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9,115-acre West Passage fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (60.89% measured, 97.34% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 96 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 is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
The drawn water covers 9,101 acres wrapped in 29.5 miles of bank — 3 islands included. With a shoreline index of 2.2, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 12% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 9.2 mi end to end and 3.2 mi across at its widest. Its nearest charted neighbour, East Passage, is 3 mi to the east.
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 31 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 (31 ft) | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (31 ft) | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (31 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 Surveyed channel edge first on the milk run — a drop-off near 31 ft that grades prime for summer. 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 | open water | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (31 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (31 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (31 ft) | 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. Summer summer flounder (fluke) concentrate at Surveyed channel edge, a prime-rated drop-off around 31 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 | Surveyed channel edge (31 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (31 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (31 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (31 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 29 to 96 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 (26 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 29 to 96 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (33 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 NOAA charted underwater rock. It's a rock pile holding about 6 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 | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (28 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (28 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 30 to 70 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (53 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Count 218 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, sits near 55 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 West Passage specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Rhode Island fishing regulations →
West Passage is about 96 ft (29 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 West Passage.
Surveyed channel edge is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 31 ft of water that rates prime for summer flounder (fluke) in summer. 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 West Passage 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.
East Passage 3 mi · Indian Lake 4 mi · Silver Spring Lake 4 mi · Brenton Cove 5 mi · Coddington Cove 5 mi · Belleville Pond 5 mi · Almy Pond 6 mi · Easton Bay 6 mi · Sachuest Bay 8 mi · Barber Pond 8 mi · Yawgoo Pond 9 mi · Point Judith Pond 9 mi
See how West Passage 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; 61% measured, 36% 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.