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767-acre Fire Island Inlet fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (92.61% measured, 99.72% assessed), source-traceable coastal structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 56 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Traced from the shoreline, Fire Island Inlet runs 767 acres with 7 miles of edge. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.8) — enough points and pockets to pattern. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 68% of this chart. Figure 2.1 mi of water from one end to the other, 1 mi at the beam. The nearest mapped water is South Oyster Bay, 7 mi to the west.
Come spring, look for striped bass tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 17 to 56 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 50 ft. Start at FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge. It's a channel edge holding about 40 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig is the honest summer answer here.
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 | 17 to 56 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (14 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: bluefish in 3 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 5 to 30 ft before dropping to 15 to 40 ft for winter. The spot to know is FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge, a channel edge in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for bluefish in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (14 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (14 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Come spring, look for summer flounder (fluke) tight to the bank in 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 8 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 17 to 56 ft. If you only fish one area, make it FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge: a channel edge around 14 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is midday and early morning. A bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead is the honest summer answer here.
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 | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (14 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (14 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 17 to 56 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Come spring, look for black sea bass tight to the bank in 10 to 40 ft. Expect a summer slide to 14 to 56 ft, then a winter hold in 17 to 56 ft. Start at FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge. It's a channel edge holding about 40 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in midday and early morning. A bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser is the honest summer answer here.
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 | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 14 to 56 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 14 to 56 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 17 to 56 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | open water | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
In spring, tautog (blackfish) run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 17 to 56 ft. FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 40 ft, rated good for fall tautog (blackfish). Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab 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 | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (14 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | open water | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | midday | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 17 to 56 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | open water | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
When the water first warms, scup (porgy) slide up into 5 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 6 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 12 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge: a channel edge around 14 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in midday and early morning. Keep a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (14 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (14 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 12 to 50 ft | midday | FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge (40 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Fire Island Inlet 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 11 structure features on Fire Island Inlet; the deepest is FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge at about 40 ft.
Access data: New York State DEC — Boat Launches (FishNY). 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 Fire Island Inlet specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Fire Island Inlet is about 56 ft (17 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 Fire Island Inlet. 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.
FIRE ISLAND INLET channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for summer flounder (fluke) in summer. 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 Fire Island Inlet 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.
South Oyster Bay 7 mi · Knapps Lake 10 mi · Sloop Channel 11 mi · Merrick Bay 12 mi · Jones Inlet 14 mi · Baldwin Bay 14 mi · Middle Bay 15 mi · Blydenburgh Lake 15 mi · Hempstead Lake 17 mi · Lake Ronkonkoma 17 mi · Reynolds Channel 18 mi · Hewlett Bay 19 mi
See how Fire Island Inlet stacks up: best striped bass lakes in New York · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in New York · best winter flounder lakes in New York · best bluefish lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 93% measured, 7% 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.