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12,754-acre Fishers Island Sound fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (98.82% measured, 99.99% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 116 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.
The drawn water covers 12,729 acres wrapped in 50.8 miles of bank, broken up by 28 islands. A development index of 3.2 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. 22% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. The basin spans about 7.9 mi end to end and 6 mi across at its widest. Mystic Harbor sits 3 mi north — the closest neighbouring chart.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: striped bass in 5 to 20 ft. As the season builds they drop to 25 to 60 ft, wintering in 20 to 50 ft. Top water on the chart: Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in the 42 ft range, good in summer. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (42 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (42 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Spring bluefish on Fishers Island Sound hold shallow, usually 3 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 40 ft. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | open water | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
In spring, summer flounder (fluke) run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. Surveyed channel edge is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 42 ft, rated prime for fall summer flounder (fluke). Time it for midday and early morning. You won't need more than a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (42 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (42 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (42 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: black sea bass in 10 to 40 ft. As the season builds they drop to 15 to 60 ft, wintering in 40 to 100 ft. Top water on the chart: Pulpit Rock, a rock pile in the 15 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for midday and early morning. Summer baits: a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Pulpit Rock (15 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | Pulpit Rock (15 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (78 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 40 to 100 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (78 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Come spring, look for tautog (blackfish) tight to the bank in 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 30 to 70 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Dangerous NOAA charted wreck: a wreck around 10 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. A 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (10 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (10 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (10 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 30 to 70 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (50 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Start shallow in spring: scup (porgy) sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 6 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 12 to 50 ft. The spot to know is NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for scup (porgy) in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around midday and early morning. Throw a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (8 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 12 to 50 ft | midday | Pulpit Rock (15 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Fishers Island Sound also holds winter flounder (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Fishers Island Sound carries 282 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at NOAA charted wreck, about 84 ft down.
Access data: Connecticut DEEP — State Boat Launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Connecticut waters are set by the Connecticut DEEP (marine fishing) — and special regulations can apply to Fishers Island Sound specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Connecticut fishing regulations →
Fishers Island Sound is about 116 ft (35 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 Fishers Island Sound. 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.
Pulpit Rock is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Fishers Island Sound is regulated by the Connecticut DEEP (marine fishing). Check the official Connecticut regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Mystic Harbor 3 mi · Stonington Harbor 4 mi · Mystic River - Reach 1 of 2 5 mi, CT/RI/MA · New London Harbor 7 mi · Pawcatuck River 8 mi, RI/CT · Twotree Island Channel 9 mi · Thames River 9 mi · Long Pond 10 mi · Chapman Pond 11 mi, RI · Niantic Bay 11 mi · Lantern Hill Pond 11 mi · Dodge Pond 12 mi
See how Fishers Island Sound stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Connecticut · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in Connecticut · best winter flounder lakes in Connecticut · best bluefish lakes in Connecticut
Browse all Connecticut fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 99% measured, 1% 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.