Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
568-acre Middle Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (95.07% measured, 96.71% assessed), source-traceable coastal structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 30 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.
The drawn water covers 568 acres wrapped in 4.9 miles of bank. A middling shoreline index (1.5) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Roughly 96% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Figure 1.4 mi of water from one end to the other, 1 mi at the beam. If the bite dies, Jones Inlet is 3 mi to the southeast.
Spring puts striped bass in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 9 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 9 to 30 ft. Surveyed channel edge is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 21 ft, rated prime for summer striped bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A flutter spoon (deep) or an umbrella rig (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (8 ft) | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (21 ft) | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 9 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (21 ft) | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (21 ft) | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
When the water first warms, bluefish slide up into 3 to 20 ft. Summer is a 5 to 30 ft game here, winter a 9 to 30 ft one. Start at Surveyed channel edge. It's a drop-off holding about 21 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (18 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (21 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (18 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (21 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Start shallow in spring: summer flounder (fluke) sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 7 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 9 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in the 21 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in midday and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (21 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 7 to 30 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (21 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (21 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (21 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Spring puts black sea bass in skinny water — 8 to 30 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish hold in 9 to 30 ft. NOAA charted hard seabed is the standout, a hard bottom at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring black sea bass. Plan around midday and early morning in the warm months. A bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted hard seabed (6 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted hard seabed (6 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday | NOAA charted hard seabed (6 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday | NOAA charted hard seabed (6 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Spring tautog (blackfish) on Middle Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 9 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 30 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted hard seabed — hard bottom, 6 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted hard seabed (6 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (9 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 6 to 30 ft | midday | NOAA charted hard seabed (6 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday | NOAA charted hard seabed (6 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Middle Bay carries 8 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Surveyed channel edge, about 21 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 Middle Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Middle Bay is about 30 ft (9 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 Middle Bay.
Surveyed channel edge is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 21 ft of water that rates prime for summer flounder (fluke) in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each 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 Middle Bay 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.
Jones Inlet 3 mi · Reynolds Channel 3 mi · Merrick Bay 3 mi · Hewlett Bay 4 mi · Sloop Channel 4 mi · Hempstead Lake 5 mi · South Oyster Bay 8 mi · East Rockaway Inlet 8 mi · Grass Hassock Channel 9 mi · Winhole Channel 11 mi · Grassy Bay 11 mi · East Broad Channel 11 mi
See how Middle Bay 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 BlueTopo (NAVD88; 95% 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.