Water temp
75.2°F
NOAA CO-OPS 8726520 updated 10:36 AM
Waters · Coast · FL · Fri, Oct 30
Tampa Bay tide chart today next low 12:41 PM
Bite index 5/10 — Picky — save your energy for the evening.
Work for it.
5/10
Picky
Today's bite windows
12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
10Peak 9 8Strong 7 6Good 5 4Slow 3 2 1Dead
Major
4:15 AM–6:15 AM
Moon overhead
Minor
12:04 PM–1:04 PM
Moonset
Major
4:46 PM–6:46 PM
Moon underfoot
Minor
10:30 PM–11:30 PM
Moonrise
Sunrise 7:40 AM · sunset 6:47 PM · tomorrow's first major 5:17 AM–7:17 AM · windows on every water
Solunar · computed updated 10:40 AM
Conditions right now
Tide level
1.371ft
+0.4 ft in 24h
NOAA CO-OPS 8726520 updated 10:36 AM
Pressure
30.04inHg
rising · +1.02 hPa/12h
NOAA KSPG updated 10:05 AM
Wind
14mph NNE
NOAA KSPG updated 10:05 AM
Moon
74% waning
Solunar · computed updated 10:40 AM
What this means
Redfish
75°F sits in the sweet spot. Work the first few feet early.
Work shallow to mid.
Tampa Bay tide times
| Day | Tide | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 30 | High | 3:56 AM | 2.9 ft |
| Low | 12:41 PM | -0.2 ft | |
| Sat, Oct 31 | High | 4:55 AM | 2.7 ft |
| Low | 1:50 PM | -0.0 ft | |
| Sun, Nov 1 | High | 5:13 AM | 2.5 ft |
| Low | 2:01 PM | 0.1 ft |
Predicted heights above MLLW. The bite windows above already fold these swings in.
NOAA CO-OPS 8726520 updated 10:40 AM
Tampa Bay water level today
1.371 ft above MLLW up 0.40 ft in 24 hours
That sits 35% of the way up the band it has held over the last 9 days, between 0.07 and 3.8 ft. Over the week it is down1.18ft.
10-21 0.07–3.80 ft 10-30
NOAA CO-OPS 8726520 updated 10:36 AM
The week ahead
| Sat | 8 | On fire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 7 | Biting | |
| Mon | 7 | Biting | |
| Tue | 8 | On fire | |
| Wed | 7 | Biting | |
| Thu | 7 | Biting | |
| Fri | 7 | Biting |
Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.
Tampa Bay boat ramps and public fishing access
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists 78 public access points on Tampa Bay. These are the 8 closest to our gauge — the farthest one the agency lists sits 22 mi away.
- Lassing Park Paddlecraft Access 0.6 mi
- Demens Landing Park Boat Ramp 0.7 miLaunch lanes: 2Fee: NoRamp surface: ConcreteDock: Launch docks - floating
- South Shore Park Paddlecraft Access 1.4 miFee: NoRamp surface: Dirt/Sand
- North Shore Park Beach - Paddlecraft Access 1.6 miFee: NoRamp surface: Sand Beach
- Coquina Key Park Kayak Launch 1.6 miFee: NoRamp surface: Sand, Dirt, Mud
- Grandview Park Boat Ramp 2.0 miLaunch lanes: 2Fee: NoRamp surface: ConcreteDock: Launch Dock - Floating
- Crisp Park Boat Ramp 3.0 miLaunch lanes: 2Fee: NoRamp surface: ConcreteDock: Launch docks - floating
- Bay Vista Park Boat Ramp 4.0 miLaunch lanes: 2Fee: NoRamp surface: ConcreteDock: Launch Dock
This inventory carries the agency's own vintage of 2009. Lanes, docks and fees can have changed since — call ahead if a detail decides your trip.
Access data from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Distances are straight-line from our gauge, not driving distance.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission · public access inventory
Before you go
A Florida fishing license covers this water — $17 a year for residents. FWC sets the rules and is the one that counts.
What it costs, and who is exempt →Nearby waters today
- 6 Biting Lake Okeechobee FL · 201 km
- 7 Biting St. Marks River FL · 316 km
- 6 Biting Key West FL · 366 km
- 6 Biting Virginia Beach VA · 1179 km
- 8 On fire Annapolis MD · 1371 km
Questions people ask about Tampa Bay
Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Tampa Bay.
- Is it worth fishing Tampa Bay today?
- 5 out of 10 — picky. Work for it. The strongest stretch is 4:15 AM–6:15 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.
- What time should you fish Tampa Bay?
- Today's major windows run 4:15 AM–6:15 AM and 4:46 PM–6:46 PM, with minor windows at 12:04 PM–1:04 PM and 10:30 PM–11:30 PM. Sunrise is 7:40 AM and sunset 6:47 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
- What is the water temperature at Tampa Bay?
- 75.2°F, read at 10:36 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8726520. That is 1.1 degrees warmer than 24 hours ago.
- What is the water level at Tampa Bay right now?
- 1.371 ft above MLLW, read at 10:36 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8726520. Over 24 hours it is up 0.40 ft.
- Are water levels rising or falling at Tampa Bay?
- Falling. The lake is up 0.40 ft in 24 hours and down 1.18 ft over the week. Over the last 9 days it has held between 0.07 and 3.8 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.
- Can you eat the fish you catch in Tampa Bay?
- That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. Florida Department of Health publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where most Florida freshwater fish are fine to eat, and a mercury threshold triggers the advisories you can look up by water. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.
- Do you need a licence to fish Tampa Bay?
- Yes. A Florida fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. FWC sets the rules and is the one that counts.
- What size fish can you keep in Florida?
- It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout (speckled trout), king mackerel, hogfish. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.
Red drum (redfish) limits · Spotted seatrout (speckled trout) limits · King mackerel limits · Hogfish limits · Check a length against the rules
Where these numbers come from
- Solunar computed 10:40 AM
- NOAA KSPG Albert Whitted Airport 10:05 AM
- NOAA TBW gridded forecast 2:21 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 8726520 St. Petersburg 10:36 AM
St. Petersburg is the main gauge, Old Port Tampa covers the inner bay.
No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.