Rules & Regulations
Cast net laws in Rhode Island
Legal with restrictions (saltwater only)Informational only — this is not legal advice
Fishing regulations change, sometimes with little notice, and can vary further by county, water body, or season within a state. This page is a starting point for research, not a substitute for the law. Always verify current rules directly with your state's fish & wildlife agency or TakeMeFishing.org before you fish. BasicGear is not responsible for citations, fines, or gear seizures resulting from reliance on this page.
Last verified: 2026-07-08 — regulations are re-checked periodically; see the date above before assuming this is current.
Summary
Cast nets are explicitly banned in freshwater; legal only in saltwater, subject to species/season bait rules.
Size, mesh & licensing
- Max size
- Not specified
- Mesh
- Not specified for cast nets
- Water type
- Saltwater only
- License
- No cast-net-specific license required for recreational use
Recommended BasicGear net
Cast Net — Basic Series — No size cap found for saltwater use — just remember cast nets are off-limits in RI freshwater entirely.
Official source
RI DEM / RI Code of Regulations 250-RICR-60-00-10↗
Medium confidenceThe freshwater ban was read directly from the promulgated rule; the license-exemption detail relies partly on search-snippet corroboration of pages that returned access errors on direct fetch.
Last verified: 2026-07-08
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