Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeSalt water depth chart
Today's read
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
3,183-acre Shinnecock Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo shallow-water contours (99.41% measured, 99.99% assessed), exact New York fish and forage evidence, measured hard-bottom and Intracoastal channel spots, a connected public ramp and fishing pier, three forage calendars and current marine rules. The water tops out around 15 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The outline encloses 3,178 acres, worked by 17.5 miles of shoreline, broken up by 3 islands. An index of 2.2 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Tip to tip the water measures near 5.5 mi with a 2.3-mi widest point. Its nearest charted neighbour, Shinnecock Inlet, is 1 mi to the southeast.
Spring puts striped bass in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 15 ft. Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for summer 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 | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Gravel shoal (7 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
When the water first warms, bluefish slide up into 2 to 15 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 15 ft, winter 5 to 15 ft. Start at Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge. It's a channel edge holding about 5 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 | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & midday | Gravel shoal (7 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Start shallow in spring: summer flounder (fluke) sit in 3 to 15 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 15 ft covers summer, 5 to 15 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge, a channel edge in the 5 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in midday and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Spring puts winter flounder in skinny water — 2 to 15 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 15 ft. Spring winter flounder concentrate at Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge, a prime-rated channel edge around 5 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 15 ft | midday & dawn | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Small bucktail tipped with worm, Scented grub on a light jig |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Light scented jig worked slowly |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Small bucktail + worm, Scented bottom jig |
| Winter | 2 to 15 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Small bucktail tipped with worm |
In spring, scup (porgy) run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 15 ft, and they winter in 4 to 15 ft. Spring scup (porgy) concentrate at NOAA charted hard seabed, a prime-rated hard bottom around 3 ft. Fish it in midday and early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA charted hard seabed (3 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted hard seabed (3 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 3 to 15 ft | midday | NOAA charted hard seabed (3 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Early season weakfish use the shallows, holding in 2 to 15 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 15 ft; winter keeps them in 5 to 15 ft. Put Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 5 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a 3–5 inch paddletail or a light bucktail and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Small bucktail + strip, 3-inch paddletail |
| Summer | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | 3-5 inch paddletail, Light bucktail |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Bucktail + soft-plastic trailer, Small paddletail |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge (5 ft) | Small jig worked slowly near bottom |
Shinnecock Bay also holds tautog (blackfish) (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 21 structure features on Shinnecock Bay; the deepest is NOAA charted hard seabed at about 10 ft.
Access data: NYSDEC Marine Boat Launch inventory (OBJECTID 91; ID 95; TownMapID 13) and Town of Southampton facility page. 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 Shinnecock Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Shinnecock Bay is about 15 ft (5 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), winter flounder, scup (porgy), weakfish, tautog (blackfish) on Shinnecock Bay.
Long Island Intracoastal Waterway channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for weakfish in summer. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every 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 Shinnecock Bay 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.
Shinnecock Inlet 1 mi · Great Peconic Bay 6 mi · Flanders Bay 8 mi · Peconic River 9 mi, NY/CT · Laurel Lake 9 mi · Marratooka Lake 10 mi · Wildwood Lake 10 mi · Cutchogue Harbor 10 mi · Fresh Pond (Shelter Island) 16 mi · Pipes Cove 17 mi · Northwest Harbor 17 mi · Coecles Harbor 18 mi
See how Shinnecock Bay 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 or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 99% measured, 1% 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.