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Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
5,841-acre North Clearwater Harbor section with quality-assured NOAA and 2022 USACE survey contours, exact-polygon and named-water fish evidence, mapped seagrass and oyster habitat, charted wrecks, and verified public access. The water tops out around 20 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The drawn water covers 5,850 acres wrapped in 47.7 miles of bank, broken up by 20 islands. The 4.4 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. The basin spans about 6.4 mi end to end and 2.3 mi across at its widest. South St. Joseph Sound sits 5 mi north — the closest neighbouring chart.
Spring gulf flounder on North Clearwater Harbor hold shallow, usually 2 to 14 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 20 ft. The chart's best answer is GIWW CAL TO ANC (PINELLAS COUNTY) channel edge — channel edge, 10 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a paddletail dragged on bottom or a bucktail + swimming mullet.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | GIWW CAL TO ANC (PINELLAS COUNTY) channel edge (10 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail, Bucktail + scented shrimp |
| Summer | 4 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | GIWW CAL TO ANC (PINELLAS COUNTY) channel edge (10 ft) | Paddletail dragged on bottom, Bucktail + swimming mullet |
| Fall | 4 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 6 to 28 ft | midday & dusk | GIWW CAL TO ANC (PINELLAS COUNTY) channel edge (10 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + scented grub, Paddletail on a heavier jighead |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 12 to 40 ft | midday | GIWW CAL TO ANC (PINELLAS COUNTY) channel edge (10 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub |
Early season gag grouper use the shallows, holding in 3 to 20 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 20 ft; winter keeps them in 5 to 20 ft. Put Dangerous NOAA charted wreck first on the milk run — a wreck near 7 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a deep-diving plug or a heavy paddletail and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (3 ft) | Diving plug over grass potholes, Paddletail near rubble |
| Summer | 3 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 6 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Heavy paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Vertical jig |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
Spring puts spotted seatrout in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 5 to 20 ft. Spring spotted seatrout concentrate at 2024 patchy seagrass edge, a prime-rated seagrass edge around 3 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. 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 | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (3 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (7 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 | GIWW CAL TO ANC (PINELLAS COUNTY) channel edge (10 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring puts gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in skinny water — 3 to 20 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 20 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 20 ft. Summer gray snapper (mangrove snapper) concentrate at NOAA charted pier, a prime-rated dock line around 3 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small bucktail or a paddletail covers the summer program.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 3 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 4 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 45 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Spring red drum (redfish) on North Clearwater Harbor hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. They move out to 2 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 15 ft. Put GIWW CAL TO ANC (PINELLAS COUNTY) channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 10 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run 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 | 2024 oyster bars edge (2 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | GIWW CAL TO ANC (PINELLAS COUNTY) channel edge (10 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | 2024 oyster bars edge (5 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | GIWW CAL TO ANC (PINELLAS COUNTY) channel edge (10 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Early season sheepshead use the shallows, holding in 4 to 20 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 15 ft; winter keeps them in 6 to 20 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted pier — dock line, 3 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a small jig + crab piece and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | NOAA charted pier (6 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
North Clearwater Harbor also holds black drum (3 to 18 ft in summer), snook (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
199 pieces of structure are mapped here — NOAA charted pier, around 11 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 Clearwater Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
North Clearwater Harbor is about 20 ft (6 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 gulf flounder, gag grouper, spotted seatrout, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), red drum (redfish), sheepshead, black drum, snook on North Clearwater Harbor.
GIWW CAL TO ANC (PINELLAS COUNTY) channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for gulf flounder in summer. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For gulf flounder, 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 Clearwater Harbor 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.
South St. Joseph Sound 5 mi · South Clearwater Harbor 6 mi · Lake Tarpon 9 mi · North St. Joseph Sound 9 mi · Old Tampa Bay 12 mi · Anclote Anchorage 13 mi · Pithlachascotee River 19 mi · Boca Ciega Bay 19 mi · Pass A Grille Channel 23 mi · Hillsborough Bay 24 mi · Middle Tampa Bay 25 mi · Bunces Pass 26 mi
See how North Clearwater Harbor 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. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 63% measured, 36% 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.