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Sakonnet River Fishing Report

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

Not a river at all: the Sakonnet is a tidal strait running stripers and blues past Newport’s east side.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~72 F est.
Air / High
81 / 82 F
Wind
WNW 6 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Sakonnet River sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings cloud cover, wind WNW around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1008 hPa and a high of 82. 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

Striped bassExcellent

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

BluefishExcellent

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

Tomorrow: Cooler at 75 F. 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 temp81 F
High / Low82 / 69 F
WindWNW 6-11 mph
Pressure1008.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 25%
Sunrise / Sunset06:14 / 19:13
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 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 82/69 F, wind 12 mph, rain 25%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Sakonnet River: 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 Sakonnet River 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 Sakonnet River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Bluefish led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 16 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 74 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

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 70 F, wind to 14 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, tautog and fluke rules change annually: check current DEM regulations.

Access

Ramps at Tiverton, Portsmouth and Sakonnet Point; shore access at Fogland, Sapowet and along the shoreline roads.

About this water

A ten-mile tidal strait between Aquidneck Island and the mainland, Newport County, Rhode Island.

Fishing Sakonnet River: the full guide

A strait, despite the name

The Sakonnet River is not a river but a tidal strait separating Aquidneck Island from the Rhode Island mainland, running about ten miles from Mount Hope Bay to Rhode Island Sound. Strong tidal current moves through it, and the fishery follows: striped bass and bluefish along the rocky shorelines and rips, tautog on the structure, plus scup and fluke in season.

Stripers on the current

Striped bass hold the rips, points and rocky shorelines, feeding hardest on moving tide: eels, plugs and soft plastics from boats, with shore access at several points along the Tiverton and Little Compton shores. The bridge and the southern end near Sakonnet Point concentrate fish, and night fishing in summer is the classic approach.

Tog, scup and fluke

Tautog work the rocky structure and the bridge abutments in spring and fall, taken on green crab. Scup are abundant in summer around any structure, excellent for families. Fluke hold the sandy areas toward the southern end. The variety means a slow striper tide rarely means a wasted trip.

Newport-area logistics

Ramps at Tiverton, Portsmouth and Sakonnet Point serve the strait, with shore access along the shoreline roads and at Fogland and Sapowet points. Current runs hard and wind against tide builds steep chop: check conditions. Newport and Tiverton provide services, with Rhode Island Sound and the Newport rips minutes away.

Common questions

Is it really a river?

No: it is a tidal strait, despite the name. Salt water and strong current run through it from Mount Hope Bay to the sound.

When are stripers best?

On moving tide, particularly at night in summer and during the spring and fall migrations.

Is there shore access?

Yes: Fogland and Sapowet points and the shoreline roads give access to productive rocky water.

Is fishing good at Sakonnet River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Wickford Harbor13 miNarragansett15 miPoint Judith19 miBuzzards Bay19 miWorden Pond20 miPawtuxet River20 mi
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