Salt water depth chart
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19,276-acre Great Peconic Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (98.67% measured, 99.79% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 42 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. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Great Peconic Bay maps at 19,244 acres behind 28.6 miles of shoreline — 2 islands included. A middling shoreline index (1.5) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 39% of this chart. Figure 7 mi of water from one end to the other, 6.8 mi at the beam. Marratooka Lake sits 4 mi north — the closest neighbouring chart.
Spring puts striped bass in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 13 to 42 ft, wintering in 13 to 42 ft. Summer striped bass concentrate at Surveyed channel edge, a good-rated drop-off around 22 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig covers the summer program.
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 (16 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 13 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (22 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (22 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 13 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (22 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
When the water first warms, bluefish slide up into 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. If you only fish one area, make it Surveyed channel edge: a drop-off around 22 ft that scores good in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (22 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Start shallow in spring: summer flounder (fluke) sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 13 to 42 ft. The spot to know is Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in about 22 ft of water that rates prime for summer flounder (fluke) in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around midday and early morning. Throw a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead 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 | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (22 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (22 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 11 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (22 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 13 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (22 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Spring puts black sea bass in skinny water — 10 to 40 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 11 to 42 ft, wintering in 13 to 42 ft. Spring black sea bass concentrate at NOAA charted underwater rock, a prime-rated rock pile around 10 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around midday and early morning. A bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser covers the summer program.
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 | NOAA charted underwater rock (10 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 11 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | Robins Island Rock (14 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 11 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | Robins Island Rock (14 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 13 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | Robins Island Rock (14 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Spring tautog (blackfish) on Great Peconic Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 10 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 13 to 42 ft. Put NOAA charted wreck first on the milk run — a wreck near 5 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab.
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 | NOAA charted wreck (5 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (17 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 8 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (17 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 13 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (17 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
In spring, scup (porgy) run shallow here, mostly 5 to 25 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 6 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 42 ft. NOAA charted underwater rock is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring scup (porgy). Time it for midday and early morning. You won't need more than a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig 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 | 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 (10 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 10 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (10 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Great Peconic Bay 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 32 structure features on Great Peconic Bay; the deepest is Dangerous NOAA charted wreck at about 25 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 Great Peconic Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Great Peconic Bay is about 42 ft (13 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 Great Peconic Bay. 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.
NOAA charted underwater rock is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass in spring. 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 Great Peconic Bay 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 4 mi · Laurel Lake 4 mi · Cutchogue Harbor 5 mi · Flanders Bay 5 mi · Shinnecock Bay 6 mi · Peconic River 7 mi, NY/CT · Shinnecock Inlet 7 mi · Wildwood Lake 9 mi · Fresh Pond (Shelter Island) 12 mi · Pipes Cove 12 mi · Coecles Harbor 14 mi · Northwest Harbor 15 mi
See how Great Peconic Bay 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; 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.