Salt water depth chart
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246-acre Hoonah Harbor fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo and H11358 survey contours (82.37% measured), ADF&G Hoonah fish occurrence, measured fishing spots, public boat-launch access and active-harbor advisories. The water tops out around 275 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 the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
Traced from the shoreline, Hoonah Harbor runs 245 acres with 5.6 miles of edge, broken up by 6 islands. With a shoreline index of 2.5, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 19% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 1.3 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.5 mi at the beam. The nearest mapped water is Crescent Bay, 74 mi to the south.
In spring, chinook salmon run shallow here, mostly 5 to 40 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 30 to 90 ft. Hoonah Harbor channel edge is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 22 ft, rated prime for spring chinook salmon. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (101 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: coho salmon in 3 to 25 ft. As the season builds they drop to 30 to 70 ft, wintering in 20 to 60 ft. Top water on the chart: Hoonah Harbor channel edge, a channel edge in the 22 ft range, good in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (40 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
Come spring, look for pink salmon tight to the bank in 8 to 60 ft. They move out to 3 to 70 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 90 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Hoonah Harbor channel edge: a channel edge around 22 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A pink or orange casting spoon or a small hoochie is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Small chrome spoon, Compact herring-pattern jig |
| Summer | 3 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Pink or orange casting spoon, Small hoochie |
| Fall | 2 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Small bright spoon, Pink jig |
| Winter | 20 to 90 ft | midday | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Small vertical jig |
Spring puts chum salmon in skinny water — 10 to 70 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 4 to 70 ft, and winter fish hold in 25 to 100 ft. Hoonah Harbor channel edge is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 22 ft, rated prime for spring chum salmon. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A chartreuse or pink hoochie or a bright spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Chrome spoon, Compact baitfish jig |
| Summer | 4 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Chartreuse or pink hoochie, Bright spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (29 ft) | Bright spinner, Pink or chartreuse jig |
| Winter | 25 to 100 ft | midday | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Compact vertical jig |
Spring puts sockeye salmon in skinny water — 5 to 70 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 80 ft, wintering in 25 to 110 ft. Spring sockeye salmon concentrate at Hoonah Harbor channel edge, a prime-rated channel edge around 22 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small red or pink fly behind a flasher or a compact squid or hoochie covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Small red or pink hoochie, Compact plankton-profile fly |
| Summer | 3 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Small red or pink fly behind a flasher, Compact squid or hoochie |
| Fall | 2 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Small bright fly, Compact spinner where legal |
| Winter | 25 to 110 ft | midday | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) |
Spring pacific halibut on Hoonah Harbor hold shallow, usually 35 to 160 ft. By summer they slide out to 20 to 180 ft, and by winter most fish are in 69 to 275 ft. The chart's best answer is Hoonah Harbor channel edge — channel edge, 22 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a heavy vertical jig or a large swimbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 35 to 160 ft | dawn | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Heavy glow jig, Large grub on lead head |
| Summer | 20 to 180 ft | midday & dawn | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Heavy vertical jig, Large swimbait |
| Fall | 35 to 220 ft | midday | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Heavy glow jig, Large grub |
| Winter | 69 to 275 ft | midday | Hoonah Harbor channel edge (22 ft) | Heavy slow-pitch jig |
Hoonah Harbor also holds lingcod (20 to 180 ft in summer), black rockfish (8 to 100 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 19 features, led in depth by Surveyed channel edge at roughly 101 ft.
Access data: Alaska Department of Fish and Game Hoonah Harbor access map and Alaska DOT&PF Harbor Directory. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Alaska waters are set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (Southeast sport fishing) — and special regulations can apply to Hoonah Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alaska fishing regulations →
Hoonah Harbor is about 275 ft (84 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 chinook salmon, coho salmon, pink salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, pacific halibut, lingcod, black rockfish on Hoonah Harbor.
Hoonah Harbor channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 22 ft of water that rates prime for pacific halibut in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For chinook salmon, 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 Hoonah Harbor is regulated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (Southeast sport fishing). Check the official Alaska regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Crescent Bay 74 mi · Silver Bay 76 mi · King Salmon Lake 101 mi, BC · Simpson Lake 102 mi, BC · Little Trapper Lake 107 mi, BC · Tatsamenie Lake 113 mi, BC · Tatsatua Lake 113 mi, BC · Dixie Lake 114 mi, BC · Atlin Lake 114 mi, BC · Ruth Lake 120 mi, BC · Victoria Lake 125 mi, BC · Nakina Lake 126 mi, BC
See how Hoonah Harbor stacks up: best chinook salmon lakes in Alaska · best coho salmon lakes in Alaska · best pink salmon lakes in Alaska · best chum salmon lakes in Alaska
Browse all Alaska fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 82% measured, 13% 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.