One week unlikely , two weeks maybe , 3 weeks for sure

[Saltheart]

That's the bass time table for RI.
I'll do the wall and second beach a few times. Schooly fishing is just a way to get it all rolling so I'm only good for about 6 trips then I get board.

Last year Smokey and I were out of control to get going. Jumped the gun on everything. Fished the wall too early so got board early and switched to fishing the herring early so got board and went to the canal too early , etc. OH well. Hard to control those impulses sometimes!

Looking forward to he "Mystery Tour" again this spring.

So , lets hear about your area and when and roughly where your first bass will be taken this season.

[STEVE IN MASS]

Hmmmm......get back to you after tomorrow....

[179]

I say the East Beach side of the Charlestown Beach wall. My bet is by April 6th, there will be a schoolie caught there.....

[STEVE IN MASS]

Somehow....I think you got plans for that day....

I'm trying to be just as optimistic for tomorrow.....

[Saltheart]

Only 3 of us going to try for early season bass? Are you guys actualy keeping early season bright fish spots a secret??

Ok , how about up the Sakonnett at Sandy Beach or First Beach past the Atlantic Beach club by April 10. How about Green Hill by the same time. Know of any bars that stick way out there? Know any Deep Holes? You might try that too. How about River Rock? How about Watch Hill? How about Brenton reef by mid April?

Anyway , there are tons of places by mid April.

Any other contributions from some CT and MA people?

[JohnR]

Well, I'll leave holdover fish from Providence or the Thames out of this... Before I started fishing in Rhody, early season bass for me meant an annual trip to the Vineyard with a bunch of buddys from work & my dart team. This was an annual trip we started and would head over the weekend before Memorial Day. We would stay 4 or 5 days and hate leaving - usually putting a couple hundred miles on the trucks in 4wd getting Happy in Chappy...

Then Bill had me come down to the West Wall in late March/early April. He'd call me every day while I was stuck in my office in Boston - "Hey John, nice conditions at the Wall, can you make it down here? - You're gonna miss the fish". I usually couldn't but every now & then I'd sneak out early and drive (well fly) down to Matunuck when the conditions were just right and have a ball opening the season for "fresh" schoolies in late March & April. As I walk down the wall, I see a lot of the usual suspects doing the usual thing and it's just a big welcome to a new year. I just love the place and it really has become an early season ritual for me.

Whether the fish are true early arrivals from down south or if they are fish from the local ponds or from the Thames doesn't matter to me. They are my "First Fresh Fish" of the season and to me, are like opening day at Fenway Park. I'm just so excited and filled with optomism and eagerness for the upcoming year!

[STEVE IN MASS]

They are my "First Fresh Fish" of the season and to me, are like opening day at Fenway Park

Ummm, yeah, but unlike the Sox, you still have the promise of a good season....... .....Met's fan, ya know....

[Got Stripers]

I'm an addict, but I also enjoy freshwater fishing and am making the switch officially this weekend. Been cleaning and organizing all my freshwater gear over the past couple days and plan to hit one of my early spring spots Saturday. I'm going to have to get an early start, because the weather will have every Tom, #^&#^&#^&#^& and Canalratt1 out there .

You guys tell me when there are some schoolies up my way won't you. Actually, I'd love to hook up with John or someone and give the RI coast a look, but only after some decent fish move in. Until then, I'm going largemouth, smallmouth, pickeral and crappie hunting, hmmmm crappie yum.