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Fishing Espiritu Santo Bay: what the data says
32,391-acre bay near Port O'Connor. The water tops out around 14 ft. The depth chart is built from real NOAA hydrographic survey soundings (depths referenced to low tide), so the channels, holes and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Red Drum (Redfish) fishing at Espiritu Santo Bay
Start shallow in spring: red drum (redfish) sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 2 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Feeding flat: a feeding flat around 8 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 2 to 14 ft | dawn & midday | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Spotted Seatrout fishing at Espiritu Santo Bay
In spring, spotted seatrout run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 14 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 14 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dusk | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Southern Flounder fishing at Espiritu Santo Bay
Spring southern flounder on Espiritu Santo Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 14 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 14 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 14 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for summer southern flounder. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Tie on a jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 3 to 14 ft | midday | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 11 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 4 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Espiritu Santo Bay?
Espiritu Santo Bay is about 14 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys (charted soundings referenced to low tide), so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Espiritu Santo Bay?
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder on Espiritu Santo Bay.
Where is the best fishing spot on Espiritu Santo Bay?
Feeding flat is the top-rated area: a feeding flat in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Espiritu Santo Bay?
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.
Nearby waters
Lavaca Bay · Matagorda Bay · Aransas Bay · Copano Bay · East Matagorda Bay · San Marcos River
See how Espiritu Santo Bay stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Texas · best spotted seatrout lakes in Texas · best southern flounder lakes in Texas
Browse all Texas fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (ENC soundings, MLLW datum). How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.