The Sakonnet Area Provides Bountiful Fishing Spots

So you want to go fishing in the Tiverton, Little Compton and Fall River areas?

Two of the most well-established bait and tackle shops in the area, where equipment can be bought and the latest information can be obtained about saltwater and freshwater fishing, is , in Tiverton, and Main Bait and Tackle, of Fall River.

From the surf, to offshore locales in shallow or deep water, these shop owners mention the area has several fishing hotspots. From Stone Bridge to Common Fence Point in Portsmouth to other places in the Sakonnet River basin, and from Island Park to the Hummocks, there are plenty of places for fish to gather, such as to bass and scup, but they can't hide for long from anglers. 

And there is easy accessibility to the whole breadth of Narragansett Bay out to Block Island as well as to Cape Cod and the islands.

Freshwater fishing is still popular on the Quequechan River, Taunton River and South Watuppa Pond, all in Fall River, as well as on the Stafford Pond and other ponds in Tiverton, Little Compton and Portsmouth.

Riverside Marine

Owner Joe Latinville of Riverside Marine says the first place he recommends is an old railroad spur path just to the right of his store where several local fishermen took advantage during a hot Memorial Day. With Mt. Hope Bay and Fall River to the right, and the bridges over the Sakonnet River to the left or south, one man had already landed a striped bass of about 20 pounds or so. 

“You can find many place to catch tautog (or blackfish), fluke, striper, bluefish and scup,” Latinville says, adding that “this is the best area in the state for tautog.”

His small store literally is a launching point that can provide access to fishing ventures whether seconds away and further into the Sakonnet River basin and into Narragansett Bay, southern New England and points much further.

“You can come right up by boat, temporarily dock here and get whatever they want and be on your way,” he says of this unique stop-and-go bait and tackle shop.

Besides selling live bait from eels to crabs, Riverside Marine provides fishing rods and has a variety of salt water lures, nets, tackle, and other essentials. He also rents slips for boat.

“No one else that I know has salt water in their tanks that we pump in to keep their bait alive and as fresh as possible,” Latinville adds. “Many fishermen insist on our fresh, live bait.”

One trend he’s seen the past few years has been toward kayak fishing.

“Kayaks are being made now just for fishing," he says. "They use specialized equipment with shorter rods and that can take the fight right out of stripers."

Latinville added they will be a sponsor again for the sixth annual Staff Sergeant Christopher Potts fishing tournament in September, which is hosted by the Aquidneck Island Striper team.

“It is a benefit for the SSG Christopher Potts Memorial Fund, set up to help the Potts family," he said. "Sergeant Potts died in Iraq while on duty in 2004. My wife and I are aunt and uncle to their child and he comes down often to help us with the store and I take him fishing.”

Yet for Riverside Marine, the biggest battle is not convincing people how much they can help local recreational fishermen and tourists catch and find fish. Rather, Joe and his wife, Susan, are trying to overcome a perception by some they are not open as the construction of the new Sakonnet Bridge, slated to replace the old one by 2012, looms around and over them.

“Riverside Marine is open and we will outlast this,” vows Joe and Susan Latinville.

Main Bait and Tackle

Two blocks from Tiverton, on Main Street in Fall River, Main Bait and Tackle is a major resource hub for recreational anglers in southeast Massachusetts.

But its ties are just as strong, if not stronger, to the Ocean State fishing community.

John Viveiros, and his son, John Viveiros II, a professional taxidermist, wildlife artist and avid outdoorsman, possess and share a formidable combination of experience and knowledge of fishing and hunting at the shop. His son is poised to launch a charter boat business on his 24-foot Hydro Sports boat with a center console.

“It is just a pure fishing vessel,” said Viveiros II.

This small, compact store also carries a potpourri of essentials from nets and outer wear to maps, oils, supplies and resources of all kinds- anything fishermen would need for any kind of fishing trip.

Bait is also a big lure at this shop for anglers.

“We are famous for fresh pogies,” Viveiros stated, listing eels, sea clam tongues, sandworms and other types of bait that will be used to attract and catch stripers, scup and many other species of fish.

Viveiros also sponsors the Interclub Bluefishing Tournament and other tournaments throughout the season. Hanging on one wall is an award he received from Border Light Tackle Boat Angling Association, thanking him for his support.

Selling fishing and hunting licenses for Rhode Island only, Viveiros also said his Main and Tackle Store serves as a weigh station for fish, deer station and mecca for hunters and fishermen.

Viveiros laments the maze of “regulations that are so difficult to work with” both from the Bay State and Ocean State sides. But he is far too busy dealing with the needs of his customers to carry on about the issue.

In the meantime, both of these store owners are regularly consulted by newspapers and magazines for their opinions and feedback on the local fishing scene. 

Now competing against more big store chains in plazas and malls than ever, Viveiros said his bait and tackle shop and others will not disappear anytime soon.

"We provide more service than the big stores and always know where the fish are biting and where to send our customers to find them," he added. 

And both owners note, with the season now in full swing, they are open 12 to as much as 14 hours a day right through summer into fall.

• Riverside Marine, 211 Riverside Drive, Tiverton, RI 02878-4342                     
• Main Bait and Tackle Shop, 2599 South Main Street, Fall River, MA (508-679-3853)