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1,071-acre New London Harbor fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (98.24% measured, 99.69% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 88 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 the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
The outline encloses 1,069 acres, worked by 13.1 miles of shoreline, broken up by 7 islands. The 2.9 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 27% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. The basin spans about 2.7 mi end to end and 1.2 mi across at its widest. Its nearest charted neighbour, Thames River, is 3 mi to the north.
Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 25 to 60 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 50 ft. Top water on the chart: Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in the 56 ft range, good in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (56 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (32 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (32 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Early season bluefish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 20 ft. Summer is a 5 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 32 ft, good for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (32 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | open water | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Spring puts summer flounder (fluke) in skinny water — 5 to 25 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 60 ft. Surveyed channel edge is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 32 ft, rated prime for summer summer flounder (fluke). Plan around midday and early morning in the warm months. A bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (32 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (32 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (56 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Start shallow in spring: black sea bass sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 15 to 60 ft; cold water stacks them in 26 to 88 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in the 11 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in midday and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser 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 | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (24 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (24 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 26 to 88 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (24 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
When the water first warms, tautog (blackfish) slide up into 5 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 30 to 70 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted underwater rock: a rock pile around 11 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 30 to 70 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (24 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: scup (porgy) in 5 to 25 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 6 to 35 ft before dropping to 12 to 50 ft for winter. The spot to know is NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for scup (porgy) in spring. Plan around midday and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 12 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (12 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
New London 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.
Count 29 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Surveyed channel edge, sits near 56 ft.
Access data: Connecticut DEEP — State Boat Launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Connecticut waters are set by the Connecticut DEEP (marine fishing) — and special regulations can apply to New London Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Connecticut fishing regulations →
New London Harbor is about 88 ft (27 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 New London 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 11 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 New London Harbor is regulated by the Connecticut DEEP (marine fishing). Check the official Connecticut regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Thames River 3 mi · Twotree Island Channel 4 mi · Niantic Bay 6 mi · Dodge Pond 6 mi · Mystic Harbor 6 mi · Gorton Pond 6 mi · Mystic River - Reach 1 of 2 7 mi, CT/RI/MA · Fishers Island Sound 7 mi · Pataganset Lake 8 mi · Stonington Harbor 9 mi · Powers Lake 9 mi · Long Pond 10 mi
See how New London Harbor stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Connecticut · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in Connecticut · best winter flounder lakes in Connecticut · best bluefish lakes in Connecticut
Browse all Connecticut fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 98% measured, 1% 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.