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75-acre Matanzas Inlet fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo survey contours (95.9% measured and assessed), exact NOAA/NPS fish and forage records, measured pier, pile and shifting-bar spots, two verified public carry-ins, three forage calendars, Fort Matanzas rules and current Florida regulations. The water tops out around 18 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. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
On the chart, Matanzas Inlet draws 75 acres inside 1.8 miles of shoreline. Index 1.5 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. The basin spans about 0.5 mi end to end and 0.4 mi across at its widest. The nearest mapped water is Tolomato River, 16 mi to the north.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: red drum (redfish) in 1 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 2 to 12 ft, wintering in 3 to 15 ft. Top water on the chart: NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar, a gravel shoal in the 5 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for early morning and the evening. 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 | NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar (5 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar (5 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar (5 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Start shallow in spring: sheepshead sit in 4 to 18 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 15 ft covers summer, 5 to 18 ft covers winter. The spot to know is NOAA charted pier, a dock line in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for sheepshead in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a small jig + crab piece until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted pier (3 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 18 ft | midday | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
In spring, black drum run shallow here, mostly 3 to 18 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 18 ft, and they winter in 4 to 18 ft. Summer black drum concentrate at NOAA charted pier, a prime-rated dock line around 3 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a shrimp imitation dragged slowly or a small crab jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 18 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Crab-tipped bottom jig, Shrimp on a jighead |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Shrimp imitation dragged slowly, Small crab jig |
| Fall | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | Surveyed channel edge (11 ft) | Crab-tipped jig, Scented shrimp jig |
| Winter | 4 to 18 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (11 ft) | Heavy bottom jig + crab |
Spring spotted seatrout on Matanzas Inlet hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 18 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar — gravel shoal, 5 ft, good for spring. Prime time lands in 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 | NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar (5 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar (5 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (11 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring puts bluefish in skinny water — 3 to 18 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 18 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 18 ft. NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar is the standout, a gravel shoal at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for summer bluefish. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar (5 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar (5 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 2 to 18 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar (5 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | open water | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
In spring, southern flounder run shallow here, mostly 2 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 18 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 18 ft. NOAA charted pier is the standout, a dock line at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for summer southern flounder. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA Coast Pilot documented Matanzas Inlet shifting bar (5 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 4 to 18 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (11 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (11 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
Matanzas Inlet carries 4 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Surveyed channel edge, about 11 ft down.
Access data: Florida FWC — Boat Ramp Inventory (OBJECTID 2154; RampID SJ00265GM). 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 Matanzas Inlet specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Matanzas Inlet is about 18 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 red drum (redfish), sheepshead, black drum, spotted seatrout, bluefish, southern flounder on Matanzas Inlet.
NOAA charted pier is the top-rated area: a dock line in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for sheepshead in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For red drum (redfish), 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 Matanzas Inlet 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.
Tolomato River 16 mi · Crescent Lake 24 mi · Lake Stella 26 mi · Lake Howell 29 mi · Lake Margaret 29 mi · Lake Estella 30 mi · Lower Lake Louise 31 mi · Lake George 36 mi · Lake Dias 38 mi · Lake Kerr 41 mi · Halifax River 42 mi · Rodman Reservoir 42 mi
See how Matanzas Inlet stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Florida · best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best southern flounder lakes in Florida · best bluefish lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 96% 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.