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120-acre Rackliff Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (92.68% measured, 100% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 32 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.
Rackliff Bay maps at 119 acres behind 2.1 miles of shoreline. At index 1.4 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 39% of this chart. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.6 mi with a 0.5-mi widest point. Wheeler Bay sits 1 mi northwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 32 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 32 ft. The spot to know is Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in about 20 ft of water that rates good for striped bass in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. 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 (20 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 10 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 9 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Early season bluefish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 5 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 32 ft. Put Surveyed channel edge first on the milk run — a drop-off near 20 ft that grades good for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Spring puts atlantic mackerel in skinny water — 4 to 32 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 6 to 32 ft, and winter fish hold in 8 to 32 ft. Summer atlantic mackerel concentrate at Surveyed channel edge, a good-rated drop-off around 20 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A feather rig or a small vertical jig 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 | 4 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 45 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Mackerel feather rig, Small silver jig |
| Summer | 6 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Feather rig, Small vertical jig |
| Fall | 5 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Compact silver jig, Sparse feather rig |
| Winter | 8 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 120 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Small deep jig |
Spring puts atlantic cod in skinny water — 6 to 32 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 8 to 32 ft, and winter fish hold in 7 to 32 ft. NOAA charted underwater rock is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 11 ft, rated prime for spring atlantic cod. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A heavy metal jig or a large soft-plastic jig 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 | 6 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 100 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Diamond jig, Heavy bucktail |
| Summer | 8 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 45 to 180 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Heavy metal jig, Large soft-plastic jig |
| Fall | 6 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 140 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Diamond jig, Bucktail with teaser |
| Winter | 7 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 50 to 220 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
Spring atlantic herring on Rackliff Bay hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 32 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 32 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted underwater rock — rock pile, 11 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a herring feather rig or a small silver jig.
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 & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Small herring feather rig, Micro jig rig |
| Summer | 10 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Herring feather rig, Small silver jig |
| Fall | 8 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Small feather rig, Compact silver spoon |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Small silver jig, Sparse feather rig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: winter flounder in 2 to 18 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 30 ft before dropping to 3 to 20 ft for winter. The spot to know is Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in about 14 ft of water that rates good for winter flounder in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a light scented jig worked slowly gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (14 ft) | Small bucktail tipped with worm, Scented grub on a light jig |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Light scented jig worked slowly |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Small bucktail + worm, Scented bottom jig |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | Small bucktail tipped with worm |
4 pieces of structure are mapped here — Surveyed channel edge, around 20 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Maine GeoLibrary — Boat Launches (Maine IF&W / DACF). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Maine waters are set by the Maine DMR (saltwater recreational fishing) — and special regulations can apply to Rackliff Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Maine fishing regulations →
Rackliff Bay is about 32 ft (10 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, atlantic mackerel, atlantic cod, atlantic herring, winter flounder on Rackliff 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 11 ft of water that rates prime for atlantic cod 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 Rackliff Bay is regulated by the Maine DMR (saltwater recreational fishing). Check the official Maine regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Wheeler Bay 1 mi · Clark Cove 1 mi · Muscle Ridge Channel 2 mi · Tenants Harbor 3 mi · Saint George River 4 mi · Home Harbor 4 mi · Dix Island Harbor 5 mi · Owls Head Bay 8 mi · Rockland Harbor 8 mi · South Pond 10 mi · Hurricane Sound 14 mi · Crawford Pond 15 mi
See how Rackliff Bay stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Maine · best winter flounder lakes in Maine · best bluefish lakes in Maine · best atlantic herring lakes in Maine
Browse all Maine fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 93% measured, 7% 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.