Salt water depth chart
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261-acre Dollar Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo shallow-water contours (99.01% measured, 99.27% assessed), Rookery Bay Reserve and connected-water fish evidence, measured channel, pile, grass and oyster spots, Bayview Park access, three forage calendars and current Florida rules. The water tops out around 15 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. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
The drawn water covers 262 acres wrapped in 6.3 miles of bank. A development index of 2.8 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Figure 1.5 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.5 mi at the beam. If the bite dies, Gordon Pass is 1 mi to the west.
When the water first warms, black drum slide up into 2 to 15 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 15 ft, winter 3 to 15 ft. Start at NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge. It's a channel edge holding about 9 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a shrimp imitation dragged slowly or a small crab jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dusk | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Crab-tipped bottom jig, Shrimp on a jighead |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 2006 oyster edge (4 ft) | Shrimp imitation dragged slowly, Small crab jig |
| Fall | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Crab-tipped jig, Scented shrimp jig |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Heavy bottom jig + crab |
Early season gulf flounder use the shallows, holding in 2 to 14 ft. Summer is a 3 to 15 ft game here, winter a 5 to 15 ft one. The chart's best answer is NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge — channel edge, 9 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a paddletail dragged on bottom or a bucktail + swimming mullet and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail, Bucktail + scented shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Paddletail dragged on bottom, Bucktail + swimming mullet |
| Fall | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dusk | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + scented grub, Paddletail on a heavier jighead |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub |
Spring lane snapper on Dollar Bay hold shallow, usually 1 to 15 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 1 to 15 ft in summer, 2 to 15 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge — channel edge, 9 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small vertical jig or a bucktail.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 2014 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (3 ft) | Small bucktail, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 1 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Small vertical jig, Bucktail |
| Fall | 1 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Shrimp-pattern jig, Small bucktail |
| Winter | 2 to 15 ft | dusk | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Small jig worked slowly, Bottom bucktail |
When the water first warms, snook slide up into 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. If you only fish one area, make it NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge: a channel edge around 9 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pile (6 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pile (6 ft) | Big paddletail (mullet run), Topwater walker |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | NOAA charted pile (6 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Scented jerkbait crawled in canals |
Early season red drum (redfish) use the shallows, holding in 1 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 15 ft. Put NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 9 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 2006 oyster edge (4 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & midday | 2006 oyster edge (4 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge (9 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Spring sheepshead on Dollar Bay hold shallow, usually 3 to 15 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 15 ft in summer, 5 to 15 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted pile — dock line, 6 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a small jig + crab piece.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted pile (6 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pile (6 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday | NOAA charted pile (6 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | 2006 oyster edge (6 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Dollar Bay also holds gray snapper (mangrove snapper) (2 to 15 ft in summer), spotted seatrout (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Dollar Bay carries 19 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge, about 10 ft down.
Access data: Collier County Parks / Florida FWC Boat Ramp Inventory (OBJECTID 389; RampID CO00212ZA). 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 Dollar Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Dollar Bay is about 15 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 black drum, gulf flounder, lane snapper, snook, red drum (redfish), sheepshead, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), spotted seatrout on Dollar Bay.
NAPLES TO BIG MARCO PASS channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for black drum in winter. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For black drum, 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 Dollar 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.
Gordon Pass 1 mi · Estero Bay 22 mi · Lake Trafford 29 mi · San Carlos Bay 31 mi · Lower Pine Island Sound 37 mi · Matlacha Pass 40 mi · Upper Pine Island Sound 45 mi · Captiva Passage 45 mi · Pelican Bay 50 mi · Gasparilla Pass 59 mi · Stump Pass 66 mi · Lemon Bay 68 mi
See how Dollar Bay stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Florida · best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best sheepshead lakes in Florida · best snook lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 99% 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.