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Rating depth structure for striped bass.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
19,658-acre bay near Millsboro. The water tops out around 66 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Drawn out, this is 19,256 acres of water rimmed by 207.1 miles of bank, with 33 islands in the mix. The 10.7 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. The basin spans about 13.3 mi end to end and 11.4 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Sussex County. The nearest mapped water is Millsboro Pond, 7 mi to the west.
Early season summer flounder (fluke) use the shallows, holding in 5 to 25 ft. Summer is an 8 to 35 ft game here, winter a 20 to 60 ft one. The chart's best answer is Sharp break — drop-off, 6 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is 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 | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (6 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (6 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Deep basin (23 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Deep basin (23 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Spring striped bass on Indian River Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 50 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 23 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (2 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (23 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (23 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Deep basin (23 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Spring puts bluefish in skinny water — 3 to 20 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 5 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 40 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for fall bluefish. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (2 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (6 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Creek inflow (2 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (23 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: tautog (blackfish) in 5 to 25 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 35 ft, wintering in 20 to 66 ft. Top water on the chart: Marina / dock area, a dock line in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. 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 | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Marina / dock area (5 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | Marina / dock area (5 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | midday | Sharp break (6 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 20 to 66 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | Deep basin (23 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Start shallow in spring: weakfish sit in 3 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Feeding flat, a feeding flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for weakfish in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a 3–5 inch paddletail or a light bucktail until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Feeding flat (6 ft) | Small bucktail + strip, 3-inch paddletail |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (6 ft) | 3-5 inch paddletail, Light bucktail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (6 ft) | Bucktail + soft-plastic trailer, Small paddletail |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Deep basin (23 ft) | Small jig worked slowly near bottom |
The chart marks 13 structure features on Indian River Bay; the deepest is Deep basin at about 23 ft.
Access data: Delaware DNREC — Fishing Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Delaware waters are set by the Delaware DNREC — and special regulations can apply to Indian River Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Delaware fishing regulations →
Indian River Bay is about 66 ft (20 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target summer flounder (fluke), striped bass, bluefish, tautog (blackfish), weakfish on Indian River Bay.
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for bluefish in fall. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For summer flounder (fluke), the summer bite is best in midday and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Indian River Bay is regulated by the Delaware DNREC. Check the official Delaware regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Millsboro Pond 7 mi · Red Mill Pond 8 mi · Ingrams Pond 9 mi · Wagamons Pond 12 mi · Assawoman Bay 15 mi, MD/DE · Waples Pond 15 mi · Raccoon Pond 18 mi · Trap Pond 18 mi · Isle of Wight Bay 19 mi, MD · Trussum Pond 20 mi · Concord Pond 20 mi · Records Pond 21 mi
More water nearby: Sussex County fishing maps (18 charts). Browse all Delaware fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (ENC soundings, MLLW datum). 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.