This weekend, May 7 – 8, marks the Free Fishing Weekend in Rhode Island for 2016. On this weekend anglers may fish for any FRESHWATER species free of charge and without a state fishing license or trout stamp. Standard creel limits still apply to all anglers, however, and it is your responsibility to follow all rules and regulations. What’s even cooler is that the DEM has special stocked golden trout in eight ponds across the state as follows:
- Barber Pond, South Kingstown
- Browning Mill Pond, Exeter
- Carbuncle Pond, Coventry
- Carolina Trout Pond, Richmond
- Meadowbrook Pond, Richmond
- Silver Spring Pond, North Kingstown
- Peck Pond, Burrillville
- Upper Melville Pond, Portsmouth
For some tips and tricks on how you might increase your odds of tangling with a golden, be sure to check out the feature article on the subject which appeared in the APRIL ISSUE of the New England edition of The Fisherman. If you’re lucky enough to catch one of the beautiful fish, the state is presenting special trout pins for the accomplishment. Simply take a picture of yourself with the fish and email it to [email protected]. And while you’re at it, why not SEND US A PICTURE OF YOUR CATCH as well? Who knows, you might just find yourself gracing the cover of an upcoming copy of the magazine!
THE GOLDEN RAINBOW TROUT
“What is a golden trout?” you may ask. Well the golden trout is a strain of rainbow trout that have been bred from one single mutation that was discovered in a West Virginia fish hatchery back in 1955. That original specimen was then bred with other rainbow trout and ultimately the coloration and size perfected to a point where the unique variation could be stocked in local waters. The golden rainbow is a true rainbow and not a variation of the golden trout which is only found in high-altitude waters of California and is unrelated. The golden rainbow is primarily yellow/gold with a lighter yellow to whitish belly and sometimes prominent red stripe down its side.
