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2,869-acre Upper Sugarloaf Sound fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo shallow-water contours (99.32% measured, 99.78% assessed), 35 measured rock, pier, pile, bridge, seagrass, channel and terrain spots, six regional Keys fish profiles, three forage calendars, connected ramp access and current rules. The water tops out around 17 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.
The drawn water covers 2,877 acres wrapped in 30.4 miles of bank, broken up by 14 islands. The 4 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. End to end it runs roughly 4.1 mi, about 2.2 mi across. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lower Sugarloaf Sound, is 2 mi to the southwest.
Come spring, look for bonefish tight to the bank in 1 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 1 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 2 to 15 ft. Start at 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge. It's a seagrass edge holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and midday. A light shrimp jig or a sparse shrimp fly is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & midday | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (2 ft) | Small shrimp jig, Shrimp fly |
| Summer | 1 to 12 ft | dawn & midday | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (2 ft) | Light shrimp jig, Sparse shrimp fly |
| Fall | 1 to 12 ft | dawn & midday | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (2 ft) | Shrimp-pattern jig, Shrimp fly |
| Winter | 2 to 15 ft | midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Slow shrimp jig, Small weighted shrimp fly |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in 2 to 17 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 17 ft through summer, 3 to 17 ft in winter. The spot to know is NOAA charted pier, a dock line in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small bucktail or a paddletail gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Small paddletail, Jighead + shrimp imitation |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Small bucktail, Paddletail |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Small vertical jig, Jighead + paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 17 ft | midday | NOAA charted pier (3 ft) | Small jig worked slowly |
Start shallow in spring: mutton snapper sit in 2 to 17 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 2 to 17 ft covers summer, 3 to 17 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted rock, a hard bottom in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a heavy bucktail or a vertical jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (4 ft) | Bucktail near bottom, Paddletail |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (4 ft) | Heavy bucktail, Vertical jig |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA charted rock (4 ft) | Bucktail + strip, Slow vertical jig |
| Winter | 3 to 17 ft | dusk | NOAA charted rock (4 ft) | Slow jig, Bottom bucktail |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: spotted seatrout in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 15 ft before dropping to 4 to 17 ft for winter. The spot to know is 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge, a seagrass edge in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for spotted seatrout in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. 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 | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (2 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (5 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2004 - 2015 continuous seagrass edge (5 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 17 ft | midday & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Start shallow in spring: atlantic tarpon sit in 2 to 17 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 2 to 17 ft covers summer, 2 to 17 ft covers winter. The spot to know is NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth, a channel edge in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for atlantic tarpon in summer. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a heavy paddletail or a swimbait in pass current until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | 4-6 inch paddletail, Suspending baitfish plug |
| Summer | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Heavy paddletail, Swimbait in pass current |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Mullet-profile swimbait, Surface plug |
| Winter | 2 to 17 ft | dusk | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Slow-rolled paddletail, Suspending plug |
Start shallow in spring: permit sit in 2 to 17 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 1 to 17 ft covers summer, 4 to 17 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: NOAA charted rock, a hard bottom in the 4 ft range, prime in winter. Fish it in early morning and midday and you'll meet the bite. Throw a crab fly or a crab imitation until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 17 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Small crab fly, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Summer | 1 to 17 ft | dawn & midday | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Crab fly, Crab imitation |
| Fall | 2 to 17 ft | dawn | NOAA BlueTopo measured inlet-channel depth (9 ft) | Crab imitation, Shrimp-pattern jig |
| Winter | 4 to 17 ft | midday | NOAA charted rock (4 ft) | Crab imitation worked deep |
Structure-wise the chart holds 35 features, led in depth by NOAA charted bridge at roughly 13 ft.
Access data: Florida FWC Boat Ramp Inventory (OBJECTID 1378; RampID MO00003UT). 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 Upper Sugarloaf Sound specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Florida fishing regulations →
Upper Sugarloaf Sound is about 17 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 bonefish, gray snapper (mangrove snapper), mutton snapper, spotted seatrout, atlantic tarpon, permit on Upper Sugarloaf Sound.
NOAA charted pier is the top-rated area: a dock line in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for gray snapper (mangrove snapper) in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For bonefish, the summer bite is best in early morning and midday. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Upper Sugarloaf Sound 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.
Lower Sugarloaf Sound 2 mi · Cudjoe Bay 3 mi · Similar Sound 6 mi · Blacklion Bay 8 mi · Newfound Harbor 9 mi · Newfound Harbor Channel 10 mi · Coupon Bight 12 mi · Garrison Bight 16 mi · Man of War Harbor 17 mi · Lakes Passage 25 mi · East Central Florida Bay 71 mi · Card Sound 91 mi
See how Upper Sugarloaf Sound stacks up: best spotted seatrout lakes in Florida · best gray snapper (mangrove snapper) lakes in Florida · best permit lakes in Florida · best atlantic tarpon lakes in Florida
Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 99% measured, 0% 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.