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26,663-acre East Bay section of the Pensacola system with quality-assured NOAA direct survey soundings and assessed contours, FWC fish evidence, mapped seagrass and oyster habitat, charted structure, and verified public access. The water tops out around 21 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 rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
On the chart, East Bay draws 26,711 acres inside 35.8 miles of shoreline. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.6) — enough points and pockets to pattern. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 97% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Figure 12 mi of water from one end to the other, 7.4 mi at the beam. You'll find it in Santa Rosa County. The nearest mapped water is Santa Rosa Sound, 8 mi to the southeast.
Spring puts red drum (redfish) in skinny water — 1 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 2 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 3 to 15 ft. 2021 oyster edge is the standout, an oyster reef at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring red drum (redfish). Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 oyster edge (8 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 oyster edge (8 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | 2021 oyster edge (8 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Gravel shoal (4 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
When the water first warms, spotted seatrout slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 5 to 20 ft one. Start at 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge. It's a seagrass edge holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (2 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (2 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (2 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (19 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Start shallow in spring: southern flounder sit in 2 to 15 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 18 ft; cold water stacks them in 6 to 21 ft. Top water on the chart: Gravel shoal, a gravel shoal in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | Gravel shoal (4 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (19 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 4 to 21 ft | midday | open water | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 6 to 21 ft | midday | open water | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
In spring, sheepshead run shallow here, mostly 4 to 21 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 15 ft, and they winter in 6 to 21 ft. Spring sheepshead concentrate at 2021 oyster edge, a prime-rated oyster reef around 8 ft. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a small jig + crab piece most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 21 ft | midday & dawn | 2021 oyster edge (8 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 2021 oyster edge (8 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | 2021 oyster edge (8 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 6 to 21 ft | midday | 2021 oyster edge (8 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
81 pieces of structure are mapped here — Shallow feeding flat, around 19 ft, is the deepest of them.
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 East Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
East Bay is about 21 ft (6 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 red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, sheepshead on East Bay.
2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge is the top-rated area: a seagrass edge in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each 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 East 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.
Santa Rosa Sound 8 mi · South Escambia Bay 9 mi · North Pensacola Bay 10 mi · Escambia Bay 11 mi · North Escambia Bay 13 mi · Pensacola Bay 14 mi · Middle Pensacola Bay 15 mi · Pensacola Bay Mouth 18 mi · Lower Choctawhatchee Bay 26 mi · Perdido Bay 27 mi, AL/FL · Bear Lake 30 mi · Hurricane Lake 36 mi
See how East Bay 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; 61% measured, 37% 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.