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174-acre Leinster Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (99.6% measured, 99.6% assessed), source-traceable coastal structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 66 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
Drawn out, this is 175 acres of water rimmed by 2.6 miles of bank. At index 1.4 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. About 38% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Tip to tip the water measures near 1 mi with a 0.5-mi widest point. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Francis Bay, 1 mi west of here.
Come spring, look for atlantic tarpon tight to the bank in 3 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 35 ft. Start at Surveyed channel edge. It's a drop-off holding about 16 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: jack crevalle in 2 to 25 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 3 to 35 ft before dropping to 5 to 35 ft for winter. The spot to know is Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for jack crevalle in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a pencil popper or a casting spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: yellowtail snapper in 8 to 60 ft. As the season builds they drop to 9 to 66 ft, wintering in 10 to 66 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted rock bottom, a hard bottom in the 31 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a micro jig or a small paddletail gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 9 to 66 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 9 to 66 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 10 to 66 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
Spring mutton snapper on Leinster Bay hold shallow, usually 8 to 65 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 66 ft, and by winter most fish are in 11 to 66 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted rock bottom — hard bottom, 31 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a heavy bucktail or a vertical jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 8 to 66 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 9 to 66 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 11 to 66 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
Spring great barracuda on Leinster Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 45 ft. They move out to 3 to 55 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 65 ft. Put NOAA charted rock bottom first on the milk run — a hard bottom near 31 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a fast swimbait or a spoon.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 5 to 65 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
Early season gray snapper (mangrove snapper) use the shallows, holding in 3 to 22 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 45 ft. Put NOAA charted rock bottom first on the milk run — a hard bottom near 31 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small bucktail or a paddletail and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (31 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Surveyed channel edge, around 41 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: National Park Service — public Virgin Islands National Park points of interest. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for U.S. Virgin Islands waters are set by the National Park Service and USVI DPNR (St. John park fishing) — and special regulations can apply to Leinster Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Leinster Bay is about 66 ft (20 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 atlantic tarpon, jack crevalle, yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, great barracuda, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) on Leinster Bay.
NOAA charted rock bottom is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 31 ft of water that rates prime for yellowtail snapper in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For atlantic tarpon, 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 Leinster Bay is regulated by the National Park Service and USVI DPNR (St. John park fishing). Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Francis Bay 1 mi · Cinnamon Bay 2 mi · Peter Bay 2 mi · Denis Bay 3 mi · Genti Bay 3 mi · Reef Bay 3 mi · Hawksnest Bay 3 mi · Lameshur Bay 4 mi · Fish Bay 4 mi · Caneel Bay 4 mi · Monte Bay 4 mi · Rendezvous Bay 4 mi
See how Leinster Bay stacks up: best gray snapper (mangrove snapper) lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best atlantic tarpon lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best jack crevalle lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best yellowtail snapper lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands
Browse all U.S. Virgin Islands fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 100% 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.