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2,925-acre Lower Sugarloaf Sound fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo shallow-water contours (99.91% measured, 99.95% assessed), 39 measured rock, pier, pile, bridge, seagrass, channel and terrain spots, six regional Keys fish profiles, three forage calendars, connected ramp access and current rules. 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 2,934 acres of water rimmed by 42.7 miles of bank — 19 islands included. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 5.6) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. Tip to tip the water measures near 3.5 mi with a 2.9-mi widest point. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Upper Sugarloaf Sound, 2 mi northeast of here.
Spring puts bonefish in skinny water — 1 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 1 to 12 ft, wintering in 2 to 15 ft. Spring bonefish concentrate at 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge, a prime-rated seagrass edge around 3 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and midday. 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 | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (3 ft) | Small shrimp jig, Shrimp fly |
| Summer | 1 to 12 ft | dawn & midday | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (3 ft) | Light shrimp jig, Sparse shrimp fly |
| Fall | 1 to 12 ft | dawn & midday | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (3 ft) | Shrimp-pattern jig, Shrimp fly |
| Winter | 2 to 15 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured channel break (15 ft) | Slow shrimp jig, Small weighted shrimp fly |
When the water first warms, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) slide up into 2 to 17 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 17 ft, winter 3 to 17 ft. If you only fish one area, make it NOAA charted pier: a dock line around 2 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (2 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (2 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (2 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 17 ft | midday | NOAA charted pile (3 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Come spring, look for mutton 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 NOAA charted rock. It's a hard bottom holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in 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 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (5 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (5 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (5 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 3 to 17 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock (5 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
When the water first warms, spotted seatrout slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 17 ft. If you only fish one area, make it 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge: a seagrass edge around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (3 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (4 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (3 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 17 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (16 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring atlantic tarpon on Lower Sugarloaf Sound hold shallow, usually 2 to 17 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 17 ft in summer, 2 to 17 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth — channel edge, 16 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in 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 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (16 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (16 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (16 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 2 to 17 ft | dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (16 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Come spring, look for permit tight to the bank in 2 to 17 ft. Through summer count on 1 to 17 ft; the winter hold is 4 to 17 ft. Start at NOAA charted rock. It's a hard bottom holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in 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 17 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (16 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 1 to 17 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (16 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (16 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 4 to 17 ft | midday | NOAA charted rock (5 ft) | Crab imitation worked deep |
The chart marks 39 structure features on Lower Sugarloaf Sound; the deepest is NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth at about 16 ft.
Access data: Florida FWC Boat Ramp Inventory (OBJECTID 1378; RampID MO00003UT). 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 Lower Sugarloaf Sound specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Lower Sugarloaf Sound 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 bonefish, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), mutton snapper, spotted seatrout, atlantic tarpon, permit on Lower Sugarloaf Sound.
NOAA charted pier is the top-rated area: a dock line in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each 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 Lower Sugarloaf Sound 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.
Upper Sugarloaf Sound 2 mi · Similar Sound 4 mi · Cudjoe Bay 5 mi · Blacklion Bay 6 mi · Newfound Harbor 11 mi · Newfound Harbor Channel 12 mi · Coupon Bight 14 mi · Garrison Bight 14 mi · Man of War Harbor 15 mi · Lakes Passage 23 mi · East Central Florida Bay 73 mi · Card Sound 93 mi
See how Lower Sugarloaf Sound 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; 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.