Tampa Bay fishing conditions and tides
Florida · Gulf coast · 2.3 ft mean tide range · 30 ppt
Grass flats, bridge structure and one of the strongest snook and redfish fisheries in the Gulf
Current conditions
Excellent
Fishing score 86/100
How this score is calculated
76°F against a 70–86°F band for snook.
Outgoing (ebb) at 0.3 ft, moving 0.2 ft/hr. Moderate movement; fish the tightest current seams you can find.
5 mph out of the W. Workable wind with useful chop.
1.3 ft at 13 seconds. Good working surf for beaches and inlets.
Good working clarity with some colour for cover.
29.66 inHg and rising.
56% illumination — neap tides with a smaller exchange.
Fall pattern is fully established for this zone.
What should I do today?
The highest-percentage pattern for this tide and this wind.
Backup pattern
Redfish — weedless soft plastic, cut bait on the bottom in 1–8 ft. Push the grass flats on the flood and school on the potholes at Weedon Island and the Kitchen.
Right now
Current conditions
Tide
Outgoing (ebb)
0.3 ft, -0.2 ft/hr
Next high
9:06 AM
2.1 ft
Next low
2:54 AM
0.3 ft
Mean range
2.3 ft
Typical high-to-low swing
Water temp
76°F
+0.3°F / 3 days
Water clarity
Lightly stained
Salinity about 30 ppt
Swell
1.3 ft
13 second period
Wind
5 mph
Out of the W
Pressure
29.66"
Rising pressure — clearing behind a front
Air temp
69°F
45% cloud cover
Moon
56%
First Quarter · solunar 12/100
Daylight
5:38 AM
Sunset 4:51 PM
Timing
Today's tides and fishing windows
- Low tide (0.3 ft) — tide change window1:54 AM – 3:54 AM
- Solunar major 25:12 AM – 7:12 AM
- Morning prime window5:13 AM – 7:58 AM
- Sunrise5:38 AM
- High tide (2.1 ft) — tide change window8:06 AM – 10:06 AM
- Low tide (0.2 ft) — tide change window2:19 PM – 4:19 PM
- Evening window2:51 PM – 5:26 PM
- Sunset4:51 PM
- Solunar major 15:12 PM – 7:12 PM
- High tide (2 ft) — tide change window8:32 PM – 10:32 PM
Targets
Target species in this zone
| Species | Activity | Depth | Best tide | Technique | Bait | Active temp | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snook | ★★★★★ | 1–15 ft | Outgoing along mangrove edges, night tides under lights | Twitchbait, white jig or free-lined pilchard | Live pilchards, pinfish | 70–86°F | March through November |
| Redfish | ★★★★★ | 1–8 ft | High incoming across grass flats | Weedless soft plastic, cut bait on the bottom | Cut ladyfish, live shrimp | 62–88°F | Year-round, best September through November |
| Speckled Trout | ★★★★☆ | 3–9 ft | Moving water over grass | Popping cork with a shrimp imitation | Live shrimp | 60–82°F | October through April |
| Tarpon | ★★★★★ | 6–30 ft | Calm morning on a moving tide | Live crab on the tide, threadfin on the beach | Pass crabs, threadfin | 78–88°F | May through July |
- Snook: Hold on mangrove points and under dock lights at night; move to the passes to spawn in summer.
- Redfish: Push the grass flats on the flood and school on the potholes at Weedon Island and the Kitchen.
- Speckled Trout: Drift the deeper grass in 4–7 ft with sand potholes — the potholes hold the biggest fish.
- Tarpon: Migrate along the beaches and through the ship channel from May through July in big daisy chains.
Structure
Habitat and structure that holds fish
- Turtle grass flat
- Mangrove shoreline
- Oyster bar
- Bridge structure
- Residential canal
- Skyway Bridge piers
- Weedon Island flats
- Fort De Soto passes
- Gandy Bridge pilings
- Tarpon Key oyster bars
Surf and beach notes
Gulf beaches at Fort De Soto and Anna Maria fish well with less than 2 ft of surf and a light east wind.
Bait in the zone
Pilchards (whitebait) are the primary live bait spring through fall; shrimp take over in winter.
Patterns
Season-by-season patterns
Spring
70–80°FSnook leave the winter canals and stage on the flats as water passes 72°F; tarpon arrive in May.
Summer
84–90°FEarly morning and night tides only on the flats; snook spawn in the passes and tarpon dominate the beaches.
Fall
74–84°FBait schools peak and redfish push into big schools — the most consistent flats fishing of the year.
Winter
60–68°FSnook retreat to canals and power plant outflows; trout and reds concentrate on dark mud bottom that warms in the afternoon.
Outlook
7-day fishing forecast
| Day | Score | Water | Wind | Swell | First high tide | Best species | Morning window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 79Very Good | 76°F | 5 mph W | 1.3 ft | 9:06 AM (2.1 ft) | Snook | 5:13 AM – 7:58 AM |
| Tue | 89Excellent | 77°F | 9 mph N | 0.6 ft | 9:57 AM (2.2 ft) | Snook | 5:14 AM – 7:59 AM |
| Wed | 85Excellent | 75°F | 21 mph NW | 2.5 ft | 10:47 AM (2.3 ft) | Snook | 5:14 AM – 7:59 AM |
| Thu | 97Excellent | 78°F | 4 mph SW | 0.8 ft | 11:38 AM (2.4 ft) | Snook | 5:15 AM – 8:00 AM |
| Fri | 92Excellent | 78°F | 5 mph W | 1.3 ft | 12:03 AM (2.5 ft) | Snook | 5:16 AM – 8:01 AM |
| Sat | 90Excellent | 75°F | 15 mph NE | 2.6 ft | 12:53 AM (2.5 ft) | Snook | 5:16 AM – 8:01 AM |
| Sun | 89Excellent | 76°F | 15 mph S | 1.8 ft | 1:44 AM (2.6 ft) | Snook | 5:17 AM – 8:02 AM |
Trends
Last 7 days
Water temperature
78°F → 76°F
Wind
8 mph → 5 mph
Swell
0.5 ft → 1.3 ft
Daily score
93 → 79
Water temperature has dropped 2°F this week. Expect fish to slide toward deeper channels and to bite best in the warmest part of the afternoon.
The water
About Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is Florida's largest open-water estuary: 400 square miles of turtle grass flats, oyster bars, mangrove shorelines and two enormous bridge systems. Tides here are mixed and often weak, so a day with a 2 ft swing moves far more fish than a day with a 0.8 ft swing — the tide table matters more than the weather forecast.
Local knowledge
Expert notes
- Chum a grass flat with live pilchards before you cast. Five minutes of free bait pulls snook and reds out of the mangroves and into open water where you can actually land them.
- Look for sand potholes in the grass at 4–6 ft. Big trout sit in the white sand and ambush anything that crosses the edge.
- A cold front that drops the bay below 60°F sends snook to canals and warm-water discharges within 24 hours — do not waste a post-front morning on open flats.
Logistics
Access, ramps and launches
boat ramp
Fort De Soto ramp
Access to the passes, beaches and the south bay flats.
kayak launch
Weedon Island Preserve kayak launch
Marked paddling trails through mangrove creeks and flats.
pier
Skyway Fishing Pier State Park
Drive out onto the old bridge — deep water and structure from shore.
shore
Gandy Bridge shore access
Wade the flats on either side; best on an incoming tide at dawn.
Rules
Regulations
- Florida saltwater fishing license required for shore and boat anglers.
- Snook require a separate snook permit and have closed seasons in winter and summer.
- Redfish and trout bag limits vary by management zone — Tampa Bay has its own rules.
Always verify current regulations with the relevant state wildlife agency before fishing. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Transparency
Data sources
Where this data comes from
Conditions are modelled from each water's documented climate, structure and seasonal patterns. Modules marked “Live data integration pending” are not yet pulling from their API, so those values are clearly labelled as sample data rather than presented as real-time readings.
Weather API
PendingNOAA / National Weather Service — Air temperature, wind, cloud cover, rainfall and barometric pressure with a 7-day forecast.
Water Level & Flow API
PendingUSGS Water Services — Reservoir stage, discharge and 7-day level trend from the nearest gauge.
Water Temperature
PendingUSGS / NOAA buoys — Surface water temperature and its multi-day trend.
Tide & Current API
PendingNOAA CO-OPS — Tide predictions, current direction and speed for coastal zones.
Moon & Solunar
LiveComputed on-site — Moon phase, illumination and solunar major/minor periods are calculated from date and coordinates.
Water Clarity
PendingSatellite imagery + angler reports — Visibility estimates by lake arm, refined by submitted fishing reports.
Fishing Regulations
PendingState wildlife agencies — License, size and creel rules, linked to the official agency page for verification.
Map Data
PendingBathymetry + access point database — Depth zones, structure locations and boat ramps for the lake infographic.
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