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13-acre Frank 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 44 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
On the chart, Frank Bay draws 13 acres inside 0.6 miles of shoreline. At index 1.2 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. About 54% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The nearest mapped water is Turner Bay, 0 mi to the southeast.
When the water first warms, atlantic tarpon slide up into 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 4 to 35 ft game here, winter a 5 to 35 ft one. Start at Surveyed channel edge. It's a drop-off holding about 13 ft of water and rates good come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (31 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Start shallow in spring: jack crevalle sit in 2 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 35 ft. The spot to know is NOAA ESI mapped coral reef, a hard bottom in about 31 ft of water that rates good for jack crevalle in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a pencil popper or a casting spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (31 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (31 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (31 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Start shallow in spring: yellowtail snapper sit in 6 to 44 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 6 to 44 ft covers summer, 7 to 44 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA ESI mapped coral reef, a hard bottom in the 43 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a micro jig or a small paddletail 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 44 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 6 to 44 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 6 to 44 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 7 to 44 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 80 ft | dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
Early season mutton snapper use the shallows, holding in 5 to 44 ft. Even in summer they hold at 6 to 44 ft; winter keeps them in 7 to 44 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA ESI mapped coral reef — hard bottom, 43 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a heavy bucktail or a vertical jig and you're in the game.
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 44 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 6 to 44 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 6 to 44 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 75 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 7 to 44 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 90 ft | dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
Early season great barracuda use the shallows, holding in 2 to 44 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 44 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 44 ft. Put NOAA ESI mapped coral reef first on the milk run — a hard bottom near 43 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a fast swimbait or a spoon and you're in the game.
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 44 ft chart-limited; documented 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 2 to 44 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 44 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 3 to 44 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 65 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
Spring gray snapper (mangrove snapper) on Frank Bay hold shallow, usually 3 to 22 ft. They move out to 4 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 44 ft. Put NOAA NCCOS mapped seagrass first on the milk run — a seagrass edge near 12 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small bucktail or a paddletail.
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 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped seagrass (12 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped seagrass (12 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (31 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 8 to 44 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA ESI mapped coral reef (43 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
7 pieces of structure are mapped here — NOAA ESI mapped coral reef, around 43 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: National Park Service — Virgin Islands National Park Superintendent's Compendium and Cruz Bay Visitor Center POI. 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 National Park Service and USVI DPNR (St. John park fishing) — and special regulations can apply to Frank Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Frank Bay is about 44 ft (13 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 Frank 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 ESI mapped coral reef is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 43 ft of water that rates prime for yellowtail snapper in spring. The interactive chart above rates every 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 Frank Bay is regulated by the National Park Service and USVI DPNR (St. John park fishing). 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.
Turner Bay 0 mi · Great Cruz Bay 1 mi · Caneel Bay 1 mi · Devers Bay 2 mi · Hart Bay 2 mi · Hawksnest Bay 2 mi · Monte Bay 2 mi · Rendezvous Bay 2 mi · Pillsbury Sound 2 mi · Denis Bay 2 mi · Fish Bay 3 mi · Redhook Bay 3 mi
See how Frank 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.