Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeSalt water depth chart
Today's read
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
464-acre Cutchogue Harbor fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (100% measured and assessed), source-traceable fishing spots, Peconic Estuary fish and forage evidence, an exact public boat ramp, habitat guidance and current New York 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.
Cutchogue Harbor maps at 463 acres behind 6.8 miles of shoreline — one island included. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 2.3) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. About 98% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. End to end it runs roughly 1.6 mi, about 0.8 mi across. Its nearest charted neighbour, Marratooka Lake, is 3 mi to the west.
Spring puts striped bass in skinny water — 5 to 19 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 6 to 19 ft, and winter fish hold in 6 to 19 ft. Surveyed channel edge is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 10 ft, rated good for summer striped bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 19 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 6 to 19 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 5 to 19 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
When the water first warms, bluefish slide up into 3 to 19 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 19 ft, winter 6 to 19 ft. Start at Surveyed channel edge. It's a drop-off holding about 10 ft of water and rates good come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 19 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 3 to 19 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 2 to 19 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Start shallow in spring: summer flounder (fluke) sit in 4 to 19 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 19 ft covers summer, 6 to 19 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in the 10 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in midday and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 19 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 4 to 19 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 5 to 19 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Spring puts black sea bass in skinny water — 5 to 19 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 5 to 19 ft, and winter fish hold in 6 to 19 ft. NOAA charted wreck is the standout, a wreck at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring black sea bass. Plan around midday and early morning in the warm months. A bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 19 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 5 to 19 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 5 to 19 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Spring tautog (blackfish) on Cutchogue Harbor hold shallow, usually 4 to 19 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 5 to 19 ft in summer, 6 to 19 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted wreck — wreck, 6 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 19 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 5 to 19 ft | dawn | NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 4 to 19 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
16 pieces of structure are mapped here — Surveyed channel edge, around 10 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation — Long Island Region Boat Ramps, Town of Southold. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New York waters are set by the New York DEC (saltwater fishing) — and special regulations can apply to Cutchogue Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Cutchogue Harbor 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) on Cutchogue Harbor.
NOAA charted wreck is the top-rated area: a wreck in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for tautog (blackfish) in spring. The interactive chart above rates every 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 Cutchogue Harbor is regulated by the New York DEC (saltwater fishing). Check the official New York regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Marratooka Lake 3 mi · Great Peconic Bay 5 mi · Laurel Lake 5 mi · Pipes Cove 8 mi · Fresh Pond (Shelter Island) 8 mi · Flanders Bay 9 mi · Coecles Harbor 10 mi · Shinnecock Bay 10 mi · Peconic River 11 mi, NY/CT · Shinnecock Inlet 11 mi · Northwest Harbor 11 mi · Orient Harbor 12 mi
See how Cutchogue Harbor stacks up: best striped bass lakes in New York · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in New York · best bluefish lakes in New York · best black sea bass lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps or 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.