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9,675-acre Middle Pensacola Bay section with quality-assured NOAA direct survey soundings and assessed contours, FWC fish evidence, mapped seagrass habitat, charted structure, and verified public access. The water tops out around 42 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. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Middle Pensacola Bay maps at 9,693 acres behind 26.4 miles of shoreline, with 6 islands in the mix. A middling shoreline index (1.9) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. 29% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Call it 5.8 mi long by 5.5 mi wide at the broadest reach. Its nearest charted neighbour, Pensacola Bay, is 1 mi to the east.
Spring red drum (redfish) on Middle Pensacola Bay hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 15 ft. The chart's best answer is 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge — seagrass edge, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in 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 | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (4 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (4 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (16 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Spring puts spotted seatrout in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 15 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 20 ft. 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge is the standout, a seagrass edge at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring spotted seatrout. Plan around early morning in the warm months. 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 | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (4 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (4 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (4 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Sharp break (5 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Early season sheepshead use the shallows, holding in 5 to 25 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 15 ft; winter keeps them in 10 to 30 ft. Put Dangerous NOAA charted wreck first on the milk run — a wreck near 16 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (16 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (8 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (16 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (16 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Spring gulf flounder on Middle Pensacola Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 14 ft. They move out to 4 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 12 to 40 ft. Put Shallow feeding flat first on the milk run — a feeding flat near 20 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a paddletail dragged on bottom or a bucktail + swimming mullet.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (16 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail, Bucktail + scented shrimp |
| Summer | 4 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Paddletail dragged on bottom, Bucktail + swimming mullet |
| Fall | 6 to 28 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + scented grub, Paddletail on a heavier jighead |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Slow jig + scented grub |
27 pieces of structure are mapped here — Surveyed channel edge, around 34 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 Middle Pensacola Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Middle Pensacola Bay is about 42 ft (13 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), spotted seatrout, sheepshead, gulf flounder on Middle Pensacola Bay.
2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge is the top-rated area: a seagrass edge in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Middle Pensacola Bay 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.
Pensacola Bay 1 mi · Pensacola Bay Mouth 4 mi · North Pensacola Bay 5 mi · South Escambia Bay 8 mi · Escambia Bay 10 mi · North Escambia Bay 12 mi · Perdido Bay 13 mi, AL/FL · East Bay 15 mi · Santa Rosa Sound 20 mi · Perdido Pass 22 mi, AL · Wolf Bay 23 mi, AL · Bear Lake 40 mi
See how Middle Pensacola Bay stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Florida · best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best sheepshead lakes in Florida · best gulf flounder lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 73% measured, 27% 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.