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388-acre Bahía de Ballena fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (100% measured, 100% assessed), source-traceable coastal structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 29 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 389 acres of water rimmed by 4.1 miles of bank. Index 1.5 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 51% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. The basin spans about 1.6 mi end to end and 0.8 mi across at its widest. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Bahía de Guánica, 4 mi west of here.
When the water first warms, atlantic tarpon slide up into 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 3 to 29 ft game here, winter a 4 to 29 ft one. Start at NOAA charted rock bottom. It's a hard bottom holding about 15 ft of water and rates good come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current rigged through the warm months.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (15 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 3 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Start shallow in spring: jack crevalle sit in 2 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 29 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 29 ft. The spot to know is Atolladora, an artificial reef in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for jack crevalle in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a pencil popper or a casting spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (15 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 2 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Atolladora (11 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Start shallow in spring: yellowtail snapper sit in 4 to 29 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 29 ft covers summer, 4 to 29 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted rock bottom, a hard bottom in the 27 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a micro jig or a small paddletail until the fish tell you otherwise.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 80 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
Early season mutton snapper use the shallows, holding in 4 to 29 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 29 ft; winter keeps them in 5 to 29 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted rock bottom — hard bottom, 27 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a heavy bucktail or a vertical jig and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 75 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 5 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 90 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
Early season great barracuda use the shallows, holding in 1 to 29 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 29 ft; winter keeps them in 2 to 29 ft. Put NOAA charted rock bottom first on the milk run — a hard bottom near 27 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a fast swimbait or a spoon and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 2 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 2 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 65 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (27 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
Spring gray snapper (mangrove snapper) on Bahía de Ballena hold shallow, usually 3 to 22 ft. They move out to 4 to 29 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 29 ft. Put Atolladora first on the milk run — an artificial reef near 11 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small bucktail or a paddletail.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Atolladora (11 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Atolladora (11 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Atolladora (11 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 5 to 29 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 45 ft | midday | Atolladora (11 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Structure-wise the chart holds 17 features, led in depth by NOAA charted rock bottom at roughly 27 ft.
Access data: Puerto Rico DRNA — Guía del Navegante public access inventory. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Puerto Rico waters are set by the Puerto Rico DRNA (current fishing regulation) — and special regulations can apply to Bahía de Ballena specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Puerto Rico fishing regulations →
Bahía de Ballena is about 29 ft (9 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 atlantic tarpon, jack crevalle, yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, great barracuda, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) on Bahía de Ballena.
NOAA charted rock bottom is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 27 ft of water that rates prime for yellowtail snapper in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For atlantic tarpon, 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 Bahía de Ballena is regulated by the Puerto Rico DRNA (current fishing regulation). Check the official Puerto Rico regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Bahía de Guánica 4 mi · Ensenada las Pardas 5 mi · Bahía de Guayanilla 6 mi · Caleta Salinas 7 mi · Bahía Tallaboa 8 mi · Lago Lucchetti 10 mi · Bahía de Ponce 14 mi · Caleta de Cabullones 17 mi · Lago Cerrillos 20 mi · Bahía de Boquerón 23 mi · Lago Guayabal 25 mi · Lago Caonillas 25 mi
See how Bahía de Ballena stacks up: best gray snapper (mangrove snapper) lakes in Puerto Rico · best atlantic tarpon lakes in Puerto Rico · best jack crevalle lakes in Puerto Rico · best yellowtail snapper lakes in Puerto Rico
Browse all Puerto Rico fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 100% measured, 0% 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.