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947-acre Poverty Bay fishing map with native-MLLW NOAA survey contours (77.31% measured, 95.05% assessed), seven measured spots, eight fish profiles, exact surf-smelt and creek-mouth forage searches, Redondo Pier, mapped octopus preserve, Marine Area 11 rules and health guidance. The water tops out around 509 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to MLLW; 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 946 acres of water rimmed by 6.3 miles of bank. Index 1.5 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 11% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. The basin spans about 2.9 mi end to end and 0.9 mi across at its widest. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Mirror Lake, 2 mi south of here.
Spring puts pacific chinook salmon in skinny water — 30 to 120 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 20 to 150 ft, wintering in 50 to 180 ft. Summer pacific chinook salmon concentrate at Surveyed channel edge, a good-rated drop-off around 149 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A herring or sand-lance spoon or a baitfish hoochie behind a flasher covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 30 to 120 ft | dawn | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Herring-pattern spoon, Three-to-four-inch baitfish swimbait |
| Summer | 20 to 150 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (149 ft) | Herring or sand-lance spoon, Baitfish hoochie behind a flasher |
| Fall | 10 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Compact spoon, Baitfish spinner where legal |
| Winter | 50 to 180 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (149 ft) | Slow-trolled spoon, Deep baitfish plug |
Start shallow in spring: pacific coho salmon sit in 10 to 70 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 100 ft, and winter fish settle into 30 to 100 ft. The spot to know is Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in about 70 ft of water that rates good for pacific coho salmon in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a small hoochie behind a flasher or a slim spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Small silver spoon, Slim baitfish fly |
| Summer | 10 to 100 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Small hoochie behind a flasher, Slim spoon |
| Fall | 5 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small spinner where legal, Compact spoon |
| Winter | 30 to 100 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Slow small spoon, Compact trolling fly |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: chum salmon in 10 to 70 ft. The depth story barely changes: 4 to 70 ft through summer, 25 to 100 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in the 70 ft range, good in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a chartreuse or pink hoochie or a bright spoon gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Chrome spoon, Compact baitfish jig |
| Summer | 4 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Chartreuse or pink hoochie, Bright spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Bright spinner, Pink or chartreuse jig |
| Winter | 25 to 100 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Compact vertical jig |
Early season pink salmon use the shallows, holding in 8 to 60 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 70 ft, then a winter hold in 20 to 90 ft. Put Surveyed channel edge first on the milk run — a drop-off near 70 ft that grades good for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a pink or orange casting spoon or a small hoochie and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Small chrome spoon, Compact herring-pattern jig |
| Summer | 3 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Pink or orange casting spoon, Small hoochie |
| Fall | 2 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small bright spoon, Pink jig |
| Winter | 20 to 90 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Small vertical jig |
Early season cutthroat trout use the shallows, holding in 3 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 40 ft. Put NOAA H11646/H06101 measured channel shoulder first on the milk run — a gravel shoal near 286 ft that grades good for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a trolled spoon (small) or an inline spinner and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Inline spinner (silver/gold), Small spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Trolled spoon (small), Inline spinner |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA H11646/H06101 measured channel shoulder (286 ft) | Casting spoon, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 10 to 40 ft | dawn | open water | Small jigging spoon, Marabou jig |
In spring, lingcod run shallow here, mostly 25 to 140 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 20 to 180 ft before dropping to 60 to 240 ft for winter. Winter lingcod concentrate at NOAA H11646/H06101 measured channel break, a good-rated channel edge around 244 ft. Fish it in midday and early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a heavy swimbait or a metal jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 25 to 140 ft | dawn | Surveyed channel edge (70 ft) | Heavy swimbait, Metal jig |
| Summer | 20 to 180 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (149 ft) | Heavy swimbait, Metal jig |
| Fall | 30 to 200 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (149 ft) | Heavy metal jig, Large swimbait |
| Winter | 60 to 240 ft | midday | NOAA H11646/H06101 measured channel break (244 ft) | Heavy slow-pitch jig |
Poverty Bay also holds kelp greenling (4 to 90 ft in summer), english sole (10 to 90 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 7 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, NOAA H11646/H06101 measured inlet-channel depth, sits near 375 ft.
Access data: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Area 11 notice. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Washington waters are set by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (Marine Area 11 — Tacoma/Vashon Island) — and special regulations can apply to Poverty Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Washington fishing regulations →
Poverty Bay is about 509 ft (155 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to MLLW; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target pacific chinook salmon, pacific coho salmon, chum salmon, pink salmon, cutthroat trout, lingcod, kelp greenling, english sole on Poverty Bay.
NOAA H11646/H06101 measured channel break is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 244 ft of water that rates good for lingcod in winter. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For pacific chinook salmon, 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 Poverty Bay is regulated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (Marine Area 11 — Tacoma/Vashon Island). Check the official Washington regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Mirror Lake 2 mi · Steel Lake 3 mi · Lake Fenwick 4 mi · Lake Killarney 5 mi · Quartermaster Harbor 6 mi · Angle Lake 6 mi · Lake Holm 11 mi · Gig Harbor 11 mi · Little Wapato Lake 12 mi · Lake Tapps 12 mi · Pipe Lake 13 mi · Lake Lucerne 14 mi
See how Poverty Bay stacks up: best cutthroat trout lakes in Washington · best pink salmon lakes in Washington · best chum salmon lakes in Washington · best pacific chinook salmon lakes in Washington
Browse all Washington fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Office of Coast Survey and Washington Department of Natural Resources NOAA H11646 and H06101 Poverty Bay hydrographic survey union (MLLW; 77% measured, 18% 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.