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1,072-acre harbor near Montauk. The water tops out around 14 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
On the chart, Lake Montauk draws 1,070 acres inside 8.7 miles of shoreline. Index 1.9 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. Call it 2.3 mi long by 1.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. The water lies in Suffolk County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Big Reed Pond, 1 mi northeast of here.
Early season striped bass use the shallows, holding in 4 to 14 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 14 ft; winter keeps them in 4 to 14 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 12 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a flutter spoon (deep) or an umbrella rig (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Secondary point (3 ft) | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (12 ft) | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Secondary point (3 ft) | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (12 ft) | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
In spring, bluefish run shallow here, mostly 2 to 14 ft. Summer keeps them at 2 to 14 ft, and they winter in 4 to 14 ft. Summer bluefish concentrate at Break off the point, a prime-rated drop-off around 8 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (2 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 2 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (8 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 2 to 14 ft | dawn & midday | Break off the point (8 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (12 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Spring summer flounder (fluke) on Lake Montauk hold shallow, usually 3 to 14 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 14 ft in summer, 4 to 14 ft once it turns cold. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 8 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (8 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 3 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (8 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Break off the point (8 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (12 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Early season black sea bass use the shallows, holding in 4 to 14 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 14 ft; winter keeps them in 4 to 14 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 8 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in midday and early morning. Tie on a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (8 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Break off the point (8 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Break off the point (8 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (12 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Start shallow in spring: tautog (blackfish) sit in 3 to 14 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 14 ft covers summer, 4 to 14 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Dock / pier line, a dock line in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for tautog (blackfish) in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Dock / pier line (4 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn | Dock / pier line (4 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 3 to 14 ft | midday | Break off the point (8 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (12 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Lake Montauk carries 16 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 12 ft down.
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 Lake Montauk specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Lake Montauk is about 14 ft (4 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 striped bass, bluefish, summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass, tautog (blackfish) on Lake Montauk.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass 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 Lake Montauk 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.
Big Reed Pond 1 mi · Fort Pond 2 mi · Fort Pond Bay 2 mi · Fresh Pond (Hither Hills) 6 mi · Napeague Bay 7 mi · Three Mile Harbor 14 mi · Fishers Island Sound 16 mi, CT · Northwest Harbor 17 mi · Pettys Bight 19 mi · Stonington Harbor 19 mi, CT · Mystic Harbor 19 mi, CT · Coecles Harbor 20 mi
See how Lake Montauk stacks up: best striped bass lakes in New York · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in New York · best bluefish lakes in New York · best black sea bass lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps or 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.