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Wood River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Wood River in Exeter, Richmond and Hopkinton: a Rhode Island stream DEM stocks with trout in spring and again in fall.

Seasonal closure: The whole water, as a Rhode Island designated trout water. Next closed from March 1, 2027 until 6 a.m. on April 10, 2027. Rhode Island closes all designated trout waters to fishing from midnight on the last day of February until 6 a.m. on the second Saturday in April. Source, read October 12, 2026.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
126 cfs
Air / High
56 / 57 F
Wind
NNE 8 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01118000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Wood River asks for patience today: short windows, precise presentations. The river is running 126 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind NNE around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1028 hPa and a high of 57. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:20 AM-11:20 AM and 9:49 PM-11:49 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Tomorrow: Similar at 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

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 β†’

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with RI DEM before you keep anything. The season dates for Rhode Island, read off the agency, are on the Rhode Island seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Wood River at Hope Valley.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01118000.

156290424126 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 85 years of October 23

At 126 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 01118000 (Wood River at Hope Valley) is at the 82nd percentile for the date: above normal. In half of the 85 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 56 cfs; the highest was 573 cfs and the lowest 18 cfs.

p10 25median 56p90 151

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 01118000; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp56 F
High / Low57 / 40 F
WindNNE 8-13 mph
Pressure1027.5 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:08 / 17:53
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Which day to fish Wood River this week

The best day on Wood River this week looks like Sunday Oct 25, at 4 out of 5, against 2 today.

Best day this week: Sunday, Oct 25 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Tough

Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Solunar majors
9:20 AM-11:20 AM and 9:49 PM-11:49 PM
Minor period
3:42 AM-4:42 AM
Sun
07:08 to 17:53
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 13 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

When to come: the Wood River 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
Rainbow trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 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 Wood River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 57 F, wind to 16 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 17 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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

A Rhode Island freshwater license (age 15+) is required, plus a Trout Conservation Stamp to keep trout or to fish a catch-and-release or fly-fishing-only area. Rhode Island's 2026 rules (updated Sept. 23, 2026): trout 5 a day from April 11 to Nov. 30 and 2 a day from Dec. 1 to Feb. 28, minimum 8 inches. On the Wood River between Route 165 and Barberville Dam at Arcadia Road the limit is 2 trout or charr a day from the second Saturday in May through the last day of February. Felt-soled waders are banned in all Rhode Island fresh water.

Access

DEM's stocking points include the Route 165 Arcadia Check Station, Barberville Dam on Arcadia Road, Woodville, Hope Valley and Grantville to Route 95.

About this water

A trout stream in Exeter, Richmond and Hopkinton, Washington County, Rhode Island, in the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed.

Fishing Wood River: the full guide

A stocked trout stream

Rhode Island DEM lists the Wood River (Exeter, Hopkinton and Richmond) among its designated trout waters, stocked before opening day and again through the season. DEM's 2025 stocking updates name the reaches it plants: the Route 165 Arcadia Check Station down to Barberville Dam at Arcadia Road, Skunk Hill, Dow Field, Mechanic Street, Woodville, Hope Valley, and Grantville to Route 95. In October 2025 DEM stocked brook and rainbow trout in the Wood River from Route 165 to Barberville.

Seasons

Rhode Island's trout season opens at 6 a.m. on the second Saturday in April; fishing in trout-stocked waters is prohibited before opening day. DEM stocks its rivers again in the fall, and from December the daily limit drops. The USGS gauge on this page, Wood River at Hope Valley (01118000), reports live flow.

A Wild and Scenic watershed

The National Park Service notes that the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed was designated a Partnership Wild and Scenic River on March 12, 2019, covering seven major rivers across about 300 square miles of Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Common questions

Is the Wood River stocked?

Yes. DEM lists it as a designated trout water and stocks it in spring and fall, most recently listed for Route 165 to Barberville in October 2025.

When does trout season open?

At 6 a.m. on the second Saturday in April (April 11 in 2026). Trout-stocked waters are closed to fishing before then.

Is there a special limit on the Wood River?

Yes. Between Route 165 and Barberville Dam at Arcadia Road you may keep only 2 trout a day from the second Saturday in May through February; elsewhere the statewide limit applies.

Is fishing good at Wood River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Worden Pond8 miWatchaug Pond8 miPawcatuck River9 miNinigret Pond10 miFlat River Reservoir13 miNarragansett15 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 01118000 β€” Wood River at Hope Valley
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 41.5000, -71.7200 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.