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4,546-acre Bellport Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo shallow-water survey contours (96.86% measured, 98.95% assessed), exact NOAA/NPS fish and forage records, measured chart and habitat spots, two verified public facilities, three forage calendars and current New York marine rules. The water tops out around 14 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Traced from the shoreline, Bellport Bay runs 4,540 acres with 23.1 miles of edge, with 12 islands in the mix. The 2.5 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. Figure 3.9 mi of water from one end to the other, 3.5 mi at the beam. The nearest mapped water is Artist Lake, 10 mi to the north.
Early season striped bass use the shallows, holding in 4 to 14 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 14 ft; winter keeps them in 4 to 14 ft. Put Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 8 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light 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 14 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (7 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
In spring, bluefish run shallow here, mostly 2 to 14 ft. Summer keeps them at 2 to 14 ft, and they winter in 4 to 14 ft. Summer bluefish concentrate at NOAA charted groin, a prime-rated jetty / riprap around 2 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips most summer days.
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 14 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (7 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 2 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted groin (2 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 2 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (7 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 40 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Spring summer flounder (fluke) on Bellport Bay hold shallow, usually 3 to 14 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 14 ft in summer, 4 to 14 ft once it turns cold. Put Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 8 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead.
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 14 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 3 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 45 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Early season black sea bass use the shallows, holding in 4 to 14 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 14 ft; winter keeps them in 4 to 14 ft. Put Dangerous NOAA charted wreck first on the milk run — a wreck near 4 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in midday and early morning. Tie on a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser 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 14 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Start shallow in spring: tautog (blackfish) sit in 3 to 14 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 14 ft covers summer, 4 to 14 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, a wreck in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for tautog (blackfish) in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab 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 | 3 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 3 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: weakfish in 2 to 14 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 14 ft through summer, 4 to 14 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge, a channel edge in the 8 ft range, prime in summer. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a 3–5 inch paddletail or a light bucktail gets it done.
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 14 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Small bucktail + strip, 3-inch paddletail |
| Summer | 2 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | 3-5 inch paddletail, Light bucktail |
| Fall | 2 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Bucktail + soft-plastic trailer, Small paddletail |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (8 ft) | Small jig worked slowly near bottom |
The chart marks 42 structure features on Bellport Bay; the deepest is Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge at about 8 ft.
Access data: New York State DEC Marine Boat Launch inventory (OBJECTID 120; ID 125; TownMapID 3). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New York waters are set by the New York DEC (saltwater fishing) — and special regulations can apply to Bellport Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Bellport Bay is about 14 ft (4 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 striped bass, bluefish, summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass, tautog (blackfish), weakfish on Bellport Bay.
Dangerous NOAA charted wreck is the top-rated area: a wreck in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for tautog (blackfish) in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For striped 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 Bellport Bay is regulated by the New York DEC (saltwater fishing). Check the official New York regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Artist Lake 10 mi · Lake Ronkonkoma 13 mi · Deep Pond 14 mi · Knapps Lake 15 mi · Wildwood Lake 16 mi · Mount Sinai Harbor 16 mi · Setauket Harbor 17 mi · Blydenburgh Lake 17 mi · Port Jefferson Harbor 18 mi · Peconic River 19 mi, NY/CT · Flanders Bay 20 mi · Smithtown Bay 20 mi
See how Bellport Bay stacks up: best striped bass lakes in New York · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in New York · best bluefish lakes in New York · best black sea bass lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 97% measured, 2% 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.