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64-acre Longboat Pass fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (99.67% measured, 100% assessed), source-traceable coastal structure, exact-pass and connected North Sarasota Bay FWC fish occurrence, sourced forage timing and verified public access. The water tops out around 33 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. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
Traced from the shoreline, Longboat Pass runs 64 acres with 2.6 miles of edge. With a shoreline index of 2.4, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 67% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.6 mi with a 0.3-mi widest point. The nearest mapped water is North Sarasota Bay, 3 mi to the east.
Spring gray snapper (mangrove snapper) on Longboat Pass hold shallow, usually 3 to 22 ft. They move out to 4 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 33 ft. Put NOAA charted pile first on the milk run — a dock line near 7 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small bucktail or a paddletail.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pile (7 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 33 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pile (7 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 6 to 33 ft | midday | LONGBOAT PASS channel edge (16 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Start shallow in spring: sheepshead sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 15 ft covers summer, 10 to 30 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted pier, a dock line in the 3 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a small jig + crab piece until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted pile (7 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | NOAA charted pile (7 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | NOAA charted pile (7 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: snook in 2 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 15 ft, wintering in 4 to 15 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted pier, a dock line in the 3 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Big paddletail (mullet run), Topwater walker |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | NOAA charted pile (7 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Scented jerkbait crawled in canals |
Spring spotted seatrout on Longboat Pass hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 20 ft. Put 1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge first on the milk run — a seagrass edge near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge (2 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (3 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (3 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | LONGBOAT PASS channel edge (16 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring puts gulf flounder in skinny water — 2 to 14 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 10 to 33 ft. LONGBOAT PASS channel edge is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 16 ft, rated prime for summer gulf flounder. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A paddletail dragged on bottom or a bucktail + swimming mullet covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | LONGBOAT PASS channel edge (5 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail, Bucktail + scented shrimp |
| Summer | 4 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | LONGBOAT PASS channel edge (16 ft) | Paddletail dragged on bottom, Bucktail + swimming mullet |
| Fall | 6 to 28 ft | midday & dusk | LONGBOAT PASS channel edge (16 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + scented grub, Paddletail on a heavier jighead |
| Winter | 10 to 33 ft | midday | LONGBOAT PASS channel edge (16 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: red drum (redfish) in 1 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 2 to 12 ft before dropping to 3 to 15 ft for winter. The spot to know is 1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge, a seagrass edge in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge (2 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | LONGBOAT PASS channel edge (5 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (20 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | LONGBOAT PASS channel edge (5 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Longboat Pass also holds gag grouper (6 to 33 ft in summer), permit (3 to 33 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Structure-wise the chart holds 11 features, led in depth by Surveyed channel edge at roughly 20 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 Longboat Pass specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Longboat Pass is about 33 ft (10 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), sheepshead, snook, spotted seatrout, gulf flounder, red drum (redfish), gag grouper, permit on Longboat Pass.
NOAA charted pile is the top-rated area: a dock line in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Longboat Pass 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.
North Sarasota Bay 3 mi · Manatee River Estuary 8 mi · Terra Ceia Bay 9 mi · Southwest Sarasota Bay 11 mi · Lower Tampa Bay 11 mi · Manatee River 12 mi · Big Sarasota Pass 13 mi · Bunces Pass 15 mi · Roberts Bay 15 mi · Pass A Grille Channel 17 mi · Little Sarasota Bay 20 mi · Boca Ciega Bay 21 mi
See how Longboat Pass 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; 100% 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.