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1,190-acre Roberts Bay section with quality-assured NOAA and USACE survey contours, GIWW channel structure, charted wrecks, and mapped 2024 seagrass and oyster habitat. The water tops out around 18 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 rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
On the chart, Roberts Bay draws 1,193 acres inside 41.8 miles of shoreline — 27 islands included. The 8.6 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Figure 4.7 mi of water from one end to the other, 1.5 mi at the beam. For a second option, Big Sarasota Pass lies 3 mi northwest.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: sheepshead in 4 to 18 ft. The depth story barely changes: 3 to 15 ft through summer, 5 to 18 ft in winter. The spot to know is 1751932800000 oyster bars edge, an oyster reef in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for sheepshead in summer. 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 | 4 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 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 18 ft | midday | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Start shallow in spring: snook sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 15 ft. The spot to know is 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge, a seagrass edge in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for snook in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (2 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge (4 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (2 ft) | Big paddletail (mullet run), Topwater walker |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | open water | Slow-rolled paddletail, Scented jerkbait crawled in canals |
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 18 ft one. The chart's best answer is 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge — seagrass edge, 2 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 | 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge (2 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge (4 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge (4 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (8 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
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: 1751932800000 oyster bars edge, an oyster reef in the 1 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 | 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 (3 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & midday | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (8 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Early season gray snapper (mangrove snapper) use the shallows, holding in 2 to 18 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 18 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 18 ft. The chart's best answer is Dangerous NOAA charted wreck — wreck, 3 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 | 2 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 2 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (2 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 18 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Spring puts gag grouper in skinny water — 3 to 18 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 18 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 18 ft. 1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge is the standout, a seagrass edge at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring gag grouper. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A deep-diving plug or a heavy paddletail covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | 1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge (4 ft) | Diving plug over grass potholes, Paddletail near rubble |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Heavy paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 18 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Vertical jig |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (3 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
Roberts Bay also holds black drum (3 to 18 ft in summer), permit (2 to 18 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
55 pieces of structure are mapped here — 1751932800000 patchy seagrass edge, around 5 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 Roberts Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Roberts Bay is about 18 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 sheepshead, snook, spotted seatrout, red drum (redfish), gray snapper (mangrove snapper), gag grouper, black drum, permit on Roberts Bay.
1751932800000 continuous seagrass edge is the top-rated area: a seagrass edge in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for gag grouper in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each 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 Roberts 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.
Big Sarasota Pass 3 mi · Southwest Sarasota Bay 4 mi · Little Sarasota Bay 5 mi · Blackburn Bay 8 mi · North Sarasota Bay 13 mi · Longboat Pass 15 mi · Manatee River Estuary 16 mi · Manatee River 17 mi · Terra Ceia Bay 20 mi · Lower Tampa Bay 24 mi · Lemon Bay 26 mi · Bunces Pass 28 mi
See how Roberts 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, 26% 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.