habitat restoration and public recreational use, including hunting. DEM received a $911,000 grant from the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) through Wildlife Restoration Program to complete the acquisition. The purchase price of the property was $1,336,500.00. USFWS’s grant provided 75% of the appraisal value of the property at $911,250, matched with $425,250 in Open Space Bond funds.

The St. Angelo property, also known as “Sweet’s Hill”, will be incorporated into DEM’s 1,684-acre Black Hut Management Area, which abuts on three sides. The acquisition will strengthen the boundary of the Management Area, will be open to the public, provide excellent recreational opportunities, and protect important habitat which includes forested uplands, a series of streams, vernal pools, and old field dense with pollinator-friendly plants.  DEM’s Division of Fish & Wildlife will manage the property for hunting and trapping opportunities as well as for open space and conservation habitat.

“The conservation of his property as an addition to Black Hut Management Area is another win for expanding recreational opportunities and protecting important habitat,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “DEM appreciates the support of the USFWS as well as hunters and target shooters, whose purchase of firearms and ammunition in the state is taxed specifically to fund conservation projects like this helping to preserve land for the public.”

DEM’s Land Conservation Program purchases ecologically valuable land to enhance DEM’s management areas, parks, and forest lands. Funding for these acquisitions is made possible by State Open Space Bonds, with contributions from municipalities, land trusts, and from various federal programs. The program works to acquire land to add to DEM’s conservation holdings – to protect state forests and open spaces for public recreational use and habitat conservation. Since 1985, over 20,000 acres of land have been protected. 

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Beach Season bans the pooch!

All 8 of the Rhode Island state beaches ban dogs from April 1 through September 30 every year. These beaches are: Charlestown Breachway, East Beach in Charlestown, East Matunuck in South Kingstown, Misquamicut in Westerly, Roger Wheeler, Scarborough North and South, and Salty Brine in Narragansett.

Check with individual towns and privately-owned beaches on their rules. All the beaches on Block Island allow leashed dogs year-round.

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Slovakia to cull brown bears

350 out of an estimated population of 1,300 brown bears in Slovakia will be culled, citing the danger to humans after a spate of attacks. “We can’t live in a country where people are afraid to go into the woods,” the prime minister told reporters afterwards. We wonder if international hunting excursions will be part of the “culling” effort.