Salt water depth chart
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1,596-acre Cape Poge Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (99.66% measured, 100% assessed), source-traceable measured fishing spots, exact and connected-regional fish evidence, three forage calendars, verified shore and connected launch access, and current Massachusetts rules. The water tops out around 19 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
Traced from the shoreline, Cape Poge Bay runs 1,595 acres with 13.7 miles of edge, broken up by an island. With a shoreline index of 2.5, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 91% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 3.9 mi of water from one end to the other, 1.3 mi at the beam. The nearest mapped water is Edgartown Harbor, 2 mi to the southwest.
Early season striped bass use the shallows, holding in 5 to 19 ft. Even in summer they hold at 6 to 19 ft; winter keeps them in 6 to 19 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted bridge — causeway / bottleneck, 4 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is 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 | 5 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted bridge (4 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 6 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted bridge (4 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 5 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted bridge (4 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (8 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
In spring, bluefish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 19 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 19 ft, and they winter in 6 to 19 ft. NOAA charted groin is the standout, a jetty / riprap at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for summer bluefish. Time it for early morning and the evening. 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 | 3 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted bridge (4 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 3 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted groin (3 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 2 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted bridge (4 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Spring summer flounder (fluke) on Cape Poge Bay hold shallow, usually 4 to 19 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 4 to 19 ft in summer, 6 to 19 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 8 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in 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 | 4 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (8 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 4 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (8 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 5 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (8 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (8 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Early season black sea bass use the shallows, holding in 5 to 19 ft. Even in summer they hold at 5 to 19 ft; winter keeps them in 6 to 19 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted underwater rock — rock pile, 12 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is 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 | 5 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 5 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 5 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Start shallow in spring: tautog (blackfish) sit in 4 to 19 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 5 to 19 ft covers summer, 6 to 19 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in the 12 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. 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 | 4 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 5 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 4 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Spring scup (porgy) on Cape Poge Bay hold shallow, usually 4 to 19 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 19 ft in summer, 5 to 19 ft once it turns cold. Put NOAA charted underwater rock first on the milk run — a rock pile near 12 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig.
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 19 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 25 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 3 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 4 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 5 to 19 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Cape Poge Bay also holds winter flounder (5 to 19 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 11 features, led in depth by NOAA charted underwater rock at roughly 12 ft.
Access data: Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries — East Beach. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Massachusetts waters are set by the Massachusetts DMF (recreational saltwater) — and special regulations can apply to Cape Poge Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Massachusetts fishing regulations →
Cape Poge Bay is about 19 ft (6 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), scup (porgy), winter flounder on Cape Poge Bay. 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 12 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass 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 Cape Poge Bay is regulated by the Massachusetts DMF (recreational saltwater). Check the official Massachusetts regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Edgartown Harbor 2 mi · Katama Bay 3 mi · Oak Bluffs Harbor 7 mi · Lagoon Pond 8 mi · Vineyard Haven Harbor 8 mi · Waquoit Bay 12 mi · Popponesset Bay 14 mi · Woods Hole Passage 14 mi · Quissett Harbor 15 mi · Madaket Harbor 15 mi · Johns Pond 17 mi · Menemsha Pond 17 mi
See how Cape Poge Bay stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Massachusetts · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in Massachusetts · best winter flounder lakes in Massachusetts · best bluefish lakes in Massachusetts
Browse all Massachusetts 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.