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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 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge — seagrass edge, 7 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a paddletail dragged on bottom or a bucktail + swimming mullet.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (7 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail, Bucktail + scented shrimp |
| Summer | 4 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (7 ft) | Paddletail dragged on bottom, Bucktail + swimming mullet |
| Fall | 4 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | open water | 3/8 oz bucktail + scented grub, Paddletail on a heavier jighead |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | open water | 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 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge first on the milk run — a seagrass edge near 7 ft that grades prime for spring. 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.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (7 ft) | Diving plug over grass potholes, Paddletail near rubble |
| Summer | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Heavy paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 20 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Vertical jig |
| Winter | 5 to 20 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 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge, a prime-rated seagrass edge around 7 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 | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (7 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (7 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (7 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | open water | 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. Fall gray snapper (mangrove snapper) concentrate at Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, a prime-rated wreck around 7 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small bucktail or a paddletail covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (5 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 4 to 20 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 1751932800000 oyster bars edge first on the milk run — an oyster reef near 1 ft that grades prime for spring. 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 | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (1 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (2 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (5 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | open water | 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 1751932800000 oyster bars edge — oyster reef, 5 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is 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 | 4 to 20 ft | midday & dawn | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (5 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (5 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (5 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 6 to 20 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.
54 pieces of structure are mapped here — 1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge, around 10 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.
1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge is the top-rated area: a seagrass edge in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for gag grouper in spring. 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 or 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.