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2,053-acre Cudjoe Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo shallow-water contours (100% measured and assessed), exact FWC fish and forage sampling, 31 measured wreck, rock, dock, grass and depth-transition spots, Blimp Road public access, three forage calendars and current Florida Keys rules. The water tops out around 17 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The outline encloses 2,059 acres, worked by 8.8 miles of shoreline, broken up by 2 islands. Its 1.4 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. The basin spans about 2.4 mi end to end and 2 mi across at its widest. Upper Sugarloaf Sound sits 3 mi west — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, lane snapper slide up into 1 to 17 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 17 ft, winter 2 to 17 ft. Start at NOAA charted rock. It's a hard bottom holding about 8 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small vertical jig or a bucktail rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (8 ft) | Small bucktail, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (8 ft) | Small vertical jig, Bucktail |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (8 ft) | Shrimp-pattern jig, Small bucktail |
| Winter | 2 to 17 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock (8 ft) | Small jig worked slowly, Bottom bucktail |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in 2 to 17 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 17 ft through summer, 3 to 17 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted pier, a dock line in the 4 ft range, prime in summer. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small bucktail or a paddletail gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (4 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (4 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 17 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Come spring, look for bonefish tight to the bank in 1 to 10 ft. They move out to 1 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 2 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge: a seagrass edge around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and midday. A light shrimp jig or a sparse shrimp fly is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & midday | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (6 ft) | Small shrimp jig, Shrimp fly |
| Summer | 1 to 12 ft | dawn & midday | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (6 ft) | Light shrimp jig, Sparse shrimp fly |
| Fall | 1 to 12 ft | dawn & midday | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (6 ft) | Shrimp-pattern jig, Shrimp fly |
| Winter | 2 to 15 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (11 ft) | Slow shrimp jig, Small weighted shrimp fly |
Start shallow in spring: mutton snapper sit in 2 to 17 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 2 to 17 ft covers summer, 3 to 17 ft covers winter. The spot to know is NOAA charted rock, a hard bottom in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for mutton snapper in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a heavy bucktail or a vertical jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (8 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (8 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (8 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 3 to 17 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock (8 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: spotted seatrout in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 4 to 17 ft. Top water on the chart: 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge, a seagrass edge in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. 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 | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (6 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (6 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (6 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 17 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (11 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Start shallow in spring: atlantic tarpon sit in 2 to 17 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 2 to 17 ft covers summer, 2 to 17 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, a channel edge in the 11 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (11 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (11 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (11 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 2 to 17 ft | dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (11 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
The chart marks 31 structure features on Cudjoe Bay; the deepest is NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth at about 11 ft.
Access data: Monroe County Boat Ramps / 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 Cudjoe Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Cudjoe Bay is about 17 ft (5 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 lane snapper, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), bonefish, mutton snapper, spotted seatrout, atlantic tarpon on Cudjoe Bay.
NOAA charted rock is the top-rated area: a hard bottom in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for lane snapper in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For lane snapper, 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 Cudjoe Bay 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.
Upper Sugarloaf Sound 3 mi · Lower Sugarloaf Sound 5 mi · Newfound Harbor 6 mi · Newfound Harbor Channel 7 mi · Coupon Bight 9 mi · Similar Sound 9 mi · Blacklion Bay 11 mi · Garrison Bight 19 mi · Man of War Harbor 20 mi · Lakes Passage 28 mi · East Central Florida Bay 68 mi · Card Sound 88 mi
See how Cudjoe Bay stacks up: best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best gray snapper (mangrove snapper) lakes in Florida · best atlantic tarpon lakes in Florida · best lane snapper lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 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.