Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
23-acre Peter Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (99.55% measured, 99.55% assessed), source-traceable coastal structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 36 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 follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 23 acres of water rimmed by 0.8 miles of bank. A shoreline index of 1.1 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. 74% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. End to end it runs roughly 0.3 mi, about 0.2 mi across. The nearest mapped water is Cinnamon Bay, 0 mi to the east.
Spring atlantic tarpon on Peter Bay hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 27 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Spring puts jack crevalle in skinny water — 2 to 25 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 35 ft. Surveyed channel edge is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 27 ft, rated prime for summer jack crevalle. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A pencil popper or a casting spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
In spring, yellowtail snapper run shallow here, mostly 5 to 36 ft. Summer keeps them at 5 to 36 ft, and they winter in 5 to 36 ft. NOAA charted underwater rock is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 14 ft, rated prime for spring yellowtail snapper. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a micro jig or a small paddletail most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 36 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 5 to 36 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 36 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 5 to 36 ft | dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
Come spring, look for mutton snapper tight to the bank in 4 to 36 ft. Through summer count on 5 to 36 ft; the winter hold is 6 to 36 ft. Start at Surveyed channel edge. It's a drop-off holding about 27 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A heavy bucktail or a vertical jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 36 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 5 to 36 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 5 to 36 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 6 to 36 ft | dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
When the water first warms, great barracuda slide up into 2 to 36 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 36 ft, winter 3 to 36 ft. Start at NOAA charted underwater rock. It's a rock pile holding about 14 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a fast swimbait or a spoon rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 36 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 2 to 36 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 36 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 3 to 36 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (14 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
When the water first warms, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) slide up into 3 to 22 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 36 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Surveyed channel edge: a drop-off around 27 ft that scores good in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small bucktail or a paddletail rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 6 to 36 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (27 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Structure-wise the chart holds 3 features, led in depth by Surveyed channel edge at roughly 27 ft.
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 Peter Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Peter Bay is about 36 ft (11 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 Peter Bay.
Surveyed channel edge is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 27 ft of water that rates prime for atlantic tarpon in summer. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every 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 Peter 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.
Cinnamon Bay 0 mi · Denis Bay 1 mi · Francis Bay 1 mi · Hawksnest Bay 1 mi · Caneel Bay 2 mi · Leinster Bay 2 mi · Genti Bay 2 mi · Monte Bay 3 mi · Fish Bay 3 mi · Reef Bay 3 mi · Rendezvous Bay 3 mi · Great Cruz Bay 3 mi
See how Peter 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 or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 100% 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.