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431-acre Little Pleasant Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (89.57% measured, 99.84% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 18 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.
Traced from the shoreline, Little Pleasant Bay runs 430 acres with 4.2 miles of edge. Index 1.5 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. End to end it runs roughly 1.1 mi, about 1 mi across. For a second option, Pleasant Bay lies 2 mi southwest.
Spring striped bass on Little Pleasant Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 18 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 5 to 18 ft in summer, 5 to 18 ft once it turns cold. Put Surveyed channel edge first on the milk run — a drop-off near 7 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 | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Spring puts bluefish in skinny water — 3 to 18 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 18 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 18 ft. Summer bluefish concentrate at Surveyed channel edge, a prime-rated drop-off around 7 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 | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 2 to 18 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Early season summer flounder (fluke) use the shallows, holding in 4 to 18 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 18 ft; winter keeps them in 5 to 18 ft. Put Surveyed channel edge first on the milk run — a drop-off near 7 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 | 4 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 4 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Spring black sea bass on Little Pleasant Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 18 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 5 to 18 ft in summer, 5 to 18 ft once it turns cold. Put NOAA charted underwater rock first on the milk run — a rock pile near 6 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 | 5 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: tautog (blackfish) in 4 to 18 ft. The depth story barely changes: 5 to 18 ft through summer, 5 to 18 ft in winter. The spot to know is NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in about 6 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 | 4 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 4 to 18 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (6 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Little Pleasant Bay carries 16 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Surveyed channel edge, about 7 ft down.
Access data: Town of Orleans — Coastal Access Guide. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Massachusetts waters are set by the Massachusetts DMF (recreational saltwater) — and special regulations can apply to Little Pleasant Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Massachusetts fishing regulations →
Little Pleasant Bay is about 18 ft (5 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 Little Pleasant Bay.
Surveyed channel edge is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for summer flounder (fluke) in summer. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every 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 Little Pleasant Bay is regulated by the Massachusetts DMF (recreational saltwater). Check the official Massachusetts regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Pleasant Bay 2 mi · Little Cliff Pond 3 mi · Cliff Pond 3 mi · Stillwater Pond 3 mi · Mill Pond 4 mi · Chatham Harbor 5 mi · Long Pond (Harwich) 6 mi · Sheep Pond 6 mi · Stage Harbor 6 mi · Hinckleys Pond 7 mi · Upper Millpond 8 mi · Walkers Pond 9 mi
See how Little Pleasant Bay stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Massachusetts · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in Massachusetts · best bluefish lakes in Massachusetts · best black sea bass lakes in Massachusetts
Browse all Massachusetts fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 90% measured, 10% 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.