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57,424-acre South-Central Outer Biscayne Bay section with quality-assured NOAA lidar and direct hydrographic soundings, NPS-documented target fish, charted reef and wreck structure, and verified access. The water tops out around 23 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
The outline encloses 57,626 acres, worked by 81.4 miles of shoreline, with 68 islands in the mix. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 2.4) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. All of it is shallow-zone water — under ~15 ft across the entire basin, so the food chain has the run of the place. End to end it runs roughly 21.8 mi, about 7.2 mi across. South-Central Mid-Bay Biscayne Bay sits 5 mi southwest — the closest neighbouring chart.
Spring puts gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in skinny water — 3 to 22 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 23 ft; cold water stacks them in 4 to 23 ft. NOAA charted wreck is the standout, a wreck at roughly 15 ft, rated prime for fall gray snapper (mangrove snapper). Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small bucktail or a paddletail covers the summer program.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (8 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 3 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 3 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 4 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 45 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Early season gag grouper use the shallows, holding in 4 to 23 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 23 ft; winter keeps them in 6 to 23 ft. The chart's best answer is NOAA charted wreck — wreck, 15 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a deep-diving plug or a heavy paddletail and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 4 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (8 ft) | Diving plug over grass potholes, Paddletail near rubble |
| Summer | 4 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 6 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Heavy paddletail |
| Fall | 5 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | dawn | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Deep-diving plug, Vertical jig |
| Winter | 6 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 80 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Heavy vertical jig |
In spring, permit run shallow here, mostly 3 to 23 ft. Summer keeps them at 2 to 23 ft, and they winter in 6 to 23 ft. Fall permit concentrate at NOAA charted wreck, a prime-rated wreck around 15 ft. Fish it in early morning and midday and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a crab fly or a crab imitation most summer days.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 25 ft | dawn | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (8 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 2 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 3 to 35 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 3 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 45 ft | dawn | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 6 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 15 to 60 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Crab imitation worked deep |
Come spring, look for snook tight to the bank in 2 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 15 ft. Start at 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge. It's a seagrass edge holding about 8 ft of water and rates good come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (8 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (8 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (8 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 sheepshead use the shallows, holding in 5 to 23 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 15 ft; winter keeps them in 7 to 23 ft. Put NOAA charted wreck first on the milk run — a wreck near 15 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a small jig + crab piece and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 20 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 7 to 23 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 30 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (15 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Spring red drum (redfish) on South-Central Outer Biscayne Bay hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 2 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 15 ft. The chart's best answer is 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge — seagrass edge, 8 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (8 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted wreck (12 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & midday | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (10 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
South-Central Outer Biscayne Bay also holds spotted seatrout (4 to 15 ft in summer), gulf flounder (4 to 20 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
122 pieces of structure are mapped here — 2004 - 2015 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge, around 16 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 South-Central Outer Biscayne Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
South-Central Outer Biscayne Bay is about 23 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 gray snapper (mangrove snapper), gag grouper, permit, snook, sheepshead, red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, gulf flounder on South-Central Outer Biscayne Bay.
NOAA charted wreck is the top-rated area: a wreck in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for gag grouper in fall. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For gray snapper (mangrove snapper), 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 South-Central Outer Biscayne 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.
South-Central Mid-Bay Biscayne Bay 5 mi · South-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay 6 mi · North-Central Inshore Biscayne Bay 10 mi · North-Central Outer Biscayne Bay 13 mi · Card Sound 14 mi · East Central Florida Bay 34 mi · Lake Ida 67 mi · Lake Osborne 75 mi · Lake Clarke 78 mi · Coupon Bight 93 mi · Newfound Harbor Channel 95 mi · Newfound Harbor 95 mi
See how South-Central Outer Biscayne 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. See every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 60% measured, 39% 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.