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24,664-acre sound near Morehead City. The water tops out around 48 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Bogue Sound maps at 24,148 acres behind 124.8 miles of shoreline, with 21 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 5.7) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. Figure 24 mi of water from one end to the other, 4.2 mi at the beam. It sits in Carteret County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Back Sound, is 19 mi to the east.
Come spring, look for red drum (redfish) tight to the bank in 1 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 15 ft. Start at Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | Creek inflow (5 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Old creek channel (2 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: spotted seatrout in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 15 ft before dropping to 5 to 20 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | Sharp break (14 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Deep basin (17 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Come spring, look for southern flounder tight to the bank in 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 3 to 18 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. A jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (2 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | Sharp break (14 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | midday | Creek inflow (5 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (17 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
When the water first warms, sheepshead slide up into 5 to 25 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 15 ft, winter 10 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Marina / dock area: a dock line around 5 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a small jig + crab piece rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Marina / dock area (5 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | Marina / dock area (5 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | Marina / dock area (5 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | Deep basin (17 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Spring bluefish on Bogue Sound hold shallow, usually 3 to 20 ft. They move out to 5 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 40 ft. Put Creek inflow first on the milk run — an inflow / creek mouth near 5 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (5 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (5 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Creek inflow (5 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Deep basin (17 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
28 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 17 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for North Carolina waters are set by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries — and special regulations can apply to Bogue Sound specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official North Carolina fishing regulations →
Bogue Sound is about 48 ft (15 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, sheepshead, bluefish on Bogue Sound.
Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in fall. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For red drum (redfish), 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 Bogue Sound is regulated by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. Check the official North Carolina regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Back Sound 19 mi · Masonboro Inlet 62 mi · Northeast Cape Fear River 67 mi, NC/SC · Pamlico Sound 67 mi · Lake Mattamuskeet 70 mi · Cape Fear River - Reach 2 of 2 76 mi, NC/SC · Cape Fear River - Reach 1 of 2 80 mi, NC/SC · Lake Waccamaw 96 mi · Shallotte River 99 mi, NC/SC · Shallotte Inlet 100 mi · Roanoke River 120 mi · North River 122 mi, NC/VA
See how Bogue Sound stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in North Carolina · best spotted seatrout lakes in North Carolina · best southern flounder lakes in North Carolina · best sheepshead lakes in North Carolina
Browse all North Carolina fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (ENC soundings, MLLW datum). 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.