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Pawcatuck River

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NewEngBoy011

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On 1/30/2021 at 0:54 PM, trwhite said:

I've been fishing the river for years, from watch hill to the wood, and have never caught a pike. I'm sure there are some that have worked their way into the river from the streams that dump into Chapman's which is loaded with them. I have no clue if they can tolerate salinity, and I know the water can support stripers all the way up to ashaway. My guess is that there are probably some where the pawcatuck meets the wood, but finding them would be like a needle in a haystack. Try watchaug, wordens, or chapmans in early april for best results.

 

Slightly off topic:

I've heard a ton of rumors about guys catching big rainbows in the saltwater portions after the flood but that was probably a temporary phenomenon. I have also heard guys have caught 30-40lb stripers far north in ashaway on plugs. I have tried for YEARS at this particular location and while I have seen hordes of large herring that sometimes look disturbed from below, I only seem to get largemouth bass. I believe it is possible but have yet to get one north of the westerly/pawcatuck downtown bridge. I think these types of things are outliers that happen once in awhile when conditions are perfect. The state record rainbow (~13 pounds I think!) is out of the pawcatuck river so I guess anything is possible. 

 

And a little more offtopic:

I am very excited about the removal of the Potter Hill dam which is something that I have been waiting for years to happen. It is the last dam to come out and I believe its removal will bring the health of the river closer to its pre-industrial state. There used to be a species of salmon called the westerly salmon that went extinct sometime in the 1800's (off the top of my head, fact check if necessary). I have seen some orange salmon stocking signs on the river so I am wondering if they are starting to restore them in advance of the dam removal. I do know it will help the river herring immensely as every year you can watch them get stuck at the base of the dam and get picked off by cormorants, ospreys, and eagles for about a month or so.

 

Edit: Just read an article, the "westerly salmon" were actually probably salters which are sea run brook trout that grow up to 15 pounds.

 

 

 

 

Haven’t fished ashaway in a couple years but I agree big herring and bigger preditors

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