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859-acre Chatham Harbor fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (100% measured, 100% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 45 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Chatham Harbor maps at 859 acres behind 10.9 miles of shoreline, broken up by an island. With a shoreline index of 2.7, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 90% of this chart. Figure 2.7 mi of water from one end to the other, 1.2 mi at the beam. Its nearest charted neighbour, Stage Harbor, is 2 mi to the southwest.
Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 14 to 45 ft, and winter fish settle into 14 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in about 20 ft of water that rates good for striped bass in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig 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 | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 14 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 14 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Early season bluefish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 5 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 40 ft. Put Surveyed channel edge first on the milk run — a drop-off near 20 ft that grades good for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Spring puts summer flounder (fluke) in skinny water — 5 to 25 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 35 ft, wintering in 14 to 45 ft. Summer summer flounder (fluke) concentrate at Surveyed channel edge, a prime-rated drop-off around 20 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around midday and early morning. A bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead 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 | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 14 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Start shallow in spring: black sea bass sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 11 to 45 ft, and winter fish settle into 14 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, a wreck in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around midday and early morning. Throw a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser 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 | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 11 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 11 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 14 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
When the water first warms, tautog (blackfish) slide up into 5 to 25 ft. Summer is a 10 to 35 ft game here, winter a 14 to 45 ft one. Start at Dangerous NOAA charted wreck. It's a wreck holding about 9 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab 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 | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 9 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 14 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: scup (porgy) in 5 to 25 ft. As the season builds they drop to 6 to 35 ft, wintering in 11 to 45 ft. Top water on the chart: Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, a wreck in the 9 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for midday and early morning. Summer baits: a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig 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 | 5 to 25 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 11 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Chatham Harbor also holds winter flounder (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 6 structure features on Chatham Harbor; the deepest is Surveyed channel edge at about 20 ft.
Access data: Town of Chatham — Chatham Harbor public-access map. 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 Chatham Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Massachusetts fishing regulations →
Chatham Harbor is about 45 ft (14 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 Chatham Harbor. 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.
Dangerous NOAA charted wreck is the top-rated area: a wreck in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for tautog (blackfish) in spring. Open the map above to see every rated 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 Chatham Harbor 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.
Stage Harbor 2 mi · Stillwater Pond 3 mi · Pleasant Bay 4 mi · Little Pleasant Bay 5 mi · Mill Pond 6 mi · Little Cliff Pond 7 mi · Cliff Pond 7 mi · Long Pond (Harwich) 7 mi · Sheep Pond 8 mi · Hinckleys Pond 8 mi · Upper Millpond 10 mi · White Pond (Harwich) 10 mi
See how Chatham Harbor 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.