Thinking of getting out and getting some macks that I can use for bait, I know they have been few and far between in RI but anyone know when they show up in Rhode Island ? I was thinking around squid time.. 2nd week of May ? Is it worth even trying to round up some ?

I thought it was a few weeks earlier... If it was in May, we'd have keepers on them with a lot of consistancy... Maybe years ago when the population was more dense they would be around in May... (just a guess)

Ive always gotten mostly blueback herring around squid time.

Early to Mid-May is the right time, but they don't hang around very long. Usually they blow by during the week. If you can get on them you can fill a freezer very quickly.