Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
11,709-acre North Sarasota Bay section with quality-assured NOAA and USACE survey contours, Longboat Pass and GIWW structure, charted wrecks, and mapped seagrass and oyster habitat. The water tops out around 23 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The drawn water covers 11,728 acres wrapped in 48.4 miles of bank, broken up by 26 islands. The 3.2 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. 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 11.3 mi of water from one end to the other, 4 mi at the beam. Longboat Pass sits 3 mi west — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, sheepshead slide up into 5 to 23 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 15 ft, winter 7 to 23 ft. Start at 1751932800000 oyster bars edge. It's an oyster reef holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run 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 23 ft | midday & dawn | Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10 (11 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10 (11 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 7 to 23 ft | midday | Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10 (11 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Spring snook on North Sarasota Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 12 ft. They move out to 3 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 15 ft. Put 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge first on the milk run — a seagrass edge near 5 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run 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 | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (5 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (5 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy 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 |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: spotted seatrout in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 5 to 20 ft. Top water on the chart: 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge, a seagrass edge in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. 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 | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (5 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (5 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (5 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 |
Come spring, look for red drum (redfish) tight to the bank in 1 to 8 ft. They move out to 2 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it 1751932800000 oyster bars edge: an oyster reef around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is 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 | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (2 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 (3 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 |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in 3 to 22 ft. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 23 ft, wintering in 4 to 23 ft. Top water on the chart: Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10, an artificial reef in the 11 ft range, prime in fall. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small bucktail or a paddletail gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 3 to 23 ft | dawn & dusk | Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10 (11 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 3 to 23 ft | dawn & dusk | Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10 (11 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 4 to 23 ft | midday | Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10 (11 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Come spring, look for gag grouper tight to the bank in 4 to 23 ft. Through summer count on 4 to 23 ft; the winter hold is 6 to 23 ft. Start at 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge. It's a seagrass edge holding about 5 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A deep-diving plug or a heavy paddletail is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 23 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (5 ft) | Diving plug over grass potholes, Paddletail near rubble |
| Summer | 4 to 23 ft | dawn & dusk | Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10 (11 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Heavy paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 23 ft | dawn | Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10 (11 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Vertical jig |
| Winter | 6 to 23 ft | midday | Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10 (11 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
North Sarasota Bay also holds gulf flounder (4 to 20 ft in summer), permit (2 to 23 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 106 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge, sits near 13 ft.
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 Sarasota Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
North Sarasota Bay is about 23 ft (7 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, snook, spotted seatrout, red drum (redfish), gray snapper (mangrove snapper), gag grouper, gulf flounder, permit on North Sarasota Bay.
Bayshore-North Reefballs, 04-10 is the top-rated area: an artificial reef in about 11 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 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 Sarasota 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.
Longboat Pass 3 mi · Manatee River Estuary 6 mi · Terra Ceia Bay 8 mi · Manatee River 9 mi · Southwest Sarasota Bay 9 mi · Lower Tampa Bay 11 mi · Big Sarasota Pass 11 mi · Roberts Bay 13 mi · Bunces Pass 15 mi · Little Sarasota Bay 18 mi · Pass A Grille Channel 18 mi · Blackburn Bay 21 mi
See how North Sarasota Bay 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; 70% measured, 30% 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.