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40,153-acre bay near Port Lavaca. The water tops out around 10 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct 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.
The outline encloses 39,584 acres, worked by 80 miles of shoreline, broken up by 8 islands. A development index of 2.9 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. Figure 15 mi of water from one end to the other, 7.7 mi at the beam. It sits in Calhoun County. Espiritu Santo Bay sits 20 mi south — the closest neighbouring chart.
Spring red drum (redfish) on Lavaca Bay hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 10 ft, and by winter most fish are in 2 to 10 ft. The chart's best answer is Chocolate Bayou inflow — inflow / creek mouth, 6 ft, prime for fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (3 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & midday | Chocolate Bayou inflow (6 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (9 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Spring puts spotted seatrout in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. Weed flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring spotted seatrout. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (3 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Break off the point (3 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Weed flat (3 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dusk | Deep basin (9 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Early season southern flounder use the shallows, holding in 1 to 10 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 10 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 10 ft. The chart's best answer is Old creek channel — creek channel, 5 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (5 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 2 to 10 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (5 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 2 to 10 ft | midday | Chocolate Bayou inflow (6 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
Lavaca Bay carries 21 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 9 ft down.
Access data: Texas Parks & Wildlife — Public Boat Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Texas waters are set by the Texas Parks & Wildlife (saltwater) — and special regulations can apply to Lavaca Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Texas fishing regulations →
Lavaca Bay is about 10 ft (3 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetric surveys, so measured depths remain distinct from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder on Lavaca Bay.
Chocolate Bayou inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in fall. Open the map above to see every rated 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 Lavaca Bay is regulated by the Texas Parks & Wildlife (saltwater). Check the official Texas regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Espiritu Santo Bay 20 mi · Matagorda Bay 23 mi · Lake Texana 23 mi · Coleto Creek Reservoir 38 mi · Copano Bay 47 mi · East Matagorda Bay 48 mi · Aransas Bay 51 mi · Redfish Bay 61 mi · San Bernard River 70 mi · Lake Corpus Christi 88 mi · Fayette County Reservoir 90 mi · San Marcos River 99 mi
See how Lavaca 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 see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA Office of Coast Survey (ENC soundings, MLLW datum). 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.