Tampa Bay & Gulf Coast Fishing Intelligence

Fort De Soto Park

Pinellas County

Fish Fort De Soto Park first

Tampa Bay is fishable right now with ? ft nearshore surf, unknown tide, and roughly ?°F water. Best window around high tide Tue 4:48 AM.

Best window around high tide Tue 4:48 AMFull read →

Conditions

Water—NOAA CO-OPS 8726607

Nearshore—No buoy

WindE 5 mphPartly Cloudy

TideunknownNext high Tue 4:48 AM

Air76°FNWS hourly

Surf—NWS surf

Surf + swell intelligence

Live surf report

Real buoy data, NWS surf product, and a derived fishability call so you do not waste a drive on blown-out water.

Wave height—NDBC realtime

Period—Awaiting data

Swell direction—Direction pending

WindE 5 mphNWS hourly

NWS marine forecast

Today

Seas 1 foot or less

Detail east 1 foot at 2 seconds and southwest 1 foot at 6 seconds

Southeast winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming southwest late. Seas 1 foot or less. Wave detail: east 1 foot at 2 seconds and southwest 1 foot at 6 seconds. Bay and inland waters light chop. Scattered showers. Isolated thunderstorms this morning, then scattered thunderstorms this afternoon.

Tonight

Seas around 2 feet

Detail east 2 feet at 3 seconds

East winds 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Wave detail: east 2 feet at 3 seconds. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Numerous showers and thunderstorms in the evening.

Wednesday

Seas around 2 feet

Detail northeast 2 feet at 4 seconds

Northeast winds 10 to 15 knots with gusts up to 20 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Wave detail: northeast 2 feet at 4 seconds. Bay and inland waters a moderate chop. Numerous showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Marine intelligence

Solunar windows, barometric pressure, and red tide status.

9:10 PM–10:10 PMmoonset 9:40 PM
Minor
3:30 AM–5:30 AMmoon underfoot 4:30 AM
Major · 90 min left
11:10 AM–12:10 PMmoonrise 11:40 AM
Minor · in 7h 10m
3:50 PM–5:50 PMmoon overhead 4:50 PM
Major · in 11h 50m

Major windows ~2 hours; minor windows ~1 hour. Best when they overlap sunrise, sunset, or a tide change.

Barometric pressure→ steady

1016 hPa30.01 inHg+0.2 hPa over 6 h

Stable pressure. Fish what the tide and light tell you.

Red tide / HABnone

No K. brevis detectedFWC sample as of Sep 15

No bloom impact on the bite right now. Standard tactics apply.

Open FWC dashboard →

Intelligence Map

Markers pulse with the live score. Green means go, amber means window, red means hold.

Spot Board

Live scores for every Tampa Bay & Gulf Coast location. Tap any spot for the full read.

Pinellas County

Fort De Soto Park

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Best window around high tide Tue 4:48 AMFull read →

St. Petersburg

Skyway Fishing Pier

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Best window around high tide Tue 4:48 AMFull read →

Tampa / St. Pete

Gandy Bridge

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Best window around high tide Tue 4:48 AMFull read →

Pass-a-Grille / Tierra Verde

Pass-a-Grille Channel

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Best window around high tide Tue 4:48 AMFull read →

Species Outlook

What is worth targeting in Tampa Bay & Gulf Coast right now, scored against live conditions.

Best: Fort De Soto Park

Snook

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Rig: 3/0-4/0 live-bait hook or paddletail on a 1/4-1/2 oz headBait: Live mullet, pilchards, or low-light soft plastics

Harvest open on Florida's east coast right now; snook permit required if keeping fish.

Best: Fort De Soto Park

Redfish

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Rig: 1/8-1/4 oz jighead, weedless paddletail, or a light live-shrimp rigBait: Live shrimp, mullet chunks, or soft plastics in the seam

Indian River Lagoon redfish are catch-and-release only, so this is a confidence signal more than a cooler plan.

Best: Fort De Soto Park

Spotted Seatrout

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Rig: 1/8 oz jighead with a soft plastic paddletail or jerk shadBait: Live shrimp under popping cork, or soft plastics in natural colors

FWC: 15"-20" slot limit, 3 per harvester (northeast/south regions). Check your zone.

Best: Fort De Soto Park

Tarpon

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Rig: Heavy spinning with 60-80 lb fluorocarbon leader, 5/0-7/0 circle hookBait: Live mullet, crabs, or threadfin herring; fly anglers use tarpon toads and black death patterns

Tarpon over 75" require a $50 harvest tag (one per person per year). Most are catch-and-release only.

Best: Fort De Soto Park

Mangrove Snapper

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Rig: Light fluorocarbon leader, small circle or live-bait hook, minimal weightBait: Live shrimp, pilchards, or small pieces of cut bait. Chum helps.

FWC: 10" total length minimum, 5 per harvester. Open year-round in state waters.

Best: Skyway Fishing Pier

Spanish Mackerel

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Rig: Long-shank hook or wire leader with a fast-retrieve setupBait: Gotcha plugs, Clark spoons, or live pilchards and greenbacks under a float

FWC: 12" fork minimum, 15 per harvester. Open year-round.

Best: Gandy Bridge

Jack Crevalle

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Rig: Medium-heavy spinning with topwater plugs or fast-retrieve spoonsBait: Topwater poppers, spoons, or live mullet when jacks are blitzing bait

No minimum size, no bag limit in Florida recreational waters.

Best: Fort De Soto Park

Sheepshead

Major solunar window active — fish are primed to feed. This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.

Rig: Short dropper or jig fished tight to structureBait: Shrimp, fiddler crabs, or barnacles

FWC rule set: 12" minimum, 8 per person, open year-round; vessel limit 50 during March and April.

Bait Shops

Real hours, real phone numbers for Tampa Bay & Gulf Coast. Call ahead for live bait.

Skyway Pier Bait Shop (North)

Open 24/7 · 365 days a year

4905 34th St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33711

(727) 865-0668

Live shrimpFrozen baitRental rodsTackle

Open in Maps →

Skyway Pier Bait Shop (South)

Open 24/7 · 365 days a year

I-275 South Pier, Palmetto, FL 34221

(941) 729-0117

Live shrimpFrozen baitRental rodsTackle

Open in Maps →

Skyway Bait & Tackle

Daily 6 AM – 9 PM

4825 US-19 Alt, Palmetto, FL 34221

(941) 729-7592

Live baitFrozen baitKayak launchTackle

Open in Maps →

Rules & Sources

Trip-planning surface, not a legal substitute. Every rule links back to its source.

Port CanaveralJetty Park access rule

Port Canaveral rules say beach or shore fishing is prohibited in Jetty Park, but a license is not required from the pier.

Source →

FWCSnook window

FWC says east coast snook harvest is open Feb. 1-May 31 and Sept. 1-Dec. 14, with a permit required if you are taking snook.

Source →

FWCIndian River Lagoon redfish

FWC currently lists the Indian River Lagoon redfish region as catch-and-release only.

Source →

FWCPompano baseline

FWC recreational regulations list Florida pompano at 11" fork minimum, 6 per harvester, open year-round.

Source →

FWCShore-based shark permit

FWC requires the free shore-based shark fishing permit and course for shark targeting from shore, jetties, bridges, and piers.

Source →

Bite Atlas

Fort De Soto Park

Conditions

Live surf report

Today

Tonight

Wednesday

Marine intelligence

Prime bite hours today

Intelligence Map

Spot Board

Fort De Soto Park

Skyway Fishing Pier

Gandy Bridge

Pass-a-Grille Channel

Species Outlook

Snook

Redfish

Spotted Seatrout

Tarpon

Mangrove Snapper

Spanish Mackerel

Jack Crevalle

Sheepshead

Bait Shops

Skyway Pier Bait Shop (North)

Skyway Pier Bait Shop (South)

Skyway Bait & Tackle

Rules & Sources

Live Feed Stack