Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
16,982-acre North Banana River Lagoon section with quality-assured NOAA BlueTopo, 2022 Indian River Lagoon topobathymetry and direct hydrographic soundings, exact-polygon FWC fish evidence, mapped seagrass and verified connected 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
The drawn water covers 17,014 acres wrapped in 92.2 miles of bank — 42 islands included. An index of 5 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 97% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Call it 13 mi long by 8.1 mi wide at the broadest reach. If the bite dies, Central Banana River Lagoon is 9 mi to the south.
When the water first warms, sheepshead slide up into 5 to 25 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 15 ft, winter 10 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Sharp break: a drop-off around 8 ft that scores good in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a small jig + crab piece rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (8 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | Shoreline point (8 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | Shoreline point (8 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | open water | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Early season black drum use the shallows, holding in 4 to 25 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 18 ft; winter keeps them in 8 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow feeding flat — feeding flat, 14 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a shrimp imitation dragged slowly or a small crab jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 25 ft | midday & dusk | open water | Crab-tipped bottom jig, Shrimp on a jighead |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Shrimp imitation dragged slowly, Small crab jig |
| Fall | 4 to 22 ft | dawn | open water | Crab-tipped jig, Scented shrimp jig |
| Winter | 8 to 35 ft | midday | open water | Heavy bottom jig + crab |
Come spring, look for red drum (redfish) tight to the bank in 1 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 15 ft. Start at Weed flat. It's a weed flat holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (7 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (7 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: spotted seatrout in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 15 ft before dropping to 5 to 20 ft for winter. The spot to know is Weed flat, a weed flat in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (7 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2025 continuous seagrass edge (5 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Weed flat (7 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Sharp break (8 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring snook on North Banana River Lagoon hold shallow, usually 2 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 15 ft. The chart's best answer is 2025 continuous seagrass edge — seagrass edge, 5 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2025 continuous seagrass edge (5 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 2025 continuous seagrass edge (5 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2025 continuous seagrass edge (5 ft) | Big paddletail (mullet run), Topwater walker |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | open water | Slow-rolled paddletail, Scented jerkbait crawled in canals |
Start shallow in spring: permit sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 11 to 42 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow feeding flat, a feeding flat in the 14 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and midday and you'll meet the bite. Throw a crab fly or a crab imitation until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 3 to 35 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 5 to 42 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (14 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 11 to 42 ft | midday | open water | Crab imitation worked deep |
North Banana River Lagoon also holds gray snapper (mangrove snapper) (4 to 30 ft in summer), southern flounder (3 to 18 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
47 pieces of structure are mapped here — Shallow feeding flat, around 18 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 North Banana River Lagoon specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
North Banana River Lagoon 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 sheepshead, black drum, red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, snook, permit, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), southern flounder on North Banana River Lagoon.
Weed flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 7 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 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 North Banana River Lagoon 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.
Central Banana River Lagoon 9 mi · Titusville Indian River Lagoon 10 mi · Cocoa Indian River Lagoon 11 mi · Fox Lake 18 mi · South Lake 18 mi · South Banana River Lagoon 19 mi · North Indian River Lagoon 19 mi · Lake Poinsett 19 mi · Ruth Lake 23 mi · Lake Winder 24 mi · Indian River 27 mi · Lake Washington 27 mi
See how North Banana River Lagoon stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Florida · best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best southern flounder lakes in Florida · best sheepshead lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 64% measured, 32% 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.