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711-acre Magens Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (97.57% measured, 100% assessed), source-traceable coastal structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 61 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. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
The drawn water covers 713 acres wrapped in 4.9 miles of bank. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.3) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. About 20% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. End to end it runs roughly 1.9 mi, about 0.9 mi across. If the bite dies, Hull Bay is 1 mi to the west.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: atlantic tarpon in 3 to 25 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 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 atlantic tarpon in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current gets it done.
| 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 |
Spring jack crevalle on Magens Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 25 ft. They move out to 3 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 35 ft. Put Surveyed channel edge first on the milk run — a drop-off near 16 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a pencil popper or a casting spoon.
| 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 |
Come spring, look for yellowtail snapper tight to the bank in 8 to 60 ft. They move out to 9 to 61 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 61 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted rock bottom: a hard bottom around 26 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A micro jig or a small paddletail is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (26 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 9 to 61 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (26 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 9 to 61 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (26 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 9 to 61 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (26 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: mutton snapper in 8 to 61 ft. The depth story barely changes: 8 to 61 ft through summer, 10 to 61 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted rock bottom, a hard bottom in the 26 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a heavy bucktail or a vertical jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 61 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (26 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 8 to 61 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (26 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 8 to 61 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (26 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 10 to 61 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (26 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
Spring puts great barracuda in skinny water — 2 to 45 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 55 ft, wintering in 5 to 61 ft. Winter great barracuda concentrate at NOAA charted rock bottom, a prime-rated hard bottom around 5 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A fast swimbait or a spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (3 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (3 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (3 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 5 to 61 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (5 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
Start shallow in spring: gray snapper (mangrove snapper) sit in 3 to 22 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 8 to 45 ft. The spot to know is NOAA charted rock bottom, a hard bottom in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a small bucktail or a paddletail until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (3 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (5 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (5 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (26 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
15 pieces of structure are mapped here — Surveyed channel edge, around 45 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: USVI DPNR Coastal Zone Management — Public Access Map. 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 U.S. Virgin Islands DPNR (current fisher handbook) — and special regulations can apply to Magens Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Magens Bay is about 61 ft (19 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 Magens Bay.
NOAA charted rock bottom is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 26 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 Magens Bay is regulated by the U.S. Virgin Islands DPNR (current fisher handbook). 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.
Hull Bay 1 mi · Crown Bay 2 mi · East Gregerie Channel 3 mi · West Gregerie Channel 3 mi · Tutu Bay 3 mi · Coki Bay 5 mi · Water Bay 5 mi · Saint John Bay 6 mi · Redhook Bay 7 mi · Muller Bay 7 mi · Caneel Bay 10 mi · Great Cruz Bay 10 mi
See how Magens 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; 98% measured, 2% 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.