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155-acre Rikers Island Channel fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (100% measured, 100% assessed), source-traceable coastal structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 46 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. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
The drawn water covers 155 acres wrapped in 2.9 miles of bank. With a 1.7 development index there's bank structure worth casting at, in moderation. 1% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 1.3 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.4 mi at the beam. Its nearest charted neighbour, Flushing Bay, is 2 mi to the southeast.
Start shallow in spring: striped bass sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 14 to 46 ft; cold water stacks them in 14 to 46 ft. Top water on the chart: South Brother Island channel edge, a channel edge in the 43 ft range, prime 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 (11 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 14 to 46 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | South Brother Island channel edge (43 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (11 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 14 to 46 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | South Brother Island channel edge (43 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 a 15 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 11 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.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (11 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (11 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (11 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | South Brother Island channel edge (41 ft) | 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 14 to 46 ft. South Brother Island channel edge is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 43 ft, rated prime for fall 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 (11 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | South Brother Island channel edge (41 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | South Brother Island channel edge (43 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 14 to 46 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | South Brother Island channel edge (43 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Start shallow in spring: black sea bass sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 12 to 46 ft; cold water stacks them in 14 to 46 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted rock, a hard bottom in the 29 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 | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted rock (29 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 12 to 46 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted rock (29 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 12 to 46 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted rock (29 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 14 to 46 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | NOAA charted rock (29 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 14 to 46 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted rock: a hard bottom around 29 ft that scores prime in fall. 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 | NOAA charted rock (29 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | NOAA charted rock (29 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 9 to 46 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted rock (29 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 14 to 46 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | NOAA charted rock (29 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 11 to 46 ft for winter. The spot to know is NOAA charted rock, a hard bottom in about 29 ft of water that rates prime for scup (porgy) in summer. 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 pier (4 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted rock (29 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted rock (29 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 11 to 46 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 50 ft | midday | South Brother Island channel edge (43 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Rikers Island Channel also holds winter flounder (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 8 features, led in depth by South Brother Island channel edge at roughly 43 ft.
Access data: New York State DEC — Boat Launches (FishNY). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for New York waters are set by the New York DEC (saltwater fishing) — and special regulations can apply to Rikers Island Channel specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Rikers Island Channel is about 46 ft (14 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 Rikers Island Channel. 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.
South Brother Island channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 43 ft of water that rates prime for summer flounder (fluke) in fall. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each 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 Rikers Island Channel is regulated by the New York DEC (saltwater fishing). Check the official New York regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Flushing Bay 2 mi · Harlem River 4 mi, NY/NJ · Kissena Lake 5 mi · Eastchester Bay 6 mi · Oakland Lake 7 mi · City Island Harbor 7 mi · Manhasset Bay 9 mi · Green Brook Pond 10 mi, NJ · Buttermilk Channel 10 mi · Prospect Park Lake 10 mi · Echo Bay 11 mi · Red Hook Channel 11 mi
See how Rikers Island Channel stacks up: best striped bass lakes in New York · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in New York · best winter flounder lakes in New York · best bluefish lakes in New York
Browse all New York fishing maps. 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.