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75,142-acre East Central Florida Bay section with quality-assured NOAA BlueTopo and 411,222 direct USGS Florida Bay soundings, exact-polygon FWC fish and forage evidence, mapped seagrass, charted structure and verified public access. The water tops out around 10 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.
On the chart, East Central Florida Bay draws 75,331 acres inside 115.8 miles of shoreline — 65 islands included. With a shoreline index of 3, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. Figure 14.9 mi of water from one end to the other, 12.1 mi at the beam. For a second option, Card Sound lies 21 mi northeast.
When the water first warms, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) slide up into 1 to 10 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 10 ft, winter 2 to 10 ft. Start at Dangerous NOAA charted wreck. It's a wreck holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small bucktail or a paddletail rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (8 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 2 to 10 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
In spring, snook run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer keeps them at 2 to 10 ft, and they winter in 3 to 10 ft. 2010 continuous seagrass edge is the standout, a seagrass edge at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for spring snook. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (8 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (8 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (8 ft) | Big paddletail (mullet run), Topwater walker |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | open water | Slow-rolled paddletail, Scented jerkbait crawled in canals |
When the water first warms, spotted seatrout slide up into 2 to 10 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 10 ft, winter 3 to 10 ft. Start at 2010 continuous seagrass edge. It's a seagrass edge holding about 8 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 | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (8 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (8 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (8 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Come spring, look for permit tight to the bank in 1 to 10 ft. Through summer count on 1 to 10 ft; the winter hold is 3 to 10 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Dangerous NOAA charted wreck: a wreck around 3 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and midday. A crab fly or a crab imitation is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (8 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 1 to 10 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Crab imitation worked deep |
Spring puts red drum (redfish) in skinny water — 1 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 2 to 10 ft; cold water stacks them in 2 to 10 ft. 2010 continuous seagrass edge is the standout, a seagrass edge 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 | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (8 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (8 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (5 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
In spring, sheepshead run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer keeps them at 2 to 10 ft, and they winter in 3 to 10 ft. Spring sheepshead concentrate at Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, a prime-rated wreck around 3 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 | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
East Central Florida Bay carries 254 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at 2010 continuous seagrass edge, about 9 ft down.
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 Central Florida Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
East Central Florida Bay is about 10 ft (3 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 gray snapper (mangrove snapper), snook, spotted seatrout, permit, red drum (redfish), sheepshead on East Central Florida Bay.
Dangerous NOAA charted wreck is the top-rated area: a wreck in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in fall. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For gray snapper (mangrove 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 East Central Florida 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.
Card Sound 21 mi · South-Central Mid-Bay Biscayne Bay 29 mi · South-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay 31 mi · South-Central Outer Biscayne Bay 34 mi · North-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay 41 mi · North-Central Outer Biscayne Bay 46 mi · Newfound Harbor Channel 62 mi · Lakes Passage 95 mi · Lake Ida 98 mi · Gordon Pass 103 mi · Lake Osborne 106 mi · Lake Trafford 107 mi
See how East Central Florida 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; 86% measured, 14% 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.