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Best chain pickerel lakes in Rhode Island

13 Rhode Island waters hold chain pickerel. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The eastern esox — a lie-in-wait weed-bed assassin that bites all year, including through the ice.

1. Flat River Reservoir — 36 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Yellow Perch
2. Worden Pond — 9 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Chain Pickerel
3. Watchaug Pond — 36 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Yellow Perch
4. Bowdish Reservoir — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
5. Tiogue Lake — 15 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
6. Indian Lake — 30 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
7. Belleville Pond — 8 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
8. Yawgoog Pond — 15 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Chain Pickerel
9. Chapman Pond — 15 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Chain Pickerel
10. Mashapaug Pond — 20 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Chain Pickerel
11. Carbuncle Pond — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
12. Silver Spring Lake — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Chain Pickerel
13. Barber Pond — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout

When to fish chain pickerel in Rhode Island

• Spring 2–10 ft — Early spawner: post-spawn fish prowl warming, weedy bays and eat everything that moves.
• Summer 3–15 ft — Classic ambush game: weed edges, pad fields and dock shade — flashy, steady retrieves.
• Fall 4–15 ft — Feeding hard around the last green weeds as water cools.
• Winter 5–18 ft — One of ice fishing's most reliable biters — shiners on tip-ups over weed flats.

Also in Rhode Island: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best bluegill lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best yellow perch lakes

Chain Pickerel elsewhere: New Hampshire · Massachusetts · Connecticut · New York · Maine