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178-acre Rendezvous Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (99.94% measured, 99.94% assessed), source-traceable coastal structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 60 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.
Rendezvous Bay maps at 178 acres behind 2.6 miles of shoreline, broken up by an island. A shoreline index of 1.4 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. Roughly 6% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 0.9 mi long by 0.5 mi wide at the broadest reach. Its nearest charted neighbour, Monte Bay, is 0 mi to the north.
Spring puts atlantic tarpon in skinny water — 3 to 25 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 35 ft, wintering in 5 to 35 ft. Summer atlantic tarpon concentrate at Surveyed channel edge, a prime-rated drop-off around 24 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
When the water first warms, jack crevalle slide up into 2 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Surveyed channel edge: a drop-off around 24 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a pencil popper or a casting spoon rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Early season yellowtail snapper use the shallows, holding in 8 to 60 ft. Even in summer they hold at 9 to 60 ft; winter keeps them in 9 to 60 ft. Put NOAA charted rock bottom first on the milk run — a hard bottom near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a micro jig or a small paddletail and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (2 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 9 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (2 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 9 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (2 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 9 to 60 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (2 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
In spring, mutton snapper run shallow here, mostly 7 to 60 ft. Summer keeps them at 8 to 60 ft, and they winter in 10 to 60 ft. Spring mutton snapper concentrate at NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, a prime-rated channel edge around 60 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a heavy bucktail or a vertical jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 7 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (60 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (60 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (60 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 10 to 60 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (2 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
Start shallow in spring: great barracuda sit in 2 to 45 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 55 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 60 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break, a channel edge in the 53 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a fast swimbait or a spoon until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted rock bottom (2 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break (53 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break (53 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 5 to 60 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (60 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
Spring puts gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in skinny water — 3 to 22 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 45 ft. NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 53 ft, rated prime for winter gray snapper (mangrove snapper). Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small bucktail or a paddletail covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (2 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock bottom (2 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break (53 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
9 pieces of structure are mapped here — NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, around 60 ft, is the deepest of them.
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 Rendezvous Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Rendezvous Bay is about 60 ft (18 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 Rendezvous Bay.
NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 53 ft of water that rates prime for great barracuda in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Rendezvous 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.
Monte Bay 0 mi · Fish Bay 1 mi · Great Cruz Bay 1 mi · Genti Bay 2 mi · Reef Bay 2 mi · Caneel Bay 2 mi · Hawksnest Bay 2 mi · Denis Bay 3 mi · Peter Bay 3 mi · Lameshur Bay 3 mi · Cinnamon Bay 3 mi · Francis Bay 4 mi
See how Rendezvous 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.