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18,924-acre San Carlos Bay section with quality-assured 2022 NOAA topobathymetric lidar and direct survey soundings, exact-polygon FWC fish occurrence, mapped seagrass and oyster habitat, charted structure, and verified public access. The water tops out around 31 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.
On the chart, San Carlos Bay draws 18,970 acres inside 101.6 miles of shoreline, broken up by 31 islands. An index of 5.3 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. About 92% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Tip to tip the water measures near 9.5 mi with a 6.8-mi widest point. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Lower Pine Island Sound, 7 mi west of here.
Spring puts sheepshead in skinny water — 5 to 25 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 10 to 30 ft. 2019 oyster edge is the standout, an oyster reef at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring sheepshead. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A small jig + crab piece covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | 2019 oyster edge (7 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 2019 oyster edge (3 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | 2019 oyster edge (7 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | 2019 oyster edge (9 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Come spring, look for spotted seatrout tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 20 ft. If you only fish one area, make it 2021 continuous seagrass edge: a seagrass edge around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. A popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 continuous seagrass edge (2 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2021 continuous seagrass edge (6 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2021 continuous seagrass edge (6 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Come spring, look for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) tight to the bank in 3 to 22 ft. They move out to 4 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 31 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Dangerous NOAA charted wreck: a wreck around 9 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A small bucktail or a paddletail is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | 2019 oyster edge (3 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 4 to 31 ft | dawn & dusk | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 6 to 31 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Spring puts snook in skinny water — 2 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 3 to 15 ft, wintering in 4 to 15 ft. Spring snook concentrate at 2021 continuous seagrass edge, a prime-rated seagrass edge around 2 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 continuous seagrass edge (2 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 continuous seagrass edge (6 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 continuous 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 |
Start shallow in spring: gulf flounder sit in 2 to 14 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 9 to 31 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow feeding flat, a feeding flat in the 16 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a paddletail dragged on bottom or a bucktail + swimming mullet until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (16 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail, Bucktail + scented shrimp |
| Summer | 4 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (16 ft) | Paddletail dragged on bottom, Bucktail + swimming mullet |
| Fall | 6 to 28 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (16 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + scented grub, Paddletail on a heavier jighead |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday | open water | Slow jig + scented grub |
When the water first warms, permit slide up into 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 3 to 31 ft game here, winter an 8 to 31 ft one. Start at Shallow feeding flat. It's a feeding flat holding about 16 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and midday. Keep a crab fly or a crab imitation rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (16 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 3 to 31 ft | dawn & midday | Shallow feeding flat (16 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 3 to 31 ft | dawn | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 8 to 31 ft | midday | Dangerous NOAA charted wreck (9 ft) | Crab imitation worked deep |
San Carlos Bay also holds red drum (redfish) (2 to 12 ft in summer), gag grouper (5 to 31 ft in summer), black drum (3 to 18 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 100 structure features on San Carlos Bay; the deepest is Surveyed channel edge at about 22 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 San Carlos Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
San Carlos Bay is about 31 ft (9 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, spotted seatrout, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), snook, gulf flounder, permit, red drum (redfish), gag grouper, black drum on San Carlos Bay.
Shallow feeding flat is the top-rated area: a feeding flat in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for permit in spring. 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 San Carlos 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.
Lower Pine Island Sound 7 mi · Matlacha Pass 9 mi · Estero Bay 11 mi · Upper Pine Island Sound 14 mi · Captiva Passage 15 mi · Gasparilla Pass 27 mi · Gordon Pass 31 mi · Lake Trafford 33 mi · Lemon Bay 37 mi · Blackburn Bay 55 mi · Little Sarasota Bay 58 mi · Roberts Bay 63 mi
See how San Carlos 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; 98% measured, 2% 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.