Salt water depth chart
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33-acre Capella 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 70 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, Capella Bay draws 33 acres inside 1 miles of shoreline. Its 1.3 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. 7% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.4 mi with a 0.2-mi widest point. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Bolongo Bay, 3 mi north of here.
Come spring, look for atlantic tarpon tight to the bank in 3 to 25 ft. They move out to 4 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Surveyed channel edge: a drop-off around 10 ft that scores good in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: jack crevalle in 2 to 25 ft. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 35 ft, wintering in 5 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock, a hard bottom in the 17 ft range, good in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a pencil popper or a casting spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: yellowtail snapper in 8 to 60 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 70 ft before dropping to 11 to 70 ft for winter. The spot to know is NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock, a hard bottom in about 17 ft of water that rates prime for yellowtail snapper in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a micro jig or a small paddletail 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 | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 11 to 70 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 80 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
Spring mutton snapper on Capella Bay hold shallow, usually 8 to 65 ft. They move out to 9 to 70 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 70 ft. Put NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock first on the milk run — a hard bottom near 17 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a heavy bucktail or a vertical 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 | 8 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 9 to 70 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 9 to 70 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 75 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 12 to 70 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 90 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
Spring great barracuda on Capella Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 45 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 55 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 65 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock — hard bottom, 17 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a fast swimbait or a spoon.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 5 to 65 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
Early season gray snapper (mangrove snapper) use the shallows, holding in 3 to 22 ft. Summer is a 4 to 30 ft game here, winter an 8 to 45 ft one. The chart's best answer is NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock — hard bottom, 17 ft, good for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small bucktail or a paddletail and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (17 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Capella Bay carries 9 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Surveyed channel edge, about 70 ft down.
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 Capella Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Capella Bay is about 70 ft (21 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 Capella 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 bedrock is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 17 ft of water that rates prime for yellowtail snapper in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Capella 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.
Bolongo Bay 3 mi · Jersey Bay 3 mi · Muller Bay 5 mi · Long Bay 5 mi · East Gregerie Channel 5 mi · Redhook Bay 5 mi · Limestone Bay 5 mi · Red Bay 5 mi · Smith Bay 5 mi · Saint John Bay 5 mi · Flamingo Bay 5 mi · Cay Bay 5 mi
See how Capella 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.