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5,672-acre North Bay section of the St. Andrew Bay system with quality-assured NOAA survey contours, exact-section FWC fish records, mapped seagrass and verified public access. The water tops out around 24 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 Bay runs 5,680 acres with 32.8 miles of edge — one island included. With a shoreline index of 3.1, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 90% of this chart. Call it 7.1 mi long by 2.9 mi wide at the broadest reach. For a second option, Deer Point Lake lies 6 mi northeast.
Start shallow in spring: red drum (redfish) sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 2 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 3 to 15 ft. Top water on the chart: 2024 oyster edge, an oyster reef in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 oyster edge (5 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 oyster edge (9 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | 2024 oyster edge (9 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Sharp break (8 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Early season spotted seatrout use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 5 to 20 ft one. The chart's best answer is 2010 continuous seagrass edge — seagrass edge, 5 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (5 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (5 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2010 continuous seagrass edge (5 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Sharp break (8 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Early season gray snapper (mangrove snapper) use the shallows, holding in 3 to 22 ft. Summer is a 3 to 24 ft game here, winter a 4 to 24 ft one. The chart's best answer is Dangerous NOAA charted wreck — wreck, 9 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small bucktail or a paddletail and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 oyster edge (9 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 3 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 3 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 4 to 24 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: sheepshead in 5 to 24 ft. The depth story barely changes: 3 to 15 ft through summer, 7 to 24 ft in winter. The spot to know is 2024 oyster edge, an oyster reef in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for sheepshead in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a small jig + crab piece gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 24 ft | midday & dawn | 2024 oyster edge (9 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 2024 oyster edge (9 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | 2024 oyster edge (9 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | 2024 oyster edge (9 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Structure-wise the chart holds 30 features, led in depth by Shallow feeding flat at roughly 20 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 Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
North Bay is about 24 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 red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), sheepshead on North Bay.
2010 continuous seagrass edge is the top-rated area: a seagrass edge in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For red drum (redfish), 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 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.
Deer Point Lake 6 mi · Main St. Andrew Bay 7 mi · West Bay 8 mi · Lake Martin 8 mi · East Bay 14 mi · Choctawhatchee Bay 44 mi · Merritts Mill Pond 46 mi · Lower Choctawhatchee Bay 54 mi · Lake Seminole 60 mi, GA/FL · Carrabelle River 65 mi · Lake Jackson 65 mi, FL/AL · Cutoff Pond 66 mi, GA
See how North Bay stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Florida · best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best sheepshead 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; 82% measured, 18% 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.