Salt water depth chart
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692-acre Sachuest Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (93.29% measured, 99.51% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 50 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
On the chart, Sachuest Bay draws 691 acres inside 4.5 miles of shoreline, broken up by an island. Nearly circular (index 1.2), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 32% of this chart. Figure 1.4 mi of water from one end to the other, 1 mi at the beam. For a second option, Easton Bay lies 1 mi west.
Spring striped bass on Sachuest Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 50 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 50 ft. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 41 ft, good for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (19 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 15 to 50 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (41 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (19 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (41 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Spring puts bluefish in skinny water — 3 to 20 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 5 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 40 ft. Surveyed channel edge is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 19 ft, rated good for summer bluefish. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (19 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (19 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (19 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Early season summer flounder (fluke) use the shallows, holding in 5 to 25 ft. Summer is an 8 to 35 ft game here, winter a 15 to 50 ft one. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 19 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is midday and early morning. Tie on a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (19 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (19 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (41 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 15 to 50 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (41 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Spring black sea bass on Sachuest Bay hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 13 to 50 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 50 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted underwater rock — rock pile, 26 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 13 to 50 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 13 to 50 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 15 to 50 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: tautog (blackfish) in 5 to 25 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 35 ft, wintering in 15 to 50 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in the 10 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab gets it done.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (10 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 15 to 50 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Early season scup (porgy) use the shallows, holding in 5 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 6 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 12 to 50 ft. Put NOAA charted underwater rock first on the milk run — a rock pile near 10 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in midday and early morning. Tie on a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (10 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 12 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
The chart marks 16 structure features on Sachuest Bay; the deepest is Surveyed channel edge at about 41 ft.
Access data: Rhode Island DEM — Fishing and Boating Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Rhode Island waters are set by the Rhode Island DEM Marine Fisheries — and special regulations can apply to Sachuest Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Rhode Island fishing regulations →
Sachuest Bay is about 50 ft (15 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target striped bass, bluefish, summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass, tautog (blackfish), scup (porgy) on Sachuest Bay. The list combines the water's survey records with habitat-filtered species from broader official evidence; those additions are plausible occurrences, not exact-water abundance or guaranteed catches.
NOAA charted underwater rock is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For striped bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Sachuest Bay is regulated by the Rhode Island DEM Marine Fisheries. Check the official Rhode Island regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Easton Bay 1 mi · Almy Pond 3 mi · Brenton Cove 4 mi · Coddington Cove 5 mi · East Passage 5 mi · Sakonnet River 6 mi · West Passage 8 mi · Indian Lake 11 mi · Silver Spring Lake 12 mi · Belleville Pond 13 mi · Point Judith Pond 14 mi · South Watuppa Pond 14 mi, MA/RI
See how Sachuest Bay stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Rhode Island · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in Rhode Island · best bluefish lakes in Rhode Island · best black sea bass lakes in Rhode Island
Browse all Rhode Island fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 93% measured, 6% source-interpolated). How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.