Guide To Popular Panfish Fishing Options In Rhode Island

All about fishing for perch and sunfish in RI lakes and ponds.

Rhode Island offers excellent panfish fishing opportunities, making it a great destination for young anglers looking to catch a variety of species. Some of the most common panfish species found in the state's waters are bluegill, white perch, and yellow perch.

Bluegill is one of the most popular panfish in Rhode Island, known for its willingness to bite and scrappy fighting nature. These colorful fish are found in many lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers throughout the state. Bluegill fishing is perfect for youth anglers as they are relatively easy to catch, making it a great starting point for beginners.

White perch is another panfish species abundant in Rhode Island's waters. These fish are known for their tasty fillets and are often caught near the coast in estuaries, tidal rivers, and brackish waters. They are fun to catch and provide young anglers with a chance to experience the thrill of hooking into a feisty fish.

Yellow perch, with their striking yellow coloration and distinctive black stripes, are also a popular panfish species in Rhode Island. These fish are often found in freshwater lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers. Catching yellow perch can be a rewarding experience for youth anglers as they are known for their cautious bites and can provide a bit of a challenge.

Panfish fishing in Rhode Island is a great way to introduce kids to the joys of fishing. The state's waters are well-stocked with bluegill, white perch, and yellow perch, ensuring a successful and rewarding experience for young anglers. It's an excellent opportunity for youth fishing, creating memories of enjoyable days spent by the water and fostering a love for the sport of fishing.

Panfish & Perch Fishing Lakes

Panfish can be found in many waters across RI. Many ponds, rivers and lakes including Beach Pond, Indian Lake, Johnson Pond (Flat River Reservoir), Pascoag Reservoir (Echo Lake), Stafford Pond, Tiogue Lake, Watchaug Pond and Woonasquatucket Reservoir have one or more types of sunfish.

Top Producing Panfish Lures & Bait

Check out the top producing lures and bait for bluegill, redear sunfish, rock bass and warmouth, as well as other smaller sunfish. Click here for the best lures for white bass, yellow bass, white perch and yellow perch.

Click the images and links above for species details.

Rhode Island State Record Sunfish

The state record bluegill was caught from (Unknown).

The state record white perch was caught out of Tucker's Pond.

The state record yellow perch was caught from Pascoag Reservoir.

The state record common sunfish was caught from Indian Lake.

The term "panfish" comprises many species, each called by a variety of names. The bluegill tops the list and is the most common.

Bluegill Fishing Basics Video

The core principles shown in this video will work for most sunfish, perch and other panfish.

One or more species of sunfish populate virtually all warm water streams, ponds and lakes throughout Rhode Island, and around the world for that matter. They can survive in waters that provide their natural food source of minnows, insects, crustaceans and worms. Their competitive nature amongst themselves, for food, makes them relatively easy to catch.

Panfish are prolific spawners and repopulate the waters as fast as they are harvested. A common problem with panfish fishing is that the waters are under-fished causing panfish to overpopulate. As a result they tend to stay small in size due to lack of food source.

Sunfish information in other states.