PROVIDENCE – In honor of all veterans, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is stocking ponds across Rhode Island with some 4,000 trout in advance of Veterans Day – a popular time for recreational fishing.
The following waters will be stocked this week: Barber Pond, South Kingstown; Carolina Trout Pond, Richmond; Carbuncle Pond, Coventry; Meadowbrook Pond, Richmond; Olney Pond, Lincoln; Silver Spring Lake, North Kingstown; Wyoming Pond, Hopkinton; Wood River, Exeter (Barberville), Hope Valley (Dow Memorial Field), Hopkinton (Mechanic Street and Horseshoe Dam), Richmond (Alton Pond), and Exeter (Deep Pond for fly-fishing only); and the Pawcatuck River, Hopkinton (Bradford) and Charleston (Lower Shannock Brook). Carbuncle Pond, Olney Pond, Silver Spring Lake, and Lower Shannock Brook offer universal fishing access for disabled anglers. For daily updates on stocking locations, follow DEM's outdoor education page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/rioutdooreducation, or call 401-789-0281.
A current fishing license and a Trout Conservation Stamp are required to keep or possess a trout or to fish in a catch-and-release or fly-fishing-only area. A free, special permanent fishing license may be obtained by any veteran of the armed forces who currently has a 100% disability rating or by any individual who is 100% permanently disabled. A Trout Conservation Stamp is not required of anyone who has a 100% disability. Licenses for disabled individuals must be obtained at DEM's Office of Boat Registration and Licensing in Providence.
The license fee for current members of the armed forces (resident or non-resident) and for Rhode Island residents is $18.00. Fishing licenses and the Trout Conservation Stamp can be obtained at any city or town clerk's office, authorized agents such as bait and tackle shops, department stores such as Walmart and Dick's Sporting Goods, and at DEM 's Office of Boat Registration and Licensing in Providence. Visit the DEM website for a current list of licensed vendors. Anglers are encouraged to check the list prior to visiting a vendor to purchase a license. For more information or to purchase a license, visit www.dem.ri.gov.
The daily creel and possession limit for trout is five from April 9, 2017 through November 30, 2017; and two from December 1, 2017 through February 28, 2018; except in the Wood River between Route 165 and Barberville Dam at Arcadia Road where the daily creel limit is two trout from May 13, 2017 through February 28, 2018. State law requires that boaters always have personal flotation devices for each person, and that they do not drink and operate a boat. Boaters should also be sure their craft is seaworthy before going out on the state's waterways.
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.
For a list of designated trout waters and information of interest to anglers visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) or Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM for timely updates.