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478-acre Man of War Harbor fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo and H10120/H05934 survey contours (83.09% measured, 100% assessed), measured wreck, rock, channel, seagrass and terrain spots, six Florida Keys fish profiles, three forage calendars, connected city ramp access and current Florida rules. The water tops out around 36 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, Man of War Harbor runs 479 acres with 5.7 miles of edge. The shoreline is moderately structured (index 1.9) — enough points and pockets to pattern. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 43% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. End to end it runs roughly 1.8 mi, about 0.8 mi across. The nearest mapped water is Garrison Bight, 2 mi to the southeast.
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. Winter bonefish concentrate at KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge, a prime-rated channel edge around 15 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 (10 ft) | Small shrimp jig, Shrimp fly |
| Summer | 1 to 12 ft | dawn & midday | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (10 ft) | Light shrimp jig, Sparse shrimp fly |
| Fall | 1 to 12 ft | dawn & midday | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (10 ft) | Shrimp-pattern jig, Shrimp fly |
| Winter | 2 to 15 ft | midday | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (15 ft) | Slow shrimp jig, Small weighted shrimp fly |
When the water first warms, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) slide up into 3 to 22 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 36 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Dangerous NOAA charted wreck: a wreck around 15 ft that scores prime in fall. 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 | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (15 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 6 to 36 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Come spring, look for mutton snapper tight to the bank in 4 to 36 ft. Through summer count on 5 to 36 ft; the winter hold is 6 to 36 ft. Start at NOAA charted rock. It's a hard bottom holding about 26 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 | 4 to 36 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (26 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 5 to 36 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (26 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 5 to 36 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (26 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 6 to 36 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock (26 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 5 to 20 ft. If you only fish one area, make it 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge: a seagrass edge around 10 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 (10 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (10 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (10 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (15 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring atlantic tarpon on Man of War Harbor hold shallow, usually 3 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge — channel edge, 34 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 | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (15 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 4 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (34 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 3 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (28 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dusk | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (34 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Come spring, look for permit tight to the bank in 3 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 35 ft, then a winter hold in 9 to 36 ft. Start at Dangerous NOAA charted wreck. It's a wreck holding about 15 ft of water and rates prime come fall. 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 | 3 to 25 ft | dawn | KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge (15 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 3 to 35 ft | dawn & midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 4 to 36 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 9 to 36 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Crab imitation worked deep |
Structure-wise the chart holds 16 features, led in depth by KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge at roughly 34 ft.
Access data: Florida FWC Boat Ramp Inventory (OBJECTID 1394; RampID MO00167MI) 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 Man of War Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Man of War Harbor is about 36 ft (11 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 Man of War Harbor.
KEY WEST HARBOR channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for bonefish in winter. The interactive chart above rates every 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 Man of War Harbor 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.
Garrison Bight 2 mi · Lakes Passage 8 mi · Blacklion Bay 9 mi · Similar Sound 11 mi · Lower Sugarloaf Sound 15 mi · Upper Sugarloaf Sound 17 mi · Cudjoe Bay 20 mi · Newfound Harbor 26 mi · Newfound Harbor Channel 26 mi · Coupon Bight 29 mi · East Central Florida Bay 87 mi · Dollar Bay 104 mi
See how Man of War Harbor 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; 83% measured, 17% 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.