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8,466-acre bay near Virginia Beach. The water tops out around 7 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
The drawn water covers 8,447 acres wrapped in 17.3 miles of bank. A shoreline index of 1.3 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. Tip to tip the water measures near 5.5 mi with a 4.3-mi widest point. Virginia Beach County claims this one. North Landing River sits 4 mi west — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 1 to 7 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 7 ft, winter 2 to 7 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (2 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Break off the point (6 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring white perch on Back Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 7 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 7 ft in summer, 2 to 7 ft once it turns cold. Put Creek inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a small spinner rig drifted or a 1/8 oz jigging spoon.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 7 ft | dusk | Creek inflow (2 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn | Deep basin (7 ft) | Small spinner rig drifted, 1/8 oz jigging spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Deep basin (7 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Blade bait |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | dusk | Deep basin (7 ft) | Small rattle spoon, Tungsten + spikes |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 7 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 7 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 7 ft. Start at Old creek channel. It's a creek channel holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (5 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (5 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Deep basin (7 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Back Bay carries 8 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 7 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Virginia waters are set by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission — and special regulations can apply to Back Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Virginia fishing regulations →
Back Bay is about 7 ft (2 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, white perch, crappie on Back Bay.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For largemouth 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 Back Bay is regulated by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Check the official Virginia regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
North Landing River 4 mi, VA/NC · Currituck Sound 18 mi, NC/VA · North River 22 mi, NC/VA · Southern Branch Elizabeth River 23 mi, VA/NC · Elizabeth River 29 mi, VA/NC · Mobjack Bay 54 mi · Lake Mattamuskeet 76 mi, NC · Pamlico Sound 86 mi, NC · Roanoke River 88 mi, NC · Tangier Sound 90 mi, MD/VA · Little Wicomico River 91 mi, VA/MD/DE · Lake Chesdin 102 mi
See how Back Bay stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Virginia · best crappie lakes in Virginia · best white perch lakes in Virginia
Browse all Virginia fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (ENC soundings, MLLW datum). 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.