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6,241-acre lower Manatee River estuary with NOAA assessed survey contours, mapped seagrass and oyster habitat, charted wrecks and reef structure. 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 follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Drawn out, this is 6,252 acres of water rimmed by 84.4 miles of bank — 28 islands included. The 7.6 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. 91% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Figure 10.1 mi of water from one end to the other, 3.7 mi at the beam. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Terra Ceia Bay, 3 mi northwest of here.
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 5 to 20 ft. Start at 2024 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 | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (19 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
In spring, red drum (redfish) run shallow here, mostly 1 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 12 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 15 ft. 2024 oyster bars edge is the standout, an oyster reef at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring red drum (redfish). Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 oyster bars edge (2 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 oyster bars edge (2 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | 2024 oyster bars edge (6 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (7 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
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. 2024 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 | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (4 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 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 — 5 to 25 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 10 to 30 ft. Spring sheepshead concentrate at 2024 oyster bars edge, a prime-rated oyster reef around 6 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 | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | 2024 oyster bars edge (6 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 2024 oyster bars edge (6 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | 2024 oyster bars edge (6 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | Manatee River-Emerson Point,04-18 (16 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Come spring, look for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) tight to the bank in 3 to 22 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 6 to 33 ft. Start at Manatee River-Emerson Point,04-18. It's an artificial reef holding about 16 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 | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 oyster bars edge (6 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Manatee River-Emerson Point,04-18 (16 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 33 ft | dawn & dusk | Manatee River-Emerson Point,04-18 (16 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 6 to 33 ft | midday | Manatee River-Emerson Point,04-18 (16 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Structure-wise the chart holds 47 features, led in depth by Shallow feeding flat at roughly 19 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 Manatee River Estuary specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Manatee River Estuary 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 spotted seatrout, red drum (redfish), snook, sheepshead, gray snapper (mangrove snapper) on Manatee River Estuary.
Manatee River-Emerson Point,04-18 is the top-rated area: an artificial reef in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For spotted seatrout, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Manatee River Estuary 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.
Terra Ceia Bay 3 mi · Manatee River 4 mi · North Sarasota Bay 6 mi · Lower Tampa Bay 8 mi · Longboat Pass 8 mi · Southwest Sarasota Bay 12 mi · Bunces Pass 13 mi · Big Sarasota Pass 15 mi · Pass A Grille Channel 16 mi · Roberts Bay 16 mi · Middle Tampa Bay 17 mi · Boca Ciega Bay 19 mi
See how Manatee River Estuary 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; 67% measured, 29% 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.