Salt water depth chart
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2,011-acre Northport Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (69.31% measured, 99.76% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 70 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.
Drawn out, this is 2,009 acres of water rimmed by 10.8 miles of bank — 2 islands included. Index 1.7 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 48% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Tip to tip the water measures near 3 mi with a 1.8-mi widest point. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Centerport Harbor, 1 mi south of here.
Early season striped bass use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 25 to 60 ft game here, winter a 20 to 50 ft one. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 41 ft, good for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (41 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (23 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (41 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
In spring, bluefish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 40 ft. Surveyed channel edge is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 23 ft, rated good for summer bluefish. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (23 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (23 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Spring summer flounder (fluke) on Northport Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 60 ft. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 23 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (23 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (23 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (41 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (41 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Early season black sea bass use the shallows, holding in 10 to 40 ft. Summer is a 15 to 60 ft game here, winter a 21 to 70 ft one. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted underwater rock — rock pile, 10 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is midday and early morning. Tie on a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser 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 | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (10 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (16 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 18 to 70 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (20 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 21 to 70 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (16 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Start shallow in spring: tautog (blackfish) sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 30 to 70 ft. Top water on the chart: Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, a wreck in the 10 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (10 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (10 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (10 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 30 to 70 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (57 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Spring scup (porgy) on Northport Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 6 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 50 ft. Put NOAA charted underwater rock first on the milk run — a rock pile near 8 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (8 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (8 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (8 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 12 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (16 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Northport Bay also holds winter flounder (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 29 structure features on Northport Bay; the deepest is Dangerous NOAA charted wreck at about 57 ft.
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 Northport Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Northport Bay is about 70 ft (21 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 Northport Bay. 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 10 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 Northport 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.
Centerport Harbor 1 mi · Huntington Bay 2 mi · Huntington Harbor 3 mi · Lloyd Harbor 4 mi · Smithtown Bay 9 mi · Blydenburgh Lake 10 mi · Sheffield Island Harbor 10 mi, CT · Cockenoe Harbor 11 mi, CT · Stamford Harbor 12 mi, CT · Norwalk Harbor 12 mi, CT · Greenwich Cove 13 mi, CT · Captain Harbor 14 mi, CT
See how Northport Bay stacks up: best striped bass lakes in New York · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in New York · best winter flounder lakes in New York · best bluefish lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 69% measured, 30% 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.