Flat & North River - RI then SBRR & Round Valley

[logs22]

I had to go up to my Mother’s house in Newport RI this past weekend and I decided to take the scenic route up on Friday using the back roads in CT and RI. It was warm, temps in the mid-60s, and raining off and on throughout the day. My first stop was the Flat River in the Arcadia Wildlife Mngmt Area near Exeter RI. Just to get to the Flat River required driving 5 miles on an unpaved and unplowed road. When I got there I was rewarded with a fast moving brook that was completely free of ice. The Flat River is stocked with rainbows which can holdover and also has a healthy population of native brook trout. I didn’t have any luck at the Flat River, possibly because it was running so high and fast, so I moved down to the Wood River which the Flat River joins about a mile below where I was fishing. The Wood River was larger and also running very high. I fished a variety of lures (no bait allowed) but did not have any luck there either. Although I wasn’t able to catch anything in either river, they were well worth the drive and I highly recommend checking out either if you happen to be passing through.

Sunday I returned home from RI and since my wife and son had plans for the day I decided to head to Sporting Life to pick up some bait and then check out the open water on the South Branch and Round Valley. I fished the South Branch near Neshanic and then Flemington for an hour or two but it was running super high and I kept getting snagged by the icebergs floating by. I decided to switch things up and head to Round Valley, where I had never been. My first thought on arriving at Round Valley was “How have I never been here before!?” The park and lake itself were stunning, much more scenic than nearby Spruce Run where I store my boat. I fished the open water right near the South Lot on the edge of the cove next to the boat launch. It was a sunny day and not too cold so there were lots of fisherman out. The small cove was frozen however most of the main lake appeared to be open. I hooked into one fish on a live shiner but I was using an ultralight and must have tightened the drag too quickly because as I did the line snapped. I didn’t get to see what was on the end but I would guess a nice sized trout. So my first trip at Round Valley resulted in a skunk, however I wasn’t too surprised and will certainly return to try my luck again. Hope everyone else had a nice weekend!