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95-acre Old Pass Lagoon fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo contours (72.28% measured, 100% assessed), exact NOAA ESI fish and forage, measured wreck, pier, channel, seagrass and terrain spots, two connected launches, three forage calendars, protected-sturgeon guidance and current Florida rules. The water tops out around 17 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 season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
Drawn out, this is 96 acres of water rimmed by 2.3 miles of bank. Index 1.7 on the shoreline: a few honest points and pockets, nothing labyrinthine. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. Figure 0.9 mi of water from one end to the other, 0.4 mi at the beam. For a second option, Destin Harbor lies 1 mi east.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: red drum (redfish) in 1 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 2 to 12 ft before dropping to 3 to 15 ft for winter. The spot to know is Destin channel edge, a channel edge in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (5 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 17 ft | dawn & midday | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Spring spotted seatrout on Old Pass Lagoon hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 17 ft. Put 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge first on the milk run — a seagrass edge near 5 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (5 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (5 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (5 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 17 ft | midday & dusk | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring gray snapper (mangrove snapper) on Old Pass Lagoon hold shallow, usually 2 to 17 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 17 ft in summer, 3 to 17 ft once it turns cold. Put NOAA charted pier first on the milk run — a dock line near 4 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small bucktail or a paddletail.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (4 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (4 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (10 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 17 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (10 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Spring puts gulf flounder in skinny water — 2 to 14 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 17 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 17 ft. Destin channel edge is the standout, a channel edge at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for summer gulf flounder. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A paddletail dragged on bottom or a bucktail + swimming mullet covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail, Bucktail + scented shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Paddletail dragged on bottom, Bucktail + swimming mullet |
| Fall | 4 to 17 ft | midday & dusk | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + scented grub, Paddletail on a heavier jighead |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub |
Early season spanish mackerel use the shallows, holding in 3 to 17 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 17 ft; winter keeps them in 5 to 17 ft. The chart's best answer is Destin channel edge — channel edge, 6 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small spoon trolled or cast or a fast metal jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 17 ft | dawn | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Small casting spoon, Gotcha-style plug |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Small spoon trolled or cast, Fast metal jig |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & midday | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Casting spoon, Small metal jig |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Small metal jig in confirmed offshore water |
Spring puts bluefish in skinny water — 3 to 17 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 17 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 17 ft. Summer bluefish concentrate at Destin channel edge, a prime-rated channel edge around 6 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 3 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (8 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Destin channel edge (6 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
16 pieces of structure are mapped here — Dangerous NOAA charted wreck, around 10 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Florida FWC Boat Ramp Inventory (OBJECTID 1590; RampID OL00133KY). 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 Old Pass Lagoon specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Old Pass Lagoon is about 17 ft (5 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), gulf flounder, spanish mackerel, bluefish on Old Pass Lagoon.
NOAA charted pier is the top-rated area: a dock line in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in summer. 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 Old Pass Lagoon 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.
Destin Harbor 1 mi · Lower Choctawhatchee Bay 3 mi · Choctawhatchee Bay 10 mi · Santa Rosa Sound 23 mi · East Bay 28 mi · Karick Lake 36 mi · North Pensacola Bay 37 mi · South Escambia Bay 38 mi · Bear Lake 38 mi · Escambia Bay 39 mi · North Escambia Bay 40 mi · Hurricane Lake 41 mi
See how Old Pass Lagoon stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Florida · best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best spanish mackerel lakes in Florida · best bluefish lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 72% measured, 28% 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.