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38,454-acre Saco Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (95.67% measured, 99.85% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 282 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Saco Bay maps at 38,413 acres behind 53.9 miles of shoreline, broken up by 20 islands. A middling shoreline index (2) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Roughly 9% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 10.9 mi end to end and 10 mi across at its widest. If the bite dies, Wood Island Harbor is 4 mi to the southwest.
Spring puts striped bass in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 25 to 60 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 50 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, an offshore hump at roughly 44 ft, rated prime for summer striped bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A flutter spoon (deep) or an umbrella rig (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (44 ft) | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (44 ft) | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | open water | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
When the water first warms, bluefish slide up into 3 to 20 ft. Summer is a 5 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 40 ft one. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | open water | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Start shallow in spring: atlantic mackerel sit in 5 to 45 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 15 to 80 ft; cold water stacks them in 30 to 120 ft. Top water on the chart: Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in the 145 ft range, good in winter. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a feather rig or a small vertical jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 45 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Mackerel feather rig, Small silver jig |
| Summer | 15 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (244 ft) | Feather rig, Small vertical jig |
| Fall | 10 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (244 ft) | Compact silver jig, Sparse feather rig |
| Winter | 30 to 120 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (145 ft) | Small deep jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: atlantic cod in 20 to 100 ft. As the season builds they drop to 45 to 180 ft, wintering in 50 to 220 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in the 26 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a heavy metal jig or a large soft-plastic jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 20 to 100 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | Diamond jig, Heavy bucktail |
| Summer | 45 to 180 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (31 ft) | Heavy metal jig, Large soft-plastic jig |
| Fall | 25 to 140 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (26 ft) | Diamond jig, Bucktail with teaser |
| Winter | 50 to 220 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (29 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
Come spring, look for atlantic herring tight to the bank in 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 15 to 50 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted underwater rock: a rock pile around 15 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A herring feather rig or a small silver jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted underwater rock (15 ft) | Small herring feather rig, Micro jig rig |
| Summer | 15 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Herring feather rig, Small silver jig |
| Fall | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small feather rig, Compact silver spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | open water | Small silver jig, Sparse feather rig |
Structure-wise the chart holds 72 features, led in depth by Surveyed channel edge at roughly 244 ft.
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 Saco Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Maine fishing regulations →
Saco Bay is about 282 ft (86 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 on Saco Bay.
NOAA charted underwater rock is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for atlantic cod in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Saco 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.
Wood Island Harbor 4 mi · Richmond Island Harbor 5 mi · Dyer Cove 7 mi · Curtis Cove 8 mi · Goosefare Bay 9 mi · Stage Island Harbor 11 mi · Cape Porpoise Harbor 11 mi · Fore River 11 mi · Whitehead Passage 12 mi · Hussey Sound 14 mi · Diamond Cove 14 mi · Dorseys Cove 16 mi
See how Saco Bay stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Maine · best bluefish lakes in Maine · best atlantic herring lakes in Maine · best atlantic mackerel lakes in Maine
Browse all Maine fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 96% measured, 4% 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.