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Fishing St. Johns River: what the data says
Lake Monroe to DeLand: Florida's big bass river. hydrilla edges, eelgrass flats and specks in winter. The river tops out around 12 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at St. Johns River
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 4 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is Hontoon Island backwaters, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at St. Johns River
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 12 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 12 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Outside-bend hole (mile 5.3): a creek channel around 9 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at St. Johns River
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 12 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is Hontoon Island backwaters, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at St. Johns River
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 4 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is Outside-bend hole (mile 5.3), a creek channel in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in summer. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday |
Longnose Gar fishing at St. Johns River
Start shallow in spring: longnose gar sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 1 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 12 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Hontoon Island backwaters: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in midday and the evening. A rope lure or a small white spinner covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday | Rope lure (hookless nylon), Inline spinner (slow) |
| Summer | 1 to 12 ft | midday & dusk | Rope lure, Small white spinner |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday | Rope lure, Small jerkbait (pause-heavy) |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Outside-bend hole (mile 5.3): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 10.2): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 17.4): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Hontoon Island backwaters: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Riffle & run (mile 0.6): rock pile, around 4 ft
- Riffle & run (mile 2.5): rock pile, around 4 ft
- Riffle & run (mile 8.1): rock pile, around 4 ft
- Riffle & run (mile 12.4): rock pile, around 4 ft
Common questions
How deep is St. Johns River?
St. Johns River is about 12 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in St. Johns River?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, longnose gar on St. Johns River.
Where is the best fishing spot on St. Johns River?
Hontoon Island backwaters is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish St. Johns River?
For largemouth bass, 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.
Nearby waters
Lake Monroe · Lake Jesup · Lake Dora · Lake Eustis · Lake Yale · Lake Apopka
See how St. Johns River stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Florida · best crappie lakes in Florida · best bluegill lakes in Florida · best channel catfish lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.