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21,506-acre North-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay section with quality-assured NOAA contours, FWC-documented target fish, mapped seagrass and oyster habitat, charted structure, and verified public access. The water tops out around 14 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.
Traced from the shoreline, North-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay runs 21,560 acres with 43.3 miles of edge — 11 islands included. Index 2.1 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. Figure 13 mi of water from one end to the other, 4.9 mi at the beam. The nearest mapped water is North-Central Outer Biscayne Bay, 5 mi to the northeast.
Spring gray snapper (mangrove snapper) on North-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 14 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 14 ft in summer, 2 to 14 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Mercy Connectivity Project Pile B — artificial reef, 8 ft, prime for fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small bucktail or a paddletail.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (9 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 2 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Mercy Connectivity Project Pile B (8 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 2 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Mercy Connectivity Project Pile B (8 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 2 to 14 ft | midday | Mercy Connectivity Project Pile B (8 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
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 14 ft. Top water on the chart: 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge, a seagrass edge in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. 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 | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (4 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (9 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 2 to 14 ft | dawn & midday | open water | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Start shallow in spring: sheepshead sit in 3 to 14 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 3 to 14 ft covers summer, 4 to 14 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Mercy Connectivity Project Pile B, an artificial reef in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for sheepshead in spring. 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 | 3 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Mercy Connectivity Project Pile B (8 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 14 ft | dawn | Mercy Connectivity Project Pile B (8 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Mercy Connectivity Project Pile B (8 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Mercy Connectivity Project Pile B (8 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: snook in 2 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 3 to 14 ft before dropping to 4 to 14 ft for winter. The spot to know is 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge, a seagrass edge in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for snook in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (9 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (9 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (9 ft) | Big paddletail (mullet run), Topwater walker |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | open water | Slow-rolled paddletail, Scented jerkbait crawled in canals |
91 pieces of structure are mapped here — Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, around 14 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-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
North-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay is about 14 ft (4 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 gray snapper (mangrove snapper), red drum (redfish), sheepshead, snook on North-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay.
Mercy Connectivity Project Pile B is the top-rated area: an artificial reef in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in fall. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For gray snapper (mangrove snapper), 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 North-Central Inshore Biscayne 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.
North-Central Outer Biscayne Bay 5 mi · South-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay 10 mi · South-Central Outer Biscayne Bay 10 mi · South-Central Mid-Bay Biscayne Bay 13 mi · Card Sound 22 mi · East Central Florida Bay 41 mi · Lake Ida 58 mi · Lake Osborne 66 mi · Lake Clarke 69 mi · Lake Trafford 94 mi · Newfound Harbor Channel 100 mi · Gordon Pass 101 mi
See how North-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Florida · best sheepshead lakes in Florida · best snook lakes in Florida · best gray snapper (mangrove snapper) lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 99% 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.