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563-acre Canegarden Bay fishing map with 80.12%-measured NOAA BlueTopo and 2019 USVI lidar contours in MLLW, source-traceable measured rock and hard-bottom fishing spots, six regional fish profiles, official shore access, forage guidance and current DPNR rules. The water tops out around 28 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
On the chart, Canegarden Bay draws 565 acres inside 4.3 miles of shoreline. At index 1.3 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. 26% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. The basin spans about 1.5 mi end to end and 0.9 mi across at its widest. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Limetree Bay, 2 mi west of here.
Spring atlantic tarpon on Canegarden Bay hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. They move out to 3 to 28 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 28 ft. Put NOAA charted rock bottom first on the milk run — a hard bottom near 8 ft that grades good for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current.
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 (8 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 3 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 4 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Spring puts jack crevalle in skinny water — 2 to 25 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 2 to 28 ft, wintering in 4 to 28 ft. Spring jack crevalle concentrate at NOAA charted rock bottom, a prime-rated hard bottom around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A pencil popper or a casting spoon covers the summer program.
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 (8 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 2 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 4 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
In spring, yellowtail snapper run shallow here, mostly 4 to 28 ft. Summer keeps them at 4 to 28 ft, and they winter in 4 to 28 ft. Spring yellowtail snapper concentrate at NOAA charted rock bottom, a prime-rated hard bottom around 8 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a micro jig or a small paddletail 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 | 4 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 4 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 4 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 80 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
Come spring, look for mutton snapper tight to the bank in 3 to 28 ft. Through summer count on 4 to 28 ft; the winter hold is 5 to 28 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted rock bottom: a hard bottom around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A heavy bucktail or a vertical jig is the honest summer answer here.
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 28 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 4 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 4 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 75 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 5 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 90 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
When the water first warms, great barracuda slide up into 1 to 28 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 28 ft, winter 2 to 28 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted rock bottom: a hard bottom around 8 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a fast swimbait or a spoon 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 | 1 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 2 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 2 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 65 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (8 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
When the water first warms, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) slide up into 3 to 22 ft. Summer is a 4 to 28 ft game here, winter a 5 to 28 ft one. Start at NOAA charted underwater rock. It's a rock pile holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small bucktail or a paddletail 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 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (10 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (10 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (10 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 5 to 28 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (10 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Count 18 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, NOAA charted underwater rock, sits near 20 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 Canegarden Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Canegarden Bay is about 28 ft (9 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 Canegarden Bay.
NOAA charted rock bottom is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for yellowtail snapper in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each 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 Canegarden 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.
Limetree Bay 2 mi · Manchenil Bay 2 mi · Beauregard Bay 5 mi · Cane Bay 8 mi · Hams Bay 11 mi · Butler Bay 11 mi · Capella Bay 41 mi · Devers Bay 43 mi · Lameshur Bay 43 mi · Hart Bay 43 mi · Rendezvous Bay 43 mi · Fish Bay 43 mi
See how Canegarden 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 National Geodetic Survey and Office of Coast Survey Canegarden Bay BlueTopo and 2019 USVI bathymetric-lidar survey composite (MLLW; 80% measured, 15% 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.