Salt water depth chart
Today's read
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
60-acre Garrison Bight fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo shallow-water contours (95.87% measured and assessed), measured wreck, rock, pier, pile, bridge and channel spots, six sourced Florida Keys fish profiles, three forage calendars, an exact public ramp and current Florida rules. The water tops out around 13 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.
Traced from the shoreline, Garrison Bight runs 61 acres with 1.8 miles of edge. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.6) — enough points and pockets to pattern. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.7 mi with a 0.2-mi widest point. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Man of War Harbor, 2 mi northwest of here.
Spring puts bonefish in skinny water — 1 to 10 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 1 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 2 to 13 ft. KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 11 ft, rated prime for winter bonefish. Plan around early morning and midday in the warm months. A light shrimp jig or a sparse shrimp fly covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & midday | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Small shrimp jig, Shrimp fly |
| Summer | 1 to 12 ft | dawn & midday | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Light shrimp jig, Sparse shrimp fly |
| Fall | 1 to 12 ft | dawn & midday | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Shrimp-pattern jig, Shrimp fly |
| Winter | 2 to 13 ft | midday | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Slow shrimp jig, Small weighted shrimp fly |
When the water first warms, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) slide up into 2 to 13 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 13 ft, winter 2 to 13 ft. Start at NOAA charted pier. It's a dock line holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come summer. 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 | 2 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (7 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 2 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (7 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 2 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (11 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 2 to 13 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (11 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Come spring, look for mutton snapper tight to the bank in 2 to 13 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 13 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 13 ft. If you only fish one area, make it KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge: a channel edge around 11 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A heavy bucktail or a vertical jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 2 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 2 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 2 to 13 ft | dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (11 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
When the water first warms, spotted seatrout slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 3 to 13 ft game here, winter a 3 to 13 ft one. Start at KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge. It's a channel edge holding about 11 ft of water and rates prime come winter. 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 | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 13 ft | dawn | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | open water | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 13 ft | midday & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring atlantic tarpon on Garrison Bight hold shallow, usually 2 to 13 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 1 to 13 ft in summer, 2 to 13 ft once it turns cold. Put KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 11 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 1 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 1 to 13 ft | dawn & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 2 to 13 ft | dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Come spring, look for permit tight to the bank in 2 to 13 ft. Through summer count on 1 to 13 ft; the winter hold is 3 to 13 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Dangerous NOAA charted wreck: a wreck around 11 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 | 2 to 13 ft | dawn | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (11 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 1 to 13 ft | dawn & midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (11 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 1 to 13 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (11 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 3 to 13 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (11 ft) | Crab imitation worked deep |
The chart marks 16 structure features on Garrison Bight; the deepest is NOAA charted pile at about 12 ft.
Access data: Florida FWC Boat Ramp Inventory (OBJECTID 1415; RampID MO00562VV) and City of Key West. 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 Garrison Bight specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Garrison Bight is about 13 ft (4 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 bonefish, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), mutton snapper, spotted seatrout, atlantic tarpon, permit on Garrison Bight.
KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for bonefish in winter. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For bonefish, the summer bite is best in early morning and midday. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Garrison Bight 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.
Man of War Harbor 2 mi · Blacklion Bay 8 mi · Lakes Passage 9 mi · Similar Sound 10 mi · Lower Sugarloaf Sound 14 mi · Upper Sugarloaf Sound 16 mi · Cudjoe Bay 19 mi · Newfound Harbor 25 mi · Newfound Harbor Channel 26 mi · Coupon Bight 28 mi · East Central Florida Bay 87 mi · Dollar Bay 105 mi
See how Garrison Bight stacks up: best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best gray snapper (mangrove snapper) lakes in Florida · best permit lakes in Florida · best atlantic tarpon lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 96% 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.