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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. Saco River channel edge is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 19 ft, rated prime for fall striped bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
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. Start at NOAA charted breakwater. It's a jetty / riprap holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come summer. 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 | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted breakwater (3 ft) | 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 | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | 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: Saco River channel edge, a channel edge in the 19 ft range, prime in summer. 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 | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Mackerel feather rig, Small silver jig |
| Summer | 15 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Feather rig, Small vertical jig |
| Fall | 10 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Compact silver jig, Sparse feather rig |
| Winter | 30 to 120 ft | midday | Saco River channel edge (19 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 rock bottom (50 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 rock bottom (50 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 | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Herring feather rig, Small silver jig |
| Fall | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Small feather rig, Compact silver spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Small silver jig, Sparse feather rig |
Spring puts winter flounder in skinny water — 2 to 18 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 30 ft, wintering in 3 to 20 ft. Spring winter flounder concentrate at Saco River channel edge, a prime-rated channel edge around 14 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A light scented jig worked slowly covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Saco River channel edge (14 ft) | Small bucktail tipped with worm, Scented grub on a light jig |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Light scented jig worked slowly |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | midday | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Small bucktail + worm, Scented bottom jig |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | midday | Saco River channel edge (19 ft) | Small bucktail tipped with worm |
Structure-wise the chart holds 2189 features, led in depth by NOAA charted rock bottom at roughly 255 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, winter flounder on Saco 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 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 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; 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.