Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
3,946-acre shallow Manatee County bay with NOAA survey contours, 2024 seagrass and oyster edges, and charted wreck structure. 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. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
Start shallow in spring: red drum (redfish) sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 12 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 15 ft. The spot to know is 2024 oyster bars edge, an oyster reef in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for red drum (redfish) in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 oyster bars edge (2 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 oyster bars edge (2 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & midday | 2024 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
Early season spotted seatrout use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 15 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 18 ft. Put 2024 patchy seagrass edge first on the milk run — a seagrass edge near 2 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (2 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (7 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (7 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday & dusk | Surveyed channel edge (13 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Start shallow in spring: snook sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 15 ft; cold water stacks them in 4 to 15 ft. Top water on the chart: 2024 patchy 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 flair hawk jig (passes, night) or a big swimbait in the current until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (2 ft) | Paddletail on 1/4 oz head, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (7 ft) | Flair hawk jig (passes, night), Big swimbait in the current |
| Fall | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 patchy 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 |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: sheepshead in 4 to 18 ft. The depth story barely changes: 3 to 15 ft through summer, 5 to 18 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: 2024 oyster bars edge, an oyster reef in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a small jig + crab piece gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | 2024 oyster bars edge (4 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn | 2024 oyster bars edge (3 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | 2024 oyster bars edge (4 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
In spring, gulf flounder run shallow here, mostly 2 to 14 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 18 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 18 ft. 2024 patchy seagrass edge is the standout, a seagrass edge at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring gulf flounder. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a paddletail dragged on bottom or a bucktail + swimming mullet most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (2 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail, Bucktail + scented shrimp |
| Summer | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 patchy seagrass edge (7 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 |
Early season gray snapper (mangrove snapper) use the shallows, holding in 2 to 18 ft. Even in summer they hold at 2 to 18 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 18 ft. Put NOAA charted wreck first on the milk run — a wreck near 7 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small bucktail or a paddletail and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | 2024 oyster bars edge (2 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 2 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 3 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 18 ft | midday | NOAA charted wreck (7 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Terra Ceia Bay also holds black drum (3 to 18 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
41 pieces of structure are mapped here — Surveyed channel edge, around 13 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 Terra Ceia Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Terra Ceia 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, snook, sheepshead, gulf flounder, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), black drum on Terra Ceia Bay.
2024 patchy seagrass edge is the top-rated area: a seagrass edge in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Terra Ceia 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.
Manatee River Estuary 3 mi · Lower Tampa Bay 5 mi · Manatee River 6 mi · North Sarasota Bay 8 mi · Longboat Pass 9 mi · Bunces Pass 10 mi · Pass A Grille Channel 12 mi · Middle Tampa Bay 15 mi · Southwest Sarasota Bay 16 mi · Boca Ciega Bay 16 mi · Big Sarasota Pass 18 mi · Roberts Bay 20 mi
See how Terra Ceia 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; 93% measured, 6% 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.