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8,824-acre North-Central Outer Biscayne Bay section with quality-assured NOAA lidar and direct hydrographic soundings, FWC-documented target fish, charted structure, habitat, and verified public access. The water tops out around 25 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
North-Central Outer Biscayne Bay maps at 8,847 acres behind 31.7 miles of shoreline, with 3 islands in the mix. With a shoreline index of 2.4, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. About 94% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Tip to tip the water measures near 6.1 mi with a 4.1-mi widest point. North-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay sits 5 mi southwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
Spring puts gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in skinny water — 3 to 22 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 25 ft; cold water stacks them in 4 to 25 ft. Rickenbacker CSWY is the standout, an artificial reef at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for fall gray snapper (mangrove snapper). Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small bucktail or a paddletail covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (14 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Rickenbacker CSWY (7 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Rickenbacker CSWY (7 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 4 to 25 ft | midday | Rickenbacker CSWY (7 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Spring red drum (redfish) on North-Central Outer Biscayne 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 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge — seagrass edge, 1 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 | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (1 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (8 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 | Surveyed channel edge (16 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
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 8 to 25 ft. Put Rickenbacker CSWY first on the milk run — an artificial reef near 7 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 | Rickenbacker CSWY (7 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | Rickenbacker CSWY (7 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | Rickenbacker CSWY (7 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 8 to 25 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (14 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Come spring, look for snook tight to the bank in 2 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 15 ft. Start at 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge. It's a seagrass edge holding about 8 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in 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 | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (8 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (14 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (8 ft) | Big paddletail (mullet run), Topwater walker |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | open water | Slow-rolled paddletail, Scented jerkbait crawled in canals |
In spring, permit run shallow here, mostly 3 to 25 ft. Summer keeps them at 2 to 25 ft, and they winter in 6 to 25 ft. Spring permit concentrate at Shallow feeding flat, a prime-rated feeding flat around 20 ft. Fish it in early morning and midday and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a crab fly or a crab imitation most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 2 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (20 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn | Rickenbacker CSWY (7 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 6 to 25 ft | midday | Rickenbacker CSWY (7 ft) | Crab imitation worked deep |
North-Central Outer Biscayne Bay carries 48 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Shallow feeding flat, about 20 ft down.
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 Outer Biscayne Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
North-Central Outer Biscayne Bay is about 25 ft (8 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, permit on North-Central Outer Biscayne Bay.
Rickenbacker CSWY is the top-rated area: an artificial reef in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in fall. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Outer 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 Inshore Biscayne Bay 5 mi · South-Central Outer Biscayne Bay 13 mi · South-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay 15 mi · South-Central Mid-Bay Biscayne Bay 17 mi · Card Sound 27 mi · East Central Florida Bay 46 mi · Lake Ida 54 mi · Lake Osborne 62 mi · Lake Clarke 65 mi · Lake Trafford 95 mi · Gordon Pass 104 mi · Newfound Harbor Channel 105 mi
See how North-Central Outer 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; 78% measured, 22% 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.