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226-acre Woods Hole Passage fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (73.81% measured, 100% assessed), charted rock and wreck structure, regional fish-survey occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 86 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 season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
On the chart, Woods Hole Passage draws 226 acres inside 3.6 miles of shoreline, broken up by 5 islands. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.7) — enough points and pockets to pattern. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 42% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Figure 1.1 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.5 mi at the beam. For a second option, Quissett Harbor lies 2 mi northeast.
When the water first warms, striped bass slide up into 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 25 to 60 ft game here, winter a 20 to 50 ft one. Start at Surveyed channel edge. It's a drop-off holding about 57 ft of water and rates good come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a topwater walker at low light or a paddletail on a light jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | 3-6 inch paddletail, Suspending minnow plug |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (57 ft) | Topwater walker at low light, Paddletail on a light jig |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Pencil popper, Baitfish swimbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (25 ft) | Slow paddletail, Bucktail near bottom |
Start shallow in spring: bluefish sit in 3 to 20 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in about 13 ft of water that rates good for bluefish in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
When the water first warms, summer flounder (fluke) slide up into 5 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Surveyed channel edge: a drop-off around 13 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in midday and early morning. Keep a bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed) or a gulp grub on jighead rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Bucktail + Gulp swimming mullet, Hi-lo rig + squid strip |
| Summer | 8 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Bucktail (1-3 oz by drift speed), Gulp grub on jighead |
| Fall | 12 to 45 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Heavier bucktail on the lumps, Big Gulp 6" grub |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (57 ft) | Slow bottom rig + strip |
When the water first warms, black sea bass slide up into 10 to 40 ft. Summer is a 15 to 60 ft game here, winter a 26 to 86 ft one. Start at NOAA charted underwater rock. It's a rock pile holding about 20 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run midday and early morning. Keep a bucktail + grub or a diamond jig + squid teaser 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 | 10 to 40 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | Hi-lo rig + squid, 1-2 oz bucktail + Gulp |
| Summer | 15 to 60 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | Bucktail + grub, Diamond jig + squid teaser |
| Fall | 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | 3-4 oz vertical jig (deep), Double-teaser rig |
| Winter | 26 to 86 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 100 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | Heavy hi-lo rig on deep wrecks |
Spring puts tautog (blackfish) in skinny water — 5 to 25 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 30 to 70 ft. NOAA charted underwater rock is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for spring tautog (blackfish). Plan around early morning in the warm months. A 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | Tog jig + green crab half, Bare jig + clam (early) |
| Summer | 10 to 35 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | 1/2-1 oz tog jig + crab |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | Tog jig + whole green crab, Old-school rig + double crab (deep) |
| Winter | 30 to 70 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | Heavy jig + crab on deep structure |
Come spring, look for scup (porgy) tight to the bank in 5 to 25 ft. They move out to 6 to 35 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 50 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted underwater rock: a rock pile around 20 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is midday and early morning. A hi-lo porgy rig or a micro metal jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | Small hi-lo rig, Micro jig tipped with bait |
| Summer | 6 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | Hi-lo porgy rig, Micro metal jig |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | Compact vertical jig, Hi-lo rig |
| Winter | 12 to 50 ft | midday | NOAA charted underwater rock (20 ft) | Small slow vertical jig |
Woods Hole Passage also holds winter flounder (8 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 22 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Surveyed channel edge, sits near 57 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 Woods Hole Passage specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Massachusetts fishing regulations →
Woods Hole Passage is about 86 ft (26 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 Woods Hole Passage. 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 20 ft of water that rates prime for black sea bass in spring. 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 Woods Hole Passage 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.
Quissett Harbor 2 mi · Vineyard Haven Harbor 6 mi · Lagoon Pond 7 mi · Oak Bluffs Harbor 8 mi · Waquoit Bay 9 mi · Buzzards Bay 9 mi, MA/RI · Coonamessett Pond 9 mi · Nasketucket Bay 11 mi · Ashumet Pond 11 mi · Johns Pond 11 mi · Aucoot Cove 11 mi · Pocasset Harbor 12 mi
See how Woods Hole Passage 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; 74% measured, 26% 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.