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9,904-acre South Escambia Bay section with quality-assured NOAA direct survey soundings and assessed contours, FWC fish evidence, mapped estuarine habitat, charted structure, and verified public access. 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
Traced from the shoreline, South Escambia Bay runs 9,920 acres with 19.1 miles of edge. Nearly circular (index 1.4), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. About 92% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Tip to tip the water measures near 7.4 mi with a 4.3-mi widest point. The nearest mapped water is Escambia Bay, 3 mi to the north.
In spring, red drum (redfish) run shallow here, mostly 1 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 2 to 12 ft before dropping to 3 to 15 ft for winter. Summer red drum (redfish) concentrate at Weed flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 2 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 oyster edge (8 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Weed flat (2 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & midday | 2021 oyster edge (9 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (9 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
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 18 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Weed flat: a weed flat 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 | Weed flat (2 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | Surveyed channel edge (9 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | Weed flat (5 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (17 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring puts sheepshead in skinny water — 4 to 18 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 18 ft. 2021 oyster edge is the standout, an oyster reef at roughly 9 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 | 4 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | 2021 oyster edge (9 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 2021 oyster edge (9 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | 2021 oyster edge (9 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | 2021 oyster edge (9 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
Start shallow in spring: gulf flounder sit in 2 to 14 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 18 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 18 ft. Top water on the chart: 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge, a seagrass edge in the 2 ft range, prime in spring. 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 | 2017 patchy (discontinuous) seagrass edge (2 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail, Bucktail + scented shrimp |
| Summer | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 oyster edge (9 ft) | Paddletail dragged on bottom, Bucktail + swimming mullet |
| Fall | 4 to 18 ft | midday & dusk | open water | 3/8 oz bucktail + scented grub, Paddletail on a heavier jighead |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | open water | Slow jig + scented grub |
The chart marks 38 structure features on South Escambia Bay; the deepest is Surveyed channel edge at about 17 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 South Escambia Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
South Escambia 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 red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, sheepshead, gulf flounder on South Escambia Bay.
Weed flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 South Escambia 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.
Escambia Bay 3 mi · North Pensacola Bay 4 mi · North Escambia Bay 6 mi · Pensacola Bay 7 mi · Middle Pensacola Bay 8 mi · East Bay 9 mi · Pensacola Bay Mouth 11 mi · Santa Rosa Sound 16 mi · Perdido Bay 18 mi, AL/FL · Wolf Bay 29 mi, AL · Perdido Pass 29 mi, AL · Bear Lake 33 mi
See how South Escambia Bay stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in Florida · best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best sheepshead lakes in Florida · best gulf flounder lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 64% measured, 35% 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.