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Ninigret Pond Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Rhode Island’s salt pond: Ninigret holds stripers, flounder and one of New England’s best kayak fisheries.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~72 F est.
Air / High
83 / 84 F
Wind
NW 10 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Ninigret Pond offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 10 mph, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 84. Water sits around 72 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

BluefishExcellent

Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

Striped bassGood

Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 77 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~72 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp83 F
High / Low84 / 69 F
WindNW 10-14 mph
Pressure1008.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain3% cloud, 49%
Sunrise / Sunset06:16 / 19:14
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~72 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 84/69 F, wind 12 mph, rain 49%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Ninigret Pond: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Surface action windows at dawn; otherwise free-lines and planer boards over long points and humps.

Bluefish illustration

Bluefish

Best: Sep-Oct blitzes

The ocean's most honest fish: when blues blitz bait on the beach, everything with hooks gets bit. Follow the bunker and mullet schools: blitzes can erupt anywhere on the beach. Wire or heavy leader always.

When to come: the Ninigret Pond calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Striped bass
Bluefish
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 72 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~72 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Ninigret Pond today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Striped bass led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 15 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Bluefish led the card at excellent. High of 70 F, wind to 20 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Rhode Island requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Rhode Island license or saltwater registration. Striped bass, flounder and tautog rules change annually: check current DEM regulations.

Access

Ramps and kayak access around the pond; Charlestown Breachway for shore fishing and camping.

About this water

A 1,700-acre coastal salt pond behind the barrier beach at Charlestown, Washington County, Rhode Island.

Fishing Ninigret Pond: the full guide

A coastal salt pond

Ninigret Pond spreads about 1,700 acres behind the barrier beach at Charlestown, the largest of Rhode Island’s coastal salt ponds. Connected to the ocean through a breachway, it holds striped bass, bluefish, summer flounder, tautog and, in the eelgrass, the juvenile fish that make the pond a nursery. Shallow, protected and full of structure, it is ideal small-boat and kayak water.

Stripers on the flats

Striped bass move into the pond with the tide, working the eelgrass edges, sand flats and the breachway current. Sight-fishing the flats on a calm morning is genuinely good, with flies and light plastics both effective. The breachway itself concentrates fish on moving water and is the most reliable spot for both boat and shore anglers.

Flounder, tog and the seasons

Summer flounder hold the channel edges and deeper holes, drifted with squid and Gulp. Tautog work the rocky breachway structure in the cooler months. The pond warms through summer, pushing fish toward the cooler breachway water, and the fall run brings stripers and blues through in numbers before they head south.

Charlestown logistics

Ramps and kayak access serve the pond at several points, with the Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge protecting much of the shoreline. Charlestown Breachway provides shore access and camping. The pond is shallow: know the channels, and use the protected water when the ocean side is rough. Westerly and Narragansett are minutes away.

Common questions

Is it good for kayaks?

Among New England’s best: shallow, protected water with eelgrass flats, channels and a productive breachway.

Can I sight-fish stripers?

Yes, on calm mornings over the flats: one of the pond’s genuine attractions for fly and light-tackle anglers.

Where is the most reliable spot?

The breachway, where tidal current concentrates fish and both boat and shore anglers can reach them.

Is fishing good at Ninigret Pond right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Watchaug Pond2 miWorden Pond7 miPawcatuck River7 miPoint Judith9 miWood River10 miNarragansett12 mi
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