Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeSalt water depth chart
Today's read
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
2,347-acre Plymouth Harbor fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (90.6% measured, 99.65% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 37 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.
Plymouth Harbor maps at 2,345 acres behind 12.8 miles of shoreline — one island included. With a 1.9 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 89% of this chart. Call it 4.1 mi long by 1.5 mi wide at the broadest reach. If the bite dies, Little Pond is 2 mi to the southwest.
Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 11 to 37 ft; cold water stacks them in 11 to 37 ft. Top water on the chart: Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in the 15 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.
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 (15 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 11 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (15 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (15 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 11 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (15 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 an 11 to 37 ft one. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 15 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.
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 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (8 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (15 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (8 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 11 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 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 11 to 37 ft. Surveyed channel edge is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 15 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.
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 (15 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (15 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 10 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (15 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 11 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (15 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Start shallow in spring: black sea bass sit in 9 to 37 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 9 to 37 ft covers summer, 11 to 37 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, a wreck in the 15 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 | 9 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 9 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 9 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 11 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 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 11 to 37 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Dangerous NOAA charted wreck: a wreck around 6 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.
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 | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 7 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 11 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 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 9 to 37 ft for winter. The spot to know is NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in about 5 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.
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 | 7 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (5 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 9 to 37 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 50 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Plymouth 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 22 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, sits near 15 ft.
Access data: Massachusetts public water-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 Plymouth Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Massachusetts fishing regulations →
Plymouth Harbor is about 37 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 striped bass, bluefish, summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass, tautog (blackfish), scup (porgy), winter flounder on Plymouth 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.
Dangerous NOAA charted wreck is the top-rated area: a wreck in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for tautog (blackfish) in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every 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 Plymouth 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.
Little Pond 2 mi · Plymouth Bay 2 mi · Billington Sea 3 mi · Warren Cove 3 mi · Duxbury Bay 4 mi · Curlew Pond 6 mi · Fresh Pond 7 mi · Little Long Pond 7 mi · Long Pond (Plymouth) 8 mi · Long Pond (Plymouth) 8 mi · Halfway Pond 8 mi · Sampson Pond 9 mi
See how Plymouth 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; 91% measured, 9% 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.