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70,132-acre middle-bay section with NOAA survey contours, charted reefs and wrecks, and mapped 2024 seagrass and oyster habitat. The water tops out around 60 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.
Traced from the shoreline, Middle Tampa Bay runs 70,247 acres with 230 miles of edge, broken up by 84 islands. With a shoreline index of 6.2, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 46% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. Tip to tip the water measures near 15.6 mi with a 13.3-mi widest point. The nearest mapped water is Hillsborough Bay, 10 mi to the northeast.
In spring, red drum (redfish) run shallow here, mostly 1 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 2 to 12 ft before dropping to 3 to 15 ft for winter. Summer red drum (redfish) concentrate at Weed flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 2 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. 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 (3 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (2 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | 2024 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (17 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Come spring, look for spotted seatrout tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 20 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Weed flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is 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 | Weed flat (2 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2024 continuous seagrass edge (6 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (3 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (19 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring puts snook in skinny water — 2 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 15 ft, wintering in 4 to 15 ft. Spring snook concentrate at 2024 patchy seagrass edge, a prime-rated seagrass edge around 3 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. 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 (3 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (3 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (3 ft) | Big paddletail (mullet run), Topwater walker |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Deepest basin (55 ft) | 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. 2024 oyster bars edge is the standout, an oyster reef at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring sheepshead. Plan around early morning in the warm months. 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 (5 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 2024 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | 2024 oyster bars edge (5 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | Bahia Beach Reef (Bay), Reef 5 (21 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Start shallow in spring: gulf flounder sit in 2 to 14 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 12 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow feeding flat, a feeding flat in the 19 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a paddletail dragged on bottom or a bucktail + swimming mullet until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (3 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail, Bucktail + scented shrimp |
| Summer | 4 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (19 ft) | Paddletail dragged on bottom, Bucktail + swimming mullet |
| Fall | 6 to 28 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (19 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + scented grub, Paddletail on a heavier jighead |
| Winter | 12 to 40 ft | midday | open water | Slow jig + scented grub |
Come spring, look for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) tight to the bank in 3 to 22 ft. They move out to 4 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Bahia Beach Reef (Bay), Reef 5: an artificial reef around 21 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is 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 (3 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Bahia Beach Reef (Bay), Reef 5 (21 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Bahia Beach Reef (Bay), Reef 5 (21 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 8 to 45 ft | midday | Bahia Beach Reef (Bay), Reef 5 (21 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Middle Tampa Bay also holds black drum (3 to 18 ft in summer), permit (3 to 35 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 167 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deepest basin, sits near 55 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 Middle Tampa Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Middle Tampa Bay is about 60 ft (18 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, snook, sheepshead, gulf flounder, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), black drum, permit on Middle Tampa Bay.
Weed flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every 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 Middle Tampa 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.
Hillsborough Bay 10 mi · Lower Tampa Bay 13 mi · Pass A Grille Channel 14 mi · Bunces Pass 14 mi · Boca Ciega Bay 14 mi · Old Tampa Bay 14 mi · Terra Ceia Bay 15 mi · Manatee River 16 mi · Manatee River Estuary 17 mi · South Clearwater Harbor 22 mi · North Sarasota Bay 23 mi · Longboat Pass 24 mi
See how Middle Tampa Bay 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; 69% measured, 30% 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.