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11,799-acre Matlacha Pass section with quality-assured 2022 NOAA topobathymetric lidar and direct survey soundings, exact-polygon FWC fish occurrence, mapped seagrass and oyster habitat, charted structure, and verified public access. The water tops out around 15 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:
Matlacha Pass maps at 11,828 acres behind 88.9 miles of shoreline, broken up by 46 islands. The 5.8 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Call it 12.3 mi long by 3.8 mi wide at the broadest reach. If the bite dies, Upper Pine Island Sound is 8 mi to the west.
Early season sheepshead use the shallows, holding in 3 to 15 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 15 ft; winter keeps them in 5 to 15 ft. The chart's best answer is 1751932800000 oyster bars edge — oyster reef, 3 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a small jig + crab piece and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday | 2024 oyster edge (4 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | 2024 oyster edge (6 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Spring red drum (redfish) on Matlacha Pass hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. They move out to 2 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 15 ft. Put Feeding flat first on the milk run — a feeding flat near 6 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Feeding flat (6 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (5 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & midday | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Feeding flat (6 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Come spring, look for snook tight to the bank in 2 to 12 ft. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Feeding flat: a feeding flat around 6 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Feeding flat (6 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (8 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Feeding flat (6 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 spotted seatrout in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 4 to 15 ft. Spring spotted seatrout concentrate at Weed flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 5 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (5 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (8 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Weed flat (5 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring puts gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in skinny water — 2 to 15 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 2 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 15 ft. Fall gray snapper (mangrove snapper) concentrate at NOAA charted wreck, a prime-rated wreck around 1 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small bucktail or a paddletail covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted wreck (1 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted wreck (1 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (1 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Come spring, look for black drum tight to the bank in 2 to 15 ft. Through summer count on 3 to 15 ft; the winter hold is 3 to 15 ft. Start at 1751932800000 oyster bars edge. It's an oyster reef holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A shrimp imitation dragged slowly or a small crab jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dusk | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Crab-tipped bottom jig, Shrimp on a jighead |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Shrimp imitation dragged slowly, Small crab jig |
| Fall | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Crab-tipped jig, Scented shrimp jig |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Heavy bottom jig + crab |
Matlacha Pass also holds gulf flounder (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
24 pieces of structure are mapped here — Surveyed channel edge, around 10 ft, is the deepest of them.
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 Matlacha Pass specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Matlacha Pass is about 15 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 sheepshead, red drum (redfish), snook, spotted seatrout, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), black drum, gulf flounder on Matlacha Pass.
Feeding flat is the top-rated area: a feeding flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For sheepshead, 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 Matlacha 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.
Upper Pine Island Sound 8 mi · Lower Pine Island Sound 8 mi · San Carlos Bay 9 mi · Captiva Passage 10 mi · Estero Bay 19 mi · Gasparilla Pass 19 mi · Lemon Bay 29 mi · Lake Trafford 37 mi · Gordon Pass 39 mi · Blackburn Bay 46 mi · Little Sarasota Bay 49 mi · Roberts Bay 54 mi
See how Matlacha 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; 99% measured, 1% 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.