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49-acre Fortuna Bay fishing map with NOAA survey-composite MLLW contours (100% measured, 100% assessed), source-traceable measured chart and habitat spots, six regional fish profiles, two forage calendars, connected ramp access and current DPNR/NPS rules. The water tops out around 53 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to MLLW; 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 the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
The drawn water covers 49 acres wrapped in 1.5 miles of bank. With a 1.6 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 15% of this chart. End to end it runs roughly 0.6 mi, about 0.2 mi across. If the bite dies, Santa Maria Bay is 2 mi to the northeast.
Start shallow in spring: atlantic tarpon sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in about 30 ft of water that rates good for atlantic tarpon in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (30 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Early season jack crevalle use the shallows, holding in 2 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 35 ft. Put NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock first on the milk run — a hard bottom near 6 ft that grades good for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a pencil popper or a casting spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
When the water first warms, yellowtail snapper slide up into 7 to 53 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 8 to 53 ft, winter 8 to 53 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock: a hard bottom around 14 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a micro jig or a small 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 | 7 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (14 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 8 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (14 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 8 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (14 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 8 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 80 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (14 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
Start shallow in spring: mutton snapper sit in 7 to 53 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 7 to 53 ft covers summer, 9 to 53 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock, a hard bottom in the 14 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a heavy bucktail or a vertical 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 | 7 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (14 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 7 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (14 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 7 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 75 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (14 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 9 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 90 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (14 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
In spring, great barracuda run shallow here, mostly 2 to 45 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 3 to 53 ft before dropping to 4 to 53 ft for winter. Winter great barracuda concentrate at NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock, a prime-rated hard bottom around 6 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a fast swimbait or a spoon 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 | 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 3 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 4 to 53 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 65 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in 3 to 22 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 30 ft before dropping to 8 to 45 ft for winter. The spot to know is NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock, a hard bottom in about 6 ft of water that rates good for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small bucktail or a paddletail gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (6 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (14 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
The chart marks 10 structure features on Fortuna Bay; the deepest is Surveyed channel edge at about 47 ft.
Access data: USVI DPNR Coastal Zone Management — Public Access Map. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for U.S. Virgin Islands waters are set by the U.S. Virgin Islands DPNR (current fisher handbook) — and special regulations can apply to Fortuna Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Fortuna Bay is about 53 ft (16 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to MLLW; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target atlantic tarpon, jack crevalle, yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, great barracuda, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) on Fortuna Bay. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for yellowtail snapper in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For atlantic tarpon, 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 Fortuna Bay is regulated by the U.S. Virgin Islands DPNR (current fisher handbook). Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Santa Maria Bay 2 mi · Brewers Bay 3 mi · Hawksbill Cove 3 mi · Lindbergh Bay 3 mi · Krum Bay 4 mi · Druif Bay 4 mi · West Gregerie Channel 4 mi · Flamingo Bay 4 mi · Hull Bay 5 mi · Crown Bay 5 mi · Limestone Bay 5 mi · East Gregerie Channel 5 mi
See how Fortuna Bay stacks up: best gray snapper (mangrove snapper) lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best atlantic tarpon lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best jack crevalle lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best yellowtail snapper lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands
Browse all U.S. Virgin Islands fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (MLLW; 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.