Waters · Coast · FL · Tue, Sep 15

Tampa Bay tide chart today next low 11:41 AM

Bite index 4/10 — Picky — save your energy for the evening.

Work for it.

4/10
Picky

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
3:31 AM–5:31 AM
Moon underfoot
Minor
11:04 AM–12:04 PM
Moonrise
Major
3:55 PM–5:55 PM
Moon overhead
Minor
9:42 PM–10:42 PM
Moonset

Sunrise 7:15 AM · sunset 7:35 PM · tomorrow's first major 4:19 AM–6:19 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 8:58 AM

Conditions right now

Water temp
87.8°F
NOAA CO-OPS 8726520 updated 8:48 AM
Tide level
1.565ft
+0.35 ft in 24h
NOAA CO-OPS 8726520 updated 8:48 AM
Pressure
30.06inHg
rising · +2.37 hPa/12h
NOAA KSPG updated 8:40 AM
Wind
6mph E
NOAA KSPG updated 8:40 AM
Moon
21% waxing
Solunar · computed updated 8:58 AM

What this means

Redfish
88°F is above the comfortable band. Fish deep water and the first hour of light.
Work deep.

Tampa Bay tide times

DayTideTimeHeight
Tue, Sep 15 High 4:13 AM 2.6 ft
Low 11:41 AM 0.4 ft
High 6:24 PM 1.8 ft
Low 10:32 PM 1.5 ft
Wed, Sep 16 High 4:42 AM 2.6 ft
Low 12:35 PM 0.4 ft
High 7:45 PM 1.7 ft
Low 10:31 PM 1.6 ft
Thu, Sep 17 High 5:15 AM 2.5 ft
Low 1:40 PM 0.5 ft

Predicted heights above MLLW. The bite windows above already fold these swings in.

NOAA CO-OPS 8726520 updated 8:58 AM

Tampa Bay water level today

1.565 ft above MLLW up 0.35 ft in 24 hours

That sits 44% of the way up the band it has held over the last 9 days, between 0.27 and 3.25 ft. Over the week it is down0.79ft.

09-06 0.27–3.25 ft 09-15
NOAA CO-OPS 8726520 updated 8:48 AM

The week ahead

Wed 5 Picky
Thu 6 Biting
Fri 7 Biting
Sat 7 Biting
Sun 6 Biting
Mon 6 Biting
Tue 6 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.

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

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?
4 out of 10 — picky. Work for it. The strongest stretch is 3:31 AM–5:31 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 3:31 AM–5:31 AM and 3:55 PM–5:55 PM, with minor windows at 11:04 AM–12:04 PM and 9:42 PM–10:42 PM. Sunrise is 7:15 AM and sunset 7:35 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?
87.8°F, read at 8:48 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8726520. That is 1.3 degrees warmer than 24 hours ago.
What is the water level at Tampa Bay right now?
1.565 ft above MLLW, read at 8:48 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8726520. Over 24 hours it is up 0.35 ft.
Are water levels rising or falling at Tampa Bay?
Falling. The lake is up 0.35 ft in 24 hours and down 0.79 ft over the week. Over the last 9 days it has held between 0.27 and 3.25 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.

FDOH fish consumption advisory

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 a Florida license costs, and who is exempt

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, greater amberjack. 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 · Greater amberjack limits · Check a length against the rules

Where these numbers come from

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.