Salt water depth chart
Today's read
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
13,137-acre Broad Sound fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (74.35% measured, 99.95% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 244 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 season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
On the chart, Broad Sound draws 13,119 acres inside 49 miles of shoreline — 18 islands included. An index of 3.1 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 30% of this chart. End to end it runs roughly 8.7 mi, about 5.4 mi across. For a second option, Coleman Cove lies 3 mi southwest.
Spring striped bass on Broad Sound hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 25 to 60 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 50 ft. Put NOAA charted bridge support first on the milk run — a causeway / bottleneck near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted bridge support (6 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (50 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Royal River channel edge (11 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (50 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Spring puts bluefish in skinny water — 3 to 20 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 5 to 30 ft, wintering in 15 to 40 ft. Fall bluefish concentrate at NOAA charted bridge support, a prime-rated causeway / bottleneck around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Royal River channel edge (11 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted breakwater (1 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted bridge support (6 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Early season atlantic mackerel use the shallows, holding in 5 to 45 ft. Expect a summer slide to 15 to 80 ft, then a winter hold in 30 to 120 ft. Put Royal River channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 11 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a feather rig or a small vertical jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 45 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted bridge support (6 ft) | Mackerel feather rig, Small silver jig |
| Summer | 15 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | Royal River channel edge (11 ft) | Feather rig, Small vertical jig |
| Fall | 10 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | Royal River channel edge (11 ft) | Compact silver jig, Sparse feather rig |
| Winter | 30 to 120 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (119 ft) | Small deep jig |
Come spring, look for atlantic cod tight to the bank in 20 to 100 ft. Expect a summer slide to 45 to 180 ft, then a winter hold in 50 to 220 ft. Start at NOAA charted underwater rock. It's a rock pile holding about 21 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning. A heavy metal jig or a large soft-plastic jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 20 to 100 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (21 ft) | Diamond jig, Heavy bucktail |
| Summer | 45 to 180 ft | dawn | NOAA charted rock (56 ft) | Heavy metal jig, Large soft-plastic jig |
| Fall | 25 to 140 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (25 ft) | Diamond jig, Bucktail with teaser |
| Winter | 50 to 220 ft | midday | NOAA charted rock (56 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
In spring, atlantic herring run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 50 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. NOAA charted bridge support is the standout, a causeway / bottleneck at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring atlantic herring. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a herring feather rig or a small silver jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted bridge support (6 ft) | Small herring feather rig, Micro jig rig |
| Summer | 15 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Royal River channel edge (11 ft) | Herring feather rig, Small silver jig |
| Fall | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Royal River channel edge (11 ft) | Small feather rig, Compact silver spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (50 ft) | Small silver jig, Sparse feather rig |
When the water first warms, winter flounder slide up into 2 to 18 ft. Summer is an 8 to 30 ft game here, winter a 3 to 20 ft one. Start at Royal River channel edge. It's a channel edge holding about 11 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a light scented jig worked slowly rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Royal River channel edge (11 ft) | Small bucktail tipped with worm, Scented grub on a light jig |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn | Royal River channel edge (11 ft) | Light scented jig worked slowly |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | midday | Royal River channel edge (11 ft) | Small bucktail + worm, Scented bottom jig |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | midday | Royal River channel edge (11 ft) | Small bucktail tipped with worm |
The chart marks 358 structure features on Broad Sound; the deepest is NOAA charted rock at about 121 ft.
Access data: Maine GeoLibrary — Boat Launches (Maine IF&W / DACF). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Maine waters are set by the Maine DMR (saltwater recreational fishing) — and special regulations can apply to Broad Sound specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Maine fishing regulations →
Broad Sound is about 244 ft (74 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, atlantic mackerel, atlantic cod, atlantic herring, winter flounder on Broad Sound. The list combines the water's survey records with habitat-filtered species from broader official evidence; those additions are plausible occurrences, not exact-water abundance or guaranteed catches.
NOAA charted underwater rock is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 21 ft of water that rates prime for atlantic cod in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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 Broad Sound is regulated by the Maine DMR (saltwater recreational fishing). Check the official Maine regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Coleman Cove 3 mi · Broken Cove 3 mi · Chandler Cove 4 mi · Luckse Sound 5 mi · Great Ledge Cove 5 mi · Dorseys Cove 6 mi · Hussey Sound 7 mi · Diamond Cove 7 mi · Whitehead Passage 9 mi · Fore River 11 mi · Dyer Cove 14 mi · Highland Lake 15 mi
See how Broad Sound stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Maine · best winter flounder lakes in Maine · best bluefish lakes in Maine · best atlantic herring lakes in Maine
Browse all Maine fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 74% measured, 26% 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.