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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 prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a flutter spoon (deep) or an umbrella rig (trolled).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
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 prime-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.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 2 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 1 to 11 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | 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.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 3 to 11 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.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 3 to 11 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.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 2 to 11 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
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) on Guilford Harbor.
Surveyed channel edge is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for summer flounder (fluke) in summer. 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 · 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 · Maltby Lake #2 16 mi
See how Guilford Harbor stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Connecticut · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in Connecticut · best bluefish lakes in Connecticut · best black sea bass lakes in Connecticut
Browse all Connecticut fishing maps or 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.