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923-acre Vineyard Haven Harbor fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (95.67% measured, 100% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 45 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.
Drawn out, this is 922 acres of water rimmed by 6.3 miles of bank. Index 1.5 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. 35% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 1.8 mi of water from one end to the other, 1.5 mi at the beam. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Oak Bluffs Harbor, 1 mi east of here.
Early season striped bass use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 14 to 45 ft game here, winter a 14 to 45 ft one. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 24 ft, good for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig 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 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 14 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 14 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
In spring, bluefish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 40 ft. Surveyed channel edge is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 24 ft, rated good for summer bluefish. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Spring summer flounder (fluke) on Vineyard Haven Harbor hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 14 to 45 ft. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 24 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead.
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 | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 14 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (24 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
Early season black sea bass use the shallows, holding in 10 to 40 ft. Summer is an 11 to 45 ft game here, winter a 14 to 45 ft one. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted underwater rock — rock pile, 11 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is midday and early morning. Tie on a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser 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 | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 11 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 11 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 14 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Start shallow in spring: tautog (blackfish) sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 14 to 45 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted underwater rock, a rock pile in the 7 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab until the fish tell you otherwise.
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 underwater rock (7 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 9 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 14 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Spring scup (porgy) on Vineyard Haven Harbor hold shallow, usually 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 6 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 11 to 45 ft. Put NOAA charted underwater rock first on the milk run — a rock pile near 7 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run midday and early morning. The summer box starts with a hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig.
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 | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (7 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (7 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (9 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 11 to 45 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (11 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Vineyard Haven Harbor also holds winter flounder (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 11 structure features on Vineyard Haven Harbor; the deepest is Surveyed channel edge at about 25 ft.
Access data: Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife — Public Water Access. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Massachusetts waters are set by the Massachusetts DMF (recreational saltwater) — and special regulations can apply to Vineyard Haven Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Massachusetts fishing regulations →
Vineyard Haven Harbor is about 45 ft (14 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 Vineyard Haven Harbor. 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 11 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass in spring. 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 Vineyard Haven Harbor is regulated by the Massachusetts DMF (recreational saltwater). Check the official Massachusetts regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Oak Bluffs Harbor 1 mi · Lagoon Pond 2 mi · Woods Hole Passage 6 mi · Quissett Harbor 6 mi · Waquoit Bay 7 mi · Edgartown Harbor 8 mi · Cape Poge Bay 8 mi · Katama Bay 9 mi · Coonamessett Pond 11 mi · Popponesset Bay 11 mi · Johns Pond 12 mi · Ashumet Pond 12 mi
See how Vineyard Haven Harbor stacks up: best striped bass lakes in Massachusetts · best summer flounder (fluke) lakes in Massachusetts · best winter flounder lakes in Massachusetts · best bluefish lakes in Massachusetts
Browse all Massachusetts 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.