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314-acre Guilford Harbor fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (98.69% measured, 98.69% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 11 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 314 acres of water rimmed by 4.2 miles of bank, broken up by an island. Index 1.7 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. Figure 1.1 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.7 mi at the beam. For a second option, Clinton Harbor lies 7 mi east.
Spring striped bass on Guilford Harbor hold shallow, usually 3 to 11 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 11 ft in summer, 3 to 11 ft once it turns cold. Put Surveyed channel edge first on the milk run — a drop-off near 5 ft that grades good for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig.
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 11 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Spring puts bluefish in skinny water — 2 to 11 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 2 to 11 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 11 ft. Summer bluefish concentrate at Surveyed channel edge, a good-rated drop-off around 5 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips 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 | 2 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 2 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 1 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Early season summer flounder (fluke) use the shallows, holding in 2 to 11 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 11 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 11 ft. Put Surveyed channel edge first on the milk run — a drop-off near 5 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in midday and early morning. Tie on a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead 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 11 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Spring black sea bass on Guilford Harbor hold shallow, usually 3 to 11 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 11 ft in summer, 3 to 11 ft once it turns cold. Put NOAA charted underwater rock first on the milk run — a rock pile near 9 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser.
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 11 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: tautog (blackfish) in 2 to 11 ft. The depth story barely changes: 3 to 11 ft through summer, 3 to 11 ft in winter. The spot to know is NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for tautog (blackfish) in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab gets it done.
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 11 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 2 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Early season scup (porgy) use the shallows, holding in 2 to 11 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 11 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 11 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted underwater rock — rock pile, 9 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is midday and early morning. Tie on a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal 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 | 2 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 25 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 2 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 2 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Guilford Harbor also holds winter flounder (3 to 11 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
20 pieces of structure are mapped here — Surveyed channel edge, around 10 ft, is the deepest of them.
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 Guilford Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Connecticut fishing regulations →
Guilford Harbor is about 11 ft (3 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 Guilford Harbor. 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 9 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 Guilford Harbor 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.
Clinton Harbor 7 mi · Quonnipaug Lake 9 mi · Duck Island Roads 10 mi · Lake Saltonstall 10 mi · Messerschmidt Pond 11 mi · Morris Cove 12 mi · Pataconk Reservoir 12 mi · Cedar Lake 13 mi · Millers Pond 15 mi · Maltby Lake #1 16 mi · North Farms Reservoir 16 mi · Higganum Reservoir 16 mi
See how Guilford Harbor 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, 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.