-Bold Point Park
-Dyer Island
-Kings Beach Fishing Area
-Melville Ponds Campground
-NAVSTA Newport – Carr Point RV Park
-Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures
-Weaver Cove Boat Ramp
Bold Point Park
Excellent place to launch a kayak, inflatable or cast from the bank. This park hosts many open-air events and is open year round.
Bold Point Park, located on the East Providence waterfront has views of Upper Narragansett Bay and the Seekonk River and overlooks the Providence skyline.
Kings Beach Fishing Area
Located on one of Rhode Island’s most beautiful places to visit (especially during the fall), Kings Beach Fishing Area offers an excellent location to launch a kayak or fish from the shore. Parking is limited during heavy use periods so get there early just in case.
Kings Beach from Rhode Island Blueways
Kings Beach is a fishing access site at the east end of Brenton Point State Park. There is a gravel parking lot here and a gravelly “beach” that in good weather can be used to launch sea kayaks, but only very experienced kayakers should attempt to paddle in this area because the shoreline is rugged and there is no shelter from waves sweeping in off the Atlantic Ocean. The water can go from calm to boiling breakers with little warning. Pay attention to the tidal currents as well. While the tides are not usually that strong right off the shore here, if you round Brenton Point they can be much stronger going in and out of the East Passage. Heading west from this site takes you along the rocky shoreline of Brenton Point State Park towards the Brenton Point and the entrance to the East Passage. Heading east takes you along more rocky shoreline on the way to Lands End.
On most days the southwest wind fills in strongly in this area in the morning and blows briskly throughout the afternoon, producing strong waves, so be prepared for this when planning your trip.
This site provides access to the following water bodies: Rhode Island Sound.
Melville Ponds Campground
Melville Ponds Campground and RV Park
Melville Ponds Campground is located on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, in the town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island. They are 5 miles from historical Newport, RI and the ocean beaches. This is a convenient Campground to stay near the Naval Base and very close access to the Weaver Cove Boat Ramp and Narragansett Bay. We didn’t stay here but we did use their RV dump station for a $20 fee.
NAVSTA Newport – Carr Point RV Park
Right near the water. RV spot with a view. Close proximity to – well, Rhode Island is the smallest state, so everything. A big plus for me was the close proximity to the Weaver Cove Boat Ramp and the dump station and Melville Ponds Campground nearby.
From the website:
Safety is our priority! We support physical distancing. Please maintain 6-FT physical distance. Due the current pandemic, bathroom facilities will not be provided at this time. Patrons are responsible for making sure they have the amenities they need. Water, 30 & 50 amp hookups are available. Dump station is available for $20.00 at Melville Ponds Campground 181 Bradford Ave, Portsmouth, RI (401) 682-2424.
Patrons are responsible maintaining cleanliness of site. Reservations are required and are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. To make a reservation, download the reservation form then email the completed form to mwrnptrv@gmail.com. There is a maximum stay of 14 days, and the six sites that include water and electricity.
Active & Retired Military Personnel $30.00 per day
DoD Civilians $35.00 per day
This MWR facility is open to active duty personnel, retirees, reservists, dependents, eligible veterans (VA caregivers), DoD civilians, and contractors with valid ID & base access.
Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures
During my summer of 2021 travels up the east coast looking for fish, we stopped in Rhode Island for a couple of days to see what fishing she offered. I had previously lived in Rhode Island for nearly 11 months of my life, but that was almost 20 years ago. What was the fishing like now vs. then? Since I didn’t wet a hook 20 years ago, I guess it didn’t matter. In 20 years, social media came as well as a kayak fishing community explosion that seems to grow every year. I had my rugged 2016 Hobie Pro Angler and I wanted to get her wet and find WhereTheFishAre. I contacted Dustin with Rhode Island Kayak Fishing Adventures and secured a spot with a small deposit. He wasn’t sure where we would fish since we were still a couple of weeks away and the weather could significantly change between now and then. We kept in touch and the day before, we confirmed our meetup place.
Dustin carries the best fleet of kayaks and fishing gear, including very good marine electronics (fishfinders) that the client gets to use. This is important to kayak fishing (or any fishing) because it allows the angler to increase his/her chances to catch quality fish. Sure, cheap gear doesn’t mean you can’t catch fish, but having quality gear certainly helps increase your chances. Dustin and his company runs their guide service right – the way it should be.
We launched early morning at the boat launch and were underway, making way. Dustin rigged me up with a Striped Bass trolling rig which I slowly let out behind me as I pedaled forward down the river. After letting out 30 yards of braided line, I closed the bail of my spinning rod, checked the drag and kept a steady 2 -3 knots.
Now this wasn’t my first time trolling from a kayak. I’ve trolled for miles en route to fishing spots and caught nothing. Dustin did mention that the fish may not be biting even though we may troll into a school of fish. Some people hate trolling for fish since it requires very little casting or skill compared to actively casting for fish, which often requires knowing WhereTheFishAre, precision movement of the lure/jig in front of the fish’s feeding zone, and continuous casting, especially if they aren’t biting.
Since we had fish finders on the kayaks, we were able to see structure or even the actual fish, which is very helpful in knowing if you are trolling in the correct spots. If you see fish in your fish finder and you are trolling, there is often a lag since the lure/rig is 30 yards behind you.
I was fully expecting a day of slow trolling with maybe a one or two hookups, but boy was I wrong! Not soon after letting the trolling rig out and checking my drag, a healthy fish was making my reel sing to my favorite tune! I changed my course and speed so I could close with and reel in this fish and after a hearty fight, I caught my personal best Striped Bass. He was a healthy 25 inches, but too small to keep. Off he went to grow some more and I was back at it. The fish were biting today. After catching 5 that were under keeper size, I finally landed one big enough to harvest. Dustin and another angler with us caught a couple keepers, as well, which they harvested and kindly let me keep knowing that I had never eaten Striped Bass before.
What a great day of catching Striped Bass with Dustin! Be sure to check out Dustin on Instagram @dustingoesfishing or his website above. He provided an excellent kayak fishing guide experience and I look forward to using his services again in the future.
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Dyer Island
Dyer Island is a short paddle from Weaver Boat Ramp, which is located on the northern part of Aquidneck Island, near Portsmouth.
The island seems to be an unofficial seabird sanctuary as many gulls and their young can be observed in mass numbers inhabiting the island. I avoided getting to close to avoid an unwanted bird attack, but it was very entertaining to watch mature gulls teaching their young how to swim, fly and hunt for food. One particular young gull had a broken wing, but the mama stood by her young’s side and did what she could to protect it.
Just off the shore, I found some fish in the fish finder and decided to drop a jig to see what hit. Scup, aka Porgy, was the winner – winner Scup for dinner! While small, it was excellent table fare.
Weaver Cove Boat Ramp
Great boat ramp with plenty of parking. The ramp is steeper than I would prefer, but It was in good shape as of June 2021. It provides excellent access to Narragansett Bay, Prudence Island and Dyer Island. It’s a public ramp with no fees. See link here for more information.
