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12,032-acre Sakonnet River fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (77.77% measured, 95.37% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 89 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. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
The outline encloses 12,005 acres, worked by 45.5 miles of shoreline, with 9 islands in the mix. A development index of 3 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 31% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. End to end it runs roughly 13.2 mi, about 3 mi across. Coddington Cove sits 5 mi southwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 25 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 50 ft. The spot to know is Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in about 54 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a flutter spoon (deep) or an umbrella rig (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (54 ft) | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (46 ft) | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (46 ft) | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Early season bluefish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 5 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 40 ft. Put Shallow feeding flat first on the milk run — a feeding flat near 15 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Spring puts summer flounder (fluke) in skinny water — 5 to 25 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 35 ft, wintering in 20 to 60 ft. Fall summer flounder (fluke) concentrate at Surveyed channel edge, a prime-rated drop-off around 46 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around midday and early morning. A bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (46 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (54 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Start shallow in spring: black sea bass sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 60 ft, and winter fish settle into 27 to 89 ft. The spot to know is NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around midday and early morning. Throw a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (10 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (40 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (40 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 27 to 89 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (40 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
When the water first warms, tautog (blackfish) slide up into 5 to 25 ft. Summer is a 10 to 35 ft game here, winter a 30 to 70 ft one. Start at Dangerous NOAA charted wreck. It's a wreck holding about 24 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (24 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (24 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (24 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 30 to 70 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (40 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Structure-wise the chart holds 152 features, led in depth by Surveyed channel edge at roughly 54 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 Sakonnet River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Rhode Island fishing regulations →
Sakonnet River is about 89 ft (27 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) on Sakonnet River.
NOAA charted underwater rock is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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 Sakonnet River 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.
Coddington Cove 5 mi · Sachuest Bay 6 mi · Easton Bay 6 mi · East Passage 7 mi · Brenton Cove 8 mi · Almy Pond 8 mi · Cook Pond 8 mi, MA · South Watuppa Pond 9 mi, MA/RI · West Passage 10 mi · Silver Spring Lake 13 mi · Belleville Pond 13 mi · Indian Lake 14 mi
See how Sakonnet River 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 or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 78% measured, 18% 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.