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Flat River Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 11, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Coventry’s lake: Flat River Reservoir holds largemouth, pickerel and panfish in western Rhode Island.

5/5
Excellent. Go now.Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
66 / 78 F
Wind
WNW 7 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
11
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

5/5Excellent. Go now.Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.

Flat River Reservoir lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 7 mph, falling pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the new moon, the solunar majors run 11:32 PM-1:32 AM and 11:32 AM-1:32 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchGood

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 78 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 12, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Rhode Island requires a fishing licence from age 15, from $24.00 for residents. What a Rhode Island licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with RI DEM before you keep anything.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp66 F
High / Low78 / 63 F
WindWNW 7-16 mph
Pressure1013.0 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:22 / 19:02
MoonNew Moon, 0%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 11 · Overcast, 78/63 F, wind 8 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. A 8 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Flat River Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Flat River Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Flat River Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 10

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 84 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Sep 9

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 14 mph.

Tue, Sep 8

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Rhode Island requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Rhode Island license. Bass, pickerel and panfish limits per current DEM regulations; check for any drawdown or dam-work notices.

Access

Public boat ramp and shoreline access in Coventry.

About this water

A 570-acre impoundment in Coventry, Kent County, Rhode Island, known locally as Johnson’s Pond.

Fishing Flat River Reservoir: the full guide

A reservoir known locally as Johnson’s Pond

Flat River Reservoir covers about 570 acres in Coventry, Rhode Island, known to nearly everyone locally as Johnson’s Pond. It is a shallow, weedy, wood-rich impoundment with an irregular shoreline, holding largemouth bass, chain pickerel, black crappie, bluegill, yellow perch and catfish, and it is one of the better bass waters in the state.

Largemouth in the cover

The lake is full of the cover largemouth want: lily pads, submerged wood, docks and weed lines. Frogs and weedless plastics over the vegetation, jigs in the wood and spinnerbaits along the edges all produce, with topwater at first and last light through the summer. Bass here reach genuine size in the heaviest cover.

Pickerel, crappie and perch

Chain pickerel are numerous and aggressive in the weeds. Crappie hold the wood and brush and fish best in spring, and yellow perch fill the structure and provide steady action. The lake produces a solid ice fishery in winter for pickerel, perch and crappie when conditions allow.

Coventry logistics

A public boat ramp serves the reservoir with additional shoreline access, and Coventry and West Warwick provide services with Providence about 30 minutes northeast. Water levels have been affected by dam work in recent years, which changes access and vegetation: check current status before making the trip.

Common questions

Why is it called Johnson’s Pond?

That is the local name; Flat River Reservoir is the formal one. Both refer to the same water.

Have levels changed?

Dam work in recent years has affected levels and access: check current status before going.

Is there ice fishing?

Yes when conditions allow: pickerel, perch and crappie are the winter targets.

Is fishing good at Flat River Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.

Nearby waters

Greenwich Bay11 miWood River13 miPawtuxet River13 miWickford Harbor14 miWorden Pond16 miNarragansett20 mi
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