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48-acre Cane Bay fishing map with NOAA survey-composite MLLW contours (100% measured, 100% assessed), source-traceable measured chart and habitat spots, six regional fish profiles, two forage calendars, connected ramp access and current DPNR/NPS rules. The water tops out around 105 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to MLLW; 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.
Cane Bay maps at 48 acres behind 1.4 miles of shoreline. A middling shoreline index (1.5) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. 35% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 0.7 mi, about 0.2 mi across. If the bite dies, Hams Bay is 5 mi to the west.
Spring puts atlantic tarpon in skinny water — 3 to 25 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 35 ft, wintering in 5 to 35 ft. Summer atlantic tarpon concentrate at Surveyed channel edge, a good-rated drop-off around 22 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (19 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (22 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (29 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
When the water first warms, jack crevalle slide up into 2 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock: a hard bottom around 19 ft that scores good in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a pencil popper or a casting spoon rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (19 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (29 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Early season yellowtail snapper use the shallows, holding in 8 to 60 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 70 ft, then a winter hold in 12 to 80 ft. Put NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels first on the milk run — a hard bottom near 33 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a micro jig or a small paddletail and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 12 to 80 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
In spring, mutton snapper run shallow here, mostly 8 to 65 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 80 ft before dropping to 15 to 90 ft for winter. Spring mutton snapper concentrate at NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels, a prime-rated hard bottom around 33 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a heavy bucktail or a vertical jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 10 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 10 to 75 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 15 to 90 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
Start shallow in spring: great barracuda sit in 2 to 45 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 55 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 65 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels, a hard bottom in the 33 ft range, prime in winter. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a fast swimbait or a spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 5 to 65 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
Spring puts gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in skinny water — 3 to 22 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 45 ft. NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels is the standout, a hard bottom at roughly 29 ft, rated good for summer gray snapper (mangrove snapper). Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small bucktail or a paddletail covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (19 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (29 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels (33 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
The chart marks 10 structure features on Cane Bay; the deepest is NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels at about 103 ft.
Access data: USVI DPNR Coastal Zone Management — Public Access Map. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for U.S. Virgin Islands waters are set by the U.S. Virgin Islands DPNR (current fisher handbook) — and special regulations can apply to Cane Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Cane Bay is about 105 ft (32 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to MLLW; 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 Cane Bay. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement with sand channels is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 33 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 Cane Bay is regulated by the U.S. Virgin Islands DPNR (current fisher handbook). Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Hams Bay 5 mi · Butler Bay 5 mi · Limetree Bay 6 mi · Canegarden Bay 8 mi · Beauregard Bay 8 mi · Manchenil Bay 8 mi · Capella Bay 35 mi · Devers Bay 37 mi · Jersey Bay 38 mi · Hart Bay 38 mi · Rendezvous Bay 38 mi · Bolongo Bay 38 mi
See how Cane Bay stacks up: best gray snapper (mangrove snapper) lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best atlantic tarpon lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best jack crevalle lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best yellowtail snapper lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands
Browse all U.S. Virgin Islands fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (MLLW; 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.