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6,247-acre Lemon Bay estuary with quality-assured NOAA contours, 165,251 direct 2011 USGS soundings, exact-polygon FWC fish occurrence, mapped seagrass and oyster habitat, and verified public access. The water tops out around 17 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, Lemon Bay draws 6,260 acres inside 85.4 miles of shoreline, with 19 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 7.7) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Figure 19.4 mi of water from one end to the other, 1.5 mi at the beam. The nearest mapped water is Gasparilla Pass, 10 mi to the southeast.
Come spring, look for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) tight to the bank in 2 to 17 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 17 ft; the winter hold is 3 to 17 ft. Start at Dangerous NOAA charted wreck. It's a wreck holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A small bucktail or a paddletail is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (4 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 17 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Spring puts snook in skinny water — 2 to 12 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 15 ft; cold water stacks them in 4 to 15 ft. 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge is the standout, a seagrass edge at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring snook. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Big paddletail (mullet run), Topwater walker |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | open water | Slow-rolled paddletail, Scented jerkbait crawled in canals |
Spring puts sheepshead in skinny water — 3 to 17 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 17 ft. Spring sheepshead concentrate at 1751932800000 oyster bars edge, a prime-rated oyster reef around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A small jig + crab piece covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 17 ft | midday & dawn | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (4 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (4 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 4 to 17 ft | midday | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (4 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (5 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: gag grouper in 3 to 17 ft. The depth story barely changes: 3 to 17 ft through summer, 4 to 17 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge, a seagrass edge in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a deep-diving plug or a heavy paddletail gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Diving plug over grass potholes, Paddletail near rubble |
| Summer | 3 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Heavy paddletail |
| Fall | 3 to 17 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Vertical jig |
| Winter | 4 to 17 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
When the water first warms, permit slide up into 2 to 17 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 17 ft, winter 4 to 17 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Dangerous NOAA charted wreck: a wreck around 4 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and midday. Keep a crab fly or a crab imitation rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 17 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 1 to 17 ft | dawn & midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 4 to 17 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (4 ft) | Crab imitation worked deep |
Come spring, look for spotted seatrout tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 17 ft. Start at 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge. It's a seagrass edge holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning. A popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 17 ft | midday & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Lemon Bay also holds gulf flounder (3 to 17 ft in summer), red drum (redfish) (2 to 12 ft in summer), black drum (3 to 17 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 116 structure features on Lemon Bay; the deepest is Surveyed channel edge at about 10 ft.
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 Lemon Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Lemon Bay is about 17 ft (5 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, sheepshead, gag grouper, permit, spotted seatrout, gulf flounder, red drum (redfish), black drum on Lemon Bay.
1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge is the top-rated area: a seagrass edge in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for gag grouper in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 Lemon 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.
Gasparilla Pass 10 mi · Blackburn Bay 18 mi · Little Sarasota Bay 21 mi · Upper Pine Island Sound 24 mi · Captiva Passage 24 mi · Roberts Bay 26 mi · Big Sarasota Pass 28 mi · Matlacha Pass 29 mi · Southwest Sarasota Bay 30 mi · Lower Pine Island Sound 32 mi · San Carlos Bay 37 mi · North Sarasota Bay 39 mi
See how Lemon 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; 83% measured, 16% 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.