Quonochontaug (Quonnie") Pond in Rhode Island"

Trip Overview

Quonnie is one of the large salt ponds that buttress the great beaches of South County in Rhode Island. A breachway serves as an entrance to the ocean for all manner of boats as well as fish. The only thing that makes it moderate in difficulty is the fairly constant winds coming off the ocean and some large boats. I never had any problem with yahoos creating big wakes, but even in slow motion some of them can throw off some big waves.

Quonnie is fabulous experience if you love coastal paddling without having to deal with ocean waves. The majority of the pond is no more than 6-8 feet deep with large expanses that are knee deep. Because of the breachway, it has a tide that exposes stony outcrops. It's perfect for beginner paddlers or kids.

Wildlife abounds in Quonnie. Large flocks of snowy egrets and mergansers are vigilantly hunting for rich populations of bait fish that thrive in the pond. You'll see great blue herons, and gulls, of course. Piping plovers (which are endangered) can be found along the numerous tidal beaches.

There are a lot of fish in Quonnie! Because of the large populations of bait fish - silver sides, mummies, and others; numerous predatory fish will be drawn in from the ocean like snapper (baby blue fish), blues, stripe bass and fluke. I had a ton of fun just paddling around with my fly rod with a streamer attached. The snapper would regularly attack it.

A favorite trip is was to kayak from one side to the shore of the pond that it shares with the beach, . After beaching the kayak on one of the many beaches, there are paths that people have made over time that allows you to walk a 200-300 yards to pristine beaches. Careful though, there are no life guards on large expanses or only in the private association beach areas. The ocean here can be rough but they are nearly empty!

The tidal marshes were just beautiful!

Accommodations:

Numerous motels in the area, but most people rent cottages. If you are not on the pond directly, you can park at the breachway and put in there.

Outfitting:

We had a Wilder Systems Pamlico and a Wave which is designed for small kids.

Fees:

None

Directions:

Rte 1 to Charlestown, RI to East Beach Road...take it all the way to the end, end, end to the breachway.