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1,452-acre Ship Island Harbor fishing map with compensated-route NOAA BlueTopo contours (45.24% measured, 100% assessed), measured wreck and hard-bottom spots, Mississippi Sound fish evidence, three forage calendars, official ferry access, NPS closure guidance and current rules. The water tops out around 33 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.
Ship Island Harbor maps at 1,453 acres behind 6.3 miles of shoreline. At index 1.2 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. Roughly 28% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 2.4 mi end to end and 1.3 mi across at its widest. Moon Lake sits 27 mi northeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
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 Surveyed shallow harbor flat: a feeding flat around 3 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 | Surveyed shallow harbor flat (3 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (2 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed shallow harbor flat (3 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed shallow harbor flat (3 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
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: Surveyed channel edge, a drop-off in the 12 ft range, good in summer. 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 | Surveyed shallow harbor flat (3 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | Surveyed channel edge (12 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Surveyed shallow harbor flat (3 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (18 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Come spring, look for southern flounder tight to the bank in 2 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 18 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 33 ft. Start at NOAA charted pier. It's a dock line holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning. A jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn | Surveyed shallow harbor flat (3 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (2 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (18 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Surveyed harbor basin (33 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
When the water first warms, sheepshead slide up into 5 to 25 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 15 ft, winter 10 to 30 ft. Start at NOAA charted pier. It's a dock line holding about 2 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 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted pier (2 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA charted pier (2 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | NOAA charted pier (2 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 10 to 30 ft | midday | open water | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Early season black drum use the shallows, holding in 4 to 25 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 18 ft; winter keeps them in 8 to 33 ft. Put NOAA charted pier first on the milk run — a dock line near 2 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a shrimp imitation dragged slowly or a small crab jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 25 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA charted pier (2 ft) | Crab-tipped bottom jig, Shrimp on a jighead |
| Summer | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (2 ft) | Shrimp imitation dragged slowly, Small crab jig |
| Fall | 4 to 22 ft | dawn | Surveyed channel edge (18 ft) | Crab-tipped jig, Scented shrimp jig |
| Winter | 8 to 33 ft | midday | Surveyed channel edge (18 ft) | Heavy bottom jig + crab |
Spring bluefish on Ship Island Harbor hold shallow, usually 3 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 33 ft. The chart's best answer is Surveyed channel edge — drop-off, 18 ft, good for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a popper (early/late) or a metal jigs in the rips.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed shallow harbor flat (3 ft) | Metal (Hopkins/Kastmaster), Pencil popper |
| Summer | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (18 ft) | Popper (early/late), Metal jigs in the rips |
| Fall | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed shallow harbor flat (3 ft) | Pencil popper, Big metal |
| Winter | 10 to 33 ft | midday | Surveyed harbor basin (33 ft) | Metal jig worked slow (southern waters) |
Ship Island Harbor also holds spanish mackerel (4 to 33 ft in summer), cobia (4 to 33 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Ship Island Harbor carries 8 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Surveyed harbor basin, about 33 ft down.
Access data: National Park Service — 2026 Ship Island Excursions Ferry Service. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Mississippi waters are set by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (saltwater) — and special regulations can apply to Ship Island Harbor specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Mississippi fishing regulations →
Ship Island Harbor is about 33 ft (10 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, southern flounder, sheepshead, black drum, bluefish, spanish mackerel, cobia on Ship Island Harbor.
NOAA charted pier is the top-rated area: a dock line in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for sheepshead 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 Ship Island Harbor is regulated by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (saltwater). Check the official Mississippi regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
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Browse all Mississippi fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 45% measured, 55% 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.