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3,989-acre West Cotentin Coast. South 3 East France saltwater fishing map with official SHOM 100 m bathymetry, source-qualified fishing spots, official regional fish evidence, seasonal forage guidance, public shore-use context and current-rule links. The west Cotentin shore from Carteret to Granville, with islands, rock, sand banks and macrotidal channels. This page covers the south 3 east angler-scale survey window. The water tops out around 31 ft. The depth chart comes from Shom (Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine) bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
The drawn water covers 3,989 acres wrapped in 14 miles of bank. A middling shoreline index (1.6) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. 48% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Call it 5.2 mi long by 2.6 mi wide at the broadest reach. If the bite dies, West Cotentin Coast - South 3 Central is 7 mi to the northwest.
West Cotentin Coast — South 3 East, France : carte SHOM officielle jusqu’à 9 m; spots pour bar commun, maquereau commun. Pour préparer la pêche, jamais pour naviguer. Les profondeurs et les points de structure proviennent de la grille bathymétrique officielle du Shom. Les données servent à préparer la pêche et ne doivent jamais être utilisées pour la navigation.
Regional occurrence supports a search target, not equal abundance, child-specific catch rate, retention permission or a promised catch. Current national, EU, regional, protected-area and species rules always control. The roster may combine exact-water monitoring with habitat-filtered official regional evidence; it does not imply that every species is equally abundant throughout the mapped section.
| Species | Evidence basis | Count / date |
|---|---|---|
| bar commun (European Seabass) | official species listing | — |
| maquereau commun (Atlantic Mackerel) | official species listing | — |
| lieu jaune (Atlantic Pollock) | official species listing | — |
| lieu noir (Saithe (Coalfish)) | official species listing | — |
| cabillaud (Atlantic Cod) | official species listing | — |
| lingue (Ling) | official species listing | — |
| orphie (Garfish) | official species listing | — |
| barbue (Brill) | official species listing | — |
| raie bouclée (Thornback Ray) | official species listing | — |
| sole commune (Common Sole) | official species listing | — |
| mulet lippu (Thick-lipped Grey Mullet) | official species listing | — |
| mulet cabot (Flathead Grey Mullet) | official species listing | — |
| anguille européenne (European Eel) | official species listing | — |
Official species-evidence source.
When the water first warms, european seabass slide up into 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 2 to 30 ft game here, winter a 6 to 31 ft one. Start at SHOM-grid current seam. It's a current seam holding about 12 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a surface lure or a paddle-tail soft plastic 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 25 ft | dawn & dusk | SHOM-grid current seam (12 ft) | Paddle-tail soft plastic, Shallow minnow plug |
| Summer | 2 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | SHOM-grid current seam (12 ft) | Surface lure, Paddle-tail soft plastic |
| Fall | 3 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | SHOM-grid current seam (12 ft) | Slim metal lure, Minnow plug |
| Winter | 6 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 55 ft | midday | Deepest basin (29 ft) | Slow soft-plastic shad, Suspending minnow |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: atlantic mackerel in 3 to 31 ft. The depth story barely changes: 6 to 31 ft through summer, 8 to 31 ft in winter. The spot to know is Deepest basin, a deep basin in about 29 ft of water that rates prime for atlantic mackerel in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a feather rig or a small vertical 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 | 3 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 45 ft | dawn & dusk | SHOM-grid current seam (12 ft) | Mackerel feather rig, Small silver jig |
| Summer | 6 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | Deepest basin (29 ft) | Feather rig, Small vertical jig |
| Fall | 5 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | SHOM-grid current seam (12 ft) | Compact silver jig, Sparse feather rig |
| Winter | 8 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 120 ft | midday | Deepest basin (29 ft) | Small deep jig |
Start shallow in spring: atlantic pollock sit in 2 to 31 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 2 to 31 ft covers summer, 5 to 31 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Shoreline point, a point in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for atlantic pollock in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a surface plug or a baitfish swimbait 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 | 2 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (5 ft) | Sandeel-pattern lure, Soft-plastic shad |
| Summer | 2 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 150 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (5 ft) | Surface plug, Baitfish swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 160 ft | dawn | Shoreline point (5 ft) | Metal jig, Minnow plug |
| Winter | 5 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 35 to 220 ft | midday | Sharp break (17 ft) | Slow metal jig, Weighted soft plastic |
When the water first warms, saithe (coalfish) slide up into 3 to 31 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 31 ft, winter 4 to 31 ft. Start at SHOM-grid current seam. It's a current seam holding about 12 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a speed jig or a heavy 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 31 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 160 ft | dawn & dusk | SHOM-grid current seam (12 ft) | Slim metal jig, Paddletail |
| Summer | 3 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 260 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (17 ft) | Speed jig, Heavy paddletail |
| Fall | 3 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 220 ft | dawn & dusk | SHOM-grid current seam (12 ft) | Metal jig, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 4 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 45 to 320 ft | midday | Deepest basin (29 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
Start shallow in spring: atlantic cod sit in 6 to 31 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 8 to 31 ft covers summer, 7 to 31 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Deepest basin, a deep basin in about 29 ft of water that rates prime for atlantic cod in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a heavy metal jig or a large soft-plastic 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 | 6 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 100 ft | dawn | Sharp break (17 ft) | Diamond jig, Heavy bucktail |
| Summer | 8 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 45 to 180 ft | dawn | Deepest basin (29 ft) | Heavy metal jig, Large soft-plastic jig |
| Fall | 6 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 140 ft | dawn | Sharp break (17 ft) | Diamond jig, Bucktail with teaser |
| Winter | 7 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 50 to 220 ft | midday | Deepest basin (29 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
When the water first warms, ling slide up into 6 to 31 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 5 to 31 ft, winter 6 to 31 ft. Start at Sharp break. It's a drop-off holding about 17 ft of water and rates good come spring. The feeding windows run midday. Keep a heavy vertical jig 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 | 6 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 80 to 450 ft | midday | Sharp break (17 ft) | Heavy metal jig, Large soft-plastic jig |
| Summer | 5 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 100 to 600 ft | midday | Sharp break (17 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
| Fall | 5 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 90 to 520 ft | midday | Sharp break (17 ft) | Long metal jig |
| Winter | 6 to 31 ft chart-limited; documented 130 to 700 ft | midday | Deepest basin (29 ft) | Heavy deep jig |
West Cotentin Coast - South 3 East also holds garfish (2 to 20 ft in summer), brill (4 to 31 ft in summer), thornback ray (5 to 31 ft in summer), common sole (3 to 30 ft in summer), thick-lipped grey mullet (1 to 18 ft in summer), flathead grey mullet (1 to 22 ft in summer), european eel (6 to 28 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 8 features, led in depth by Deepest basin at roughly 29 ft.
No official 2025 EEA designated bathing-water point matched within 400 metres of this SHOM-grid shoreline. This is an access-evidence gap, not a statement that public fishing access does not exist. Verify local fishing rights, land ownership, posted restrictions, protected areas, tidal and surf safety, and municipal permission before entry.
Private land and private launches need the owner's permission — please ask first.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for France waters are set by the Légifrance (current French recreational sea-fishing minimum sizes) — and special regulations can apply to West Cotentin Coast - South 3 East specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish. French recreational sea-fishing rules combine current national and European species measures with façade, prefectural, marine-protected-area, harbour and local access controls. Check live minimum sizes, quotas, seasonal or method closures, marking requirements and any no-take zone before every trip. A SHOM contour, fishing-spot marker or designated bathing-water lead is planning context only and never permission to fish, retain a catch, park, launch or enter restricted shore or port property.
Check the official France fishing regulations →
French Ministry for Ecological Transition — recreational sea fishing →
Check special-area and water-specific rules →
Check official shore-access information →
West Cotentin Coast - South 3 East is about 31 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Shom (Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine) bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.
Official coastal monitoring from Ifremer CGFS and coastal estuary monitoring regional survey evidence informs the european seabass, atlantic mackerel, atlantic pollock, saithe (coalfish), atlantic cod, ling, garfish, brill, thornback ray, common sole, thick-lipped grey mullet, flathead grey mullet, european eel roster for West Cotentin Coast - South 3 East. The mixed roster combines exact-water records where available with habitat-filtered regional evidence; not every species is documented at this exact water, and it is not a promise of equal abundance or a catch on a particular trip.
SHOM-grid current seam is the top-rated area: a current seam in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for european seabass in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For european seabass, 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 West Cotentin Coast - South 3 East is regulated by the Légifrance (current French recreational sea-fishing minimum sizes). Check the official France regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
West Cotentin Coast - South 3 Central 7 mi · West Cotentin Coast - South 2 East 9 mi · West Cotentin Coast - South 2 Central 10 mi · West Cotentin Coast - South 3 West 14 mi · West Cotentin Coast - South 2 West 16 mi · West Cotentin Coast - South 4 Central 18 mi · West Cotentin Coast - South 1 East 22 mi · West Cotentin Coast - South 4 West 23 mi · West Cotentin Coast - South 1 Central 23 mi · West Cotentin Coast - South 1 West 26 mi · East Cotentin Coast - South West 2 30 mi · East Cotentin Coast - Middle West 1 30 mi
See how West Cotentin Coast - South 3 East stacks up: best garfish lakes in France · best european seabass lakes in France · best common sole lakes in France · best thick-lipped grey mullet lakes in France
Browse all France fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Depth data: Shom (Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine), 100 m Atlantic facade bathymetric terrain model. 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.