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9,013-acre Central Banana River Lagoon section with quality-assured NOAA BlueTopo and 2022 Indian River Lagoon topobathymetric contours, exact-polygon FWC fish evidence, mapped seagrass, charted wrecks and verified public access. The water tops out around 53 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.
The outline encloses 9,032 acres, worked by 63.4 miles of shoreline, broken up by 38 islands. The 4.8 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. About 94% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Figure 6 mi of water from one end to the other, 6 mi at the beam. Its nearest charted neighbour, Cocoa Indian River Lagoon, is 8 mi to the northwest.
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 2025 continuous seagrass edge, a seagrass edge in about 7 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 | 2025 continuous seagrass edge (7 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2025 continuous seagrass edge (7 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2025 continuous seagrass edge (7 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Sharp break (7 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
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 Dangerous NOAA charted wreck: a wreck around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. 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 | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | Rock reef (2 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (8 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
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 Shallow feeding flat. It's a feeding flat holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. 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 feeding flat (5 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (5 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Early season black drum use the shallows, holding in 4 to 25 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 18 ft; winter keeps them in 8 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow feeding flat — feeding flat, 15 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a shrimp imitation dragged slowly or a small crab jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 25 ft | midday & dusk | open water | Crab-tipped bottom jig, Shrimp on a jighead |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | Shrimp imitation dragged slowly, Small crab jig |
| Fall | 4 to 22 ft | dawn | open water | Crab-tipped jig, Scented shrimp jig |
| Winter | 8 to 35 ft | midday | open water | Heavy bottom jig + crab |
Spring snook on Central Banana River Lagoon hold shallow, usually 2 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 15 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow feeding flat — feeding flat, 5 ft, prime for fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (5 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 2025 continuous seagrass edge (7 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (5 ft) | Big paddletail (mullet run), Topwater walker |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Deepest basin (51 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Scented jerkbait crawled in canals |
Start shallow in spring: permit sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 13 to 53 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow feeding flat, a feeding flat in the 15 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and midday and you'll meet the bite. Throw a crab fly or a crab imitation until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 3 to 35 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (15 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 5 to 45 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (6 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 13 to 53 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (8 ft) | Crab imitation worked deep |
Central Banana River Lagoon also holds gray snapper (mangrove snapper) (4 to 30 ft in summer), southern flounder (3 to 18 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 30 features, led in depth by Deepest basin at roughly 51 ft.
Access data: Florida FWC — Boat Ramp Inventory. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Florida waters are set by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (saltwater) — and special regulations can apply to Central Banana River Lagoon specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Central Banana River Lagoon is about 53 ft (16 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 spotted seatrout, sheepshead, red drum (redfish), black drum, snook, permit, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), southern flounder on Central Banana River Lagoon.
Shallow feeding flat is the top-rated area: a feeding flat in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For spotted seatrout, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Central Banana River Lagoon is regulated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (saltwater). Check the official Florida regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Cocoa Indian River Lagoon 8 mi · North Banana River Lagoon 9 mi · South Banana River Lagoon 10 mi · Lake Poinsett 13 mi · Titusville Indian River Lagoon 15 mi · Lake Winder 16 mi · Lake Washington 19 mi · Indian River 19 mi · Fox Lake 20 mi · South Lake 21 mi · Sawgrass Lake 24 mi · Ruth Lake 24 mi
See how Central Banana River Lagoon stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Florida · best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best southern flounder lakes in Florida · best sheepshead lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 95% 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.