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1,978-acre Nantucket Harbor fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (93.53% measured, 100% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 42 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 rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Drawn out, this is 1,976 acres of water rimmed by 23.6 miles of bank, with 7 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 3.8) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Roughly 85% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. End to end it runs roughly 3.3 mi, about 3 mi across. The nearest mapped water is Head of The Harbor, 4 mi to the northeast.
Spring striped bass on Nantucket Harbor hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 13 to 42 ft, and by winter most fish are in 13 to 42 ft. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 16 ft, good for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig.
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 | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 13 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 13 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Spring puts bluefish in skinny water — 3 to 20 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 5 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 40 ft. Surveyed channel edge is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 16 ft, rated good for summer bluefish. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Early season summer flounder (fluke) use the shallows, holding in 5 to 25 ft. Summer is an 8 to 35 ft game here, winter a 13 to 42 ft one. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 16 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is 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.
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 | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 11 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 13 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Spring black sea bass on Nantucket Harbor hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 11 to 42 ft, and by winter most fish are in 13 to 42 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted underwater rock — rock pile, 5 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser.
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 | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 11 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 11 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 13 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: tautog (blackfish) in 5 to 25 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 35 ft, wintering in 13 to 42 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab 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 | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 8 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 13 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Early season scup (porgy) use the shallows, holding in 5 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 6 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 42 ft. Put NOAA charted underwater rock first on the milk run — a rock pile near 5 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in midday and early morning. Tie on a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig 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 | 5 to 25 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 10 to 42 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Nantucket Harbor also holds winter flounder (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
17 pieces of structure are mapped here — Shallow feeding flat, around 20 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Town of Nantucket — Coastal Management Plan public-access inventory. 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 Nantucket Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Massachusetts fishing regulations →
Nantucket Harbor is about 42 ft (13 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), scup (porgy), winter flounder on Nantucket Harbor. The list combines the water's survey records with habitat-filtered species from broader official evidence; those additions are plausible occurrences, not exact-water abundance or guaranteed catches.
NOAA charted underwater rock is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for tautog (blackfish) in spring. 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 Nantucket Harbor 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.
Head of The Harbor 4 mi · Madaket Harbor 7 mi · Cape Poge Bay 21 mi · Katama Bay 21 mi · Edgartown Harbor 22 mi · Hyannis Harbor 25 mi · Stage Harbor 26 mi · Long Pond (Yarmouth) 27 mi · Centerville Harbor 27 mi · Chatham Harbor 27 mi · Oak Bluffs Harbor 27 mi · White Pond (Harwich) 28 mi
See how Nantucket Harbor stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Massachusetts · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in Massachusetts · best winter flounder lakes in Massachusetts · best bluefish lakes in Massachusetts
Browse all Massachusetts fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 94% measured, 6% 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.