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33-acre Monte Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (99.4% measured, 99.4% assessed), source-traceable coastal structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 26 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
The outline encloses 33 acres, worked by 0.9 miles of shoreline. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.1) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. Roughly 50% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 0.3 mi long by 0.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. Its nearest charted neighbour, Rendezvous Bay, is 0 mi to the south.
Start shallow in spring: atlantic tarpon sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 26 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 26 ft. The spot to know is NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, a channel edge in about 25 ft of water that rates prime for atlantic tarpon in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current until the fish tell you otherwise.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (25 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 3 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (25 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (25 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 4 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (25 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Early season jack crevalle use the shallows, holding in 2 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 26 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 26 ft. Put NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth first on the milk run — a channel edge near 25 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a pencil popper or a casting spoon and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 2 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (25 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 4 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (25 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
When the water first warms, yellowtail snapper slide up into 3 to 26 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 4 to 26 ft, winter 4 to 26 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted rock bottom: a hard bottom around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a micro jig or a small paddletail rigged through the warm months.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 4 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 4 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 80 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
Start shallow in spring: mutton snapper sit in 3 to 26 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 26 ft covers summer, 4 to 26 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted rock bottom, a hard bottom in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a heavy bucktail or a vertical jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 3 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 3 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 75 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 4 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 90 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
In spring, great barracuda run shallow here, mostly 1 to 26 ft. Summer keeps them at 1 to 26 ft, and they winter in 2 to 26 ft. Winter great barracuda concentrate at NOAA charted rock bottom, a prime-rated hard bottom around 4 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a fast swimbait or a spoon most summer days.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 1 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (25 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 1 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 2 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 65 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (4 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in 3 to 22 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 3 to 26 ft before dropping to 5 to 26 ft for winter. The spot to know is NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, a channel edge in about 25 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small bucktail or a paddletail gets it done.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (7 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 3 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (7 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (7 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 5 to 26 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (25 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Monte Bay carries 9 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, about 25 ft down.
Access data: National Park Service — Virgin Islands National Park Superintendent's Compendium and Cruz Bay Visitor Center POI. 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 Monte Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Monte Bay is about 26 ft (8 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 Monte Bay.
NOAA charted rock bottom is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for yellowtail snapper in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each 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 Monte 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.
Rendezvous Bay 0 mi · Hart Bay 1 mi · Fish Bay 1 mi · Devers Bay 1 mi · Great Cruz Bay 1 mi · Genti Bay 2 mi · Turner Bay 2 mi · Reef Bay 2 mi · Frank Bay 2 mi · Caneel Bay 2 mi · Hawksnest Bay 2 mi · Denis Bay 2 mi
See how Monte 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. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 99% 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.