Rhode Island
Looking to go book a fishing charter? This is RI’s best fishing town, per FishingBooker
Winter Flounder
R.I. DEM researchers look for winter flounder during a fish trawl survey to collect data on the numbers and varieties of fish in Narragansett Bay.
Kris Craig, The Providence Journal
If you’re looking to book a fishing trip out of Rhode Island, consider Narragansett.
Narragansett, which has a long history as a fishing community, is the best fishing town in Rhode Island, according to a recent ranking from FishingBooker.
As the world’s largest platform for booking fishing trips, FishingBooker based their rankings of the best fishing towns in each state on booking and reviewing data from their website over the last year. Each town was given a score from 1-10 in the following six categories:
- Number of available fishing charters
- Average review score
- Average recommended score
- Number of guides with the Angler’s Choice Award
- Number of bookings
- Minimum price of a fishing trip
Out of the six categories, Narragansett received a perfect 10 in four, winning the No. 1 spot by over 20 points.
Why is Narragansett good for fishing?
Originally settled around 1675, the coastal fishing town of Narragansett has access to both the bay and the open waters of the Atlantic. It encompasses some of the historic fishing villages in the state, such as Galilee and Point Judith.
Galilee has maintained its fishing heritage. Galilee is home to the largest fishing fleet in Rhode Island, according to the Rhode Island Party and Charter Boat Association. It’s also the fourth-highest-value fishing port on the East Coast as of 2021, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
Common fish species caught in Narragansett include striped bass, bluefish and flounder.
According to FishingBooker, Narragansett won due to its high number of Angler’s Choice winning captains, amount of bookings and recommendation scores, adding up to 55 out of 60 possible points.
More: How did Jerusalem and Galilee, Rhode Island, get their names? We asked around.
Their website recommends 76 fishing charters to book trips with, the most of any Rhode Island town. Many of the charters have received top awards and guest recommendations.
What other RI destinations made the list?
Here is the full list of the top fishing towns in Rhode Island, according to FishingBooker:
- Narragansett
- Portsmouth
- Warwick
- Newport
- South Kingstown
- Westerly
- North Kingstown