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247-acre Shinnecock Inlet fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (98.79% measured, 99.88% 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Shinnecock Inlet maps at 247 acres behind 3.9 miles of shoreline. A middling shoreline index (1.8) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. 29% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 0.9 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.7 mi at the beam. Its nearest charted neighbour, Shinnecock Bay, is 1 mi to the northwest.
In spring, striped bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 25 to 60 ft before dropping to 20 to 50 ft for winter. Summer striped bass concentrate at Shinnecock Inlet channel edge, a prime-rated channel edge around 30 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (15 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Come spring, look for bluefish tight to the bank in 3 to 20 ft. They move out to 5 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder: a gravel shoal around 27 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (6 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (27 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel shoulder (27 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: summer flounder (fluke) in 5 to 25 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 35 ft before dropping to 20 to 60 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shinnecock Inlet channel edge, a channel edge in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for summer flounder (fluke) in summer. Plan around midday and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (6 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
In spring, black sea bass run shallow here, mostly 10 to 40 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 15 to 60 ft before dropping to 18 to 60 ft for winter. Summer black sea bass concentrate at Shinnecock Inlet channel edge, a prime-rated channel edge around 30 ft. Fish it in midday and early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser most summer days.
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 | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 15 to 60 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 18 to 60 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | open water | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Early season tautog (blackfish) use the shallows, holding in 5 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 18 to 60 ft. Put NOAA charted pier first on the milk run — a dock line near 12 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab and you're in the game.
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 pier (12 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (12 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted pier (12 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 18 to 60 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | open water | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Spring puts scup (porgy) in skinny water — 5 to 25 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 6 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 12 to 50 ft. NOAA charted pier is the standout, a dock line at roughly 12 ft, rated prime for summer scup (porgy). Plan around midday and early morning in the warm months. A hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (12 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted pier (12 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 12 to 50 ft | midday | Shinnecock Inlet channel edge (30 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Shinnecock Inlet also holds winter flounder (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Shinnecock Inlet carries 14 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, about 52 ft down.
Access data: Suffolk County Parks — Shinnecock East County Park. 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 Inlet specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official New York fishing regulations →
Shinnecock Inlet 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 striped bass, bluefish, summer flounder (fluke), black sea bass, tautog (blackfish), scup (porgy), winter flounder on Shinnecock Inlet. 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.
Shinnecock Inlet channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for summer flounder (fluke) in summer. Open the map above to see every rated 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 Shinnecock Inlet 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 Bay 1 mi · Great Peconic Bay 7 mi · Flanders Bay 9 mi · Peconic River 10 mi, NY/CT · Laurel Lake 10 mi · Marratooka Lake 11 mi · Wildwood Lake 11 mi · Cutchogue Harbor 11 mi · Fresh Pond (Shelter Island) 17 mi · Northwest Harbor 18 mi · Pipes Cove 18 mi · Coecles Harbor 19 mi
See how Shinnecock Inlet 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; 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.