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21-acre Turner Bay fishing map with NOAA survey-composite MLLW contours (100% measured, 100% assessed), source-traceable measured chart and habitat spots, six regional fish profiles, two forage calendars, connected ramp access and current DPNR/NPS rules. The water tops out around 34 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to MLLW; 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.
Traced from the shoreline, Turner Bay runs 21 acres with 0.8 miles of edge. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.2) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. About 67% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. For a second option, Frank Bay lies 0 mi northwest.
Spring atlantic tarpon on Turner Bay hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. They move out to 4 to 34 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 34 ft. Put Surveyed channel edge first on the milk run — a drop-off near 25 ft that grades good for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current.
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 | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 4 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (25 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 5 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement (16 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Spring puts jack crevalle in skinny water — 2 to 25 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 34 ft, wintering in 5 to 34 ft. Spring jack crevalle concentrate at NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock, a good-rated hard bottom around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A pencil popper or a casting spoon 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 | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | Surface popper, Metal jig |
| Summer | 3 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | Pencil popper, Casting spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 30 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | Topwater walker, Metal jig |
| Winter | 5 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement (16 ft) | Compact metal jig, Slow-rolled paddletail |
In spring, yellowtail snapper run shallow here, mostly 5 to 34 ft. Summer keeps them at 5 to 34 ft, and they winter in 5 to 34 ft. Spring yellowtail snapper concentrate at NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement, a prime-rated hard bottom around 16 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a micro jig or a small paddletail 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 | 5 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement (16 ft) | Small bucktail, Light vertical jig |
| Summer | 5 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement (16 ft) | Micro jig, Small paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement (16 ft) | Small vertical jig, Baitfish streamer |
| Winter | 5 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 80 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement (16 ft) | Small jig worked deep, Bucktail |
Come spring, look for mutton snapper tight to the bank in 4 to 34 ft. Through summer count on 4 to 34 ft; the winter hold is 6 to 34 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock: a hard bottom around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A heavy bucktail or a vertical jig is the honest summer answer here.
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 | 4 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 65 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 4 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 80 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 5 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 75 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement (16 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 6 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 90 ft | dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement (16 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
When the water first warms, great barracuda slide up into 2 to 34 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 34 ft, winter 3 to 34 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock: a hard bottom around 4 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a fast swimbait or a spoon 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 | 2 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 2 to 45 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | Fast tube lure, Long minnow plug |
| Summer | 2 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | Fast swimbait, Spoon |
| Fall | 2 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 55 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | Mullet-profile plug, Tube lure |
| Winter | 3 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 65 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized bedrock (4 ft) | Long minnow plug, Fast jig |
When the water first warms, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) slide up into 3 to 22 ft. Summer is a 4 to 30 ft game here, winter a 6 to 34 ft one. Start at NOAA NCCOS mapped seagrass. It's a seagrass edge holding about 21 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small bucktail or a paddletail 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 | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped seagrass (21 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped seagrass (21 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement (16 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 6 to 34 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement (16 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
8 pieces of structure are mapped here — NOAA NCCOS mapped seagrass, around 29 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: National Park Service — Virgin Islands National Park Superintendent's Compendium and Cruz Bay Visitor Center POI. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for U.S. Virgin Islands waters are set by the National Park Service and USVI DPNR (St. John park fishing) — and special regulations can apply to Turner Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands fishing regulations →
Turner Bay is about 34 ft (10 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to MLLW; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target atlantic tarpon, jack crevalle, yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, great barracuda, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) on Turner Bay. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
NOAA NCCOS mapped colonized pavement is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for yellowtail snapper in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For atlantic tarpon, 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 Turner Bay is regulated by the National Park Service and USVI DPNR (St. John park fishing). Check the official U.S. Virgin Islands regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Frank Bay 0 mi · Great Cruz Bay 1 mi · Devers Bay 1 mi · Caneel Bay 1 mi · Hart Bay 1 mi · Monte Bay 2 mi · Rendezvous Bay 2 mi · Hawksnest Bay 2 mi · Pillsbury Sound 2 mi · Fish Bay 2 mi · Denis Bay 2 mi · Redhook Bay 3 mi
See how Turner Bay stacks up: best gray snapper (mangrove snapper) lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best atlantic tarpon lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best jack crevalle lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands · best yellowtail snapper lakes in U.S. Virgin Islands
Browse all U.S. Virgin Islands fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (MLLW; 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.