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Region 08 of 09 / Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida / 30 ft
Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida fishing apparel
10 ft, the water
Fishing Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida
Southwest Florida is where a slam is genuinely on the table. Snook in the mangroves, reds on the bars, tarpon rolling off the beaches at Boca Grande. Mangrove fishing means you are casting into cover and brushing branches, so sleeves take abuse as well as sun.
30 ft, the tide table
Ports and species
| No. | Port | Marker |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Tampa | |
| 02 | St. Petersburg | |
| 03 | Sarasota | |
| 04 | Boca Grande | |
| 05 | Fort Myers | |
| 06 | Naples | |
| 07 | Chokoloskee | |
| 08 | Everglades City |
| No. | Species | Marker |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Snook | |
| 02 | Tarpon | |
| 03 | Redfish | |
| 04 | Speckled trout | |
| 05 | Permit |
20 ft, port guides
Port guides for Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida
Live tides and marine forecast, what is biting by month, seasons, ramps, bait shops, charters and events for each port.
The NOAA chart loads when you scroll here.
- FloridaCedar KeyCedar Key is a small island town of about 800 people at the end of State Road 24, surrounded by the shallow islands, oyster bars and grass of the Cedar Keys, with the mouth of the Suwannee River to the north.Open the guide
- FloridaYankeetownYankeetown sits at the mouth of the Withlacoochee River with its sister town Inglis, and nearly every trip starts with a run down the river channel to the Gulf.Open the guide
- FloridaCrystal RiverCrystal River sits at the head of a first magnitude spring system, Kings Bay, a few miles up from the Gulf, and the run out to open water winds through the Salt River, Crystal River and the St. Martins Marsh and Big Bend seagrass preserves.Open the guide
- FloridaHomosassaHomosassa is an old fishing village on the spring-fed Homosassa River, with the Halls River joining in town and the Chassahowitzka River just to the south, all draining onto the shallow grass, rock and oyster flats of St. Martins Marsh and the Big Bend seagrasses.Open the guide
- FloridaHudsonHudson is a Pasco County beach town on the open Gulf, where guides run out of Hudson Beach to mangrove shorelines, grass flats and small islands for redfish, snook and trout, with tarpon in summer and nearshore gag grouper and mackerel a short ride out.Open the guide
- FloridaTarpon SpringsTarpon Springs sits at the north end of Pinellas County where the Anclote River runs past the Sponge Docks into the Gulf, so the fishing is river mouth, Anclote Key, the Fred Howard Park flats and causeway, and a long run offshore toward the Middle Grounds for grouper.Open the guide
- FloridaDunedinDunedin faces St. Joseph Sound, with Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island between the town and the Gulf.Open the guide
- FloridaClearwaterClearwater fishes the open Gulf off Clearwater Beach and Sand Key, the passes and Intracoastal behind the barrier islands, and the trout and snook water around Honeymoon Island just north.Open the guide
- FloridaTampaTampa sits at the top of Tampa Bay, so most fishing here is inshore: mangrove shorelines and grass flats around Old Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Bay, the causeways and bridges, the Hillsborough River, and city piers at Ballast Point and Picnic Island.Open the guide
- FloridaSt. PetersburgSt. Pete sits between the mouth of Tampa Bay and the Gulf beaches, so you can fish grass flats and mangroves in Boca Ciega Bay and around Weedon Island in the morning and the Skyway bridge, Egmont Key and Bunces Pass in the afternoon.Open the guide
- FloridaMadeira BeachMadeira Beach is a John's Pass town: the pass between Madeira and Treasure Island is the working harbor for a big party boat and charter fleet, with Boca Ciega Bay on the inside and the Gulf beaches on the outside.Open the guide
- FloridaBradentonBradenton sits on the Manatee River where it meets lower Tampa Bay, with Anna Maria Island, Anna Maria Sound, Palma Sola Bay and Longboat Pass a short run west.Open the guide
- FloridaAnna Maria IslandAnna Maria Island is the barrier island at the mouth of Tampa Bay, with the Gulf beaches on one side, Anna Maria Sound and the lower bay flats on the other, Bean Point at the north tip and Longboat Pass at the south end.Open the guide
- FloridaSarasotaSarasota anglers work the shallow and deep grass flats of Sarasota Bay, the docks and bridges along the Intracoastal, and the tide-swept passes at New Pass and Longboat Pass.Open the guide
- FloridaSiesta KeySiesta Key is the barrier island just south of downtown Sarasota, bounded by Big Sarasota Pass on the north end, the Siesta Key and Stickney Point bridges over the Intracoastal, and Little Sarasota Bay to the south.Open the guide
- FloridaVenice, FloridaThis is Venice, Florida, on the Gulf in south Sarasota County, not Venice, Louisiana at the mouth of the Mississippi.Open the guide
- FloridaEnglewoodEnglewood fishes Lemon Bay, a narrow bay along the Intracoastal Waterway that opens to the Gulf at Stump Pass, plus the flats of Placida, Gasparilla Sound and the Cape Haze bar just south.Open the guide
- FloridaBoca GrandeBoca Grande sits on Gasparilla Island at the mouth of Charlotte Harbor, and the pass on its south end is one of the deepest natural passes in Florida, around 80 feet.Open the guide
- FloridaPunta GordaPunta Gorda sits where the Peace River empties into the head of Charlotte Harbor, so most of its fishing is brackish upper-harbor water: the US 41 and I-75 bridges, the Punta Gorda Isles canals, Alligator Creek and the mangrove keys and bars along the east shore.Open the guide
- FloridaPort CharlottePort Charlotte wraps the north shore of upper Charlotte Harbor between the mouths of the Peace and Myakka rivers, with miles of residential canals in between.Open the guide
- FloridaMatlacha and Pine IslandMatlacha is the fishing village on the road from Cape Coral to Pine Island, built right on Matlacha Pass, a mangrove backwater on the east side of Pine Island that runs up toward Bokeelia and Charlotte Harbor.Open the guide
- FloridaCape CoralCape Coral sits on the west bank of the lower Caloosahatchee River, with Matlacha Pass on its western edge and the east flats of Charlotte Harbor off its northwest corner.Open the guide
- FloridaSanibelSanibel anglers fish the Gulf beaches from Lighthouse Beach to Bowman's, the fast water of Blind Pass between Sanibel and Captiva, the mangrove creeks and flats of the Ding Darling refuge and Tarpon Bay, and the big estuary of Pine Island Sound behind the islands.Open the guide
- FloridaCaptiva IslandCaptiva is the skinny island north of Sanibel, with Blind Pass at its south end, Redfish Pass at its north end, Gulf beaches on the west side and Pine Island Sound on the east.Open the guide
- FloridaFort MyersFort Myers anglers fish the mouth of the Caloosahatchee, Matlacha Pass and the big estuary of Pine Island Sound, with its mangrove islands, oyster bars and deep channels.Open the guide
- FloridaFort Myers BeachFort Myers Beach is Estero Island, a Gulf-front barrier island with Matanzas Pass and its working harbor at the north end and Big Carlos Pass, Lovers Key and Estero Bay at the south end.Open the guide
- FloridaBonita SpringsBonita Springs fishes the south end of Estero Bay, the Imperial River, the passes and Gulf beaches from Lovers Key down to Bonita Beach and Little Hickory Island, and a run of wrecks and reefs offshore.Open the guide
- FloridaNaplesNaples fishes the Gulf beaches, bays and bridges, with snook on the flats, in the rivers, along the beach and under the bridges, and the Ten Thousand Islands backcountry a short run south.Open the guide
- FloridaMarco IslandMarco Island sits at the top of the Ten Thousand Islands, so where Naples is mostly beaches, Naples Bay and nearshore reefs, Marco anglers are a short run from Caxambas Park or Goodland into mangrove islands, oyster bars, deep pass holes and the northern rivers like the Pumpkin, Wood and East.Open the guide
- FloridaEverglades CityEverglades City and Chokoloskee are the gateway to the Ten Thousand Islands, a maze of mangrove islands, oyster bars, feeder creeks and rivers like the Barron, Turner, Lopez and Chatham that runs south into Everglades National Park.Open the guide
- FloridaChokoloskeeChokoloskee is a 137-acre island on the south side of Chokoloskee Bay, just across the bridge from Everglades City, and it is the jumping-off point for the southern half of the Ten Thousand Islands.Open the guide
- FloridaFlamingo (Everglades National Park)Flamingo is the end of the road inside Everglades National Park, with the park's only marina and two ramps: one straight into Florida Bay and one up the Buttonwood Canal to Whitewater Bay, the Wilderness Waterway and the backcountry.Open the guide
60 ft, the kit
What we would take to Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida
80 ft, asked and answered
Questions about Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida
Straight answers for Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida, from the people who make the gear.
What should I wear fishing in Southwest Florida?
A hooded UPF 50+ long sleeve, a hat and sun gloves. Sleeves that survive the mangroves and dry after a wade. Tarpon season means long days holding a rod in open sun, which is where a hood and a high collar stop being about looks.
When is the best time to fish Southwest Florida?
Tarpon peak from May into July. Snook fish year round with the best months either side of summer. Winter is the calm, clear, sight-fishing stretch.
What do people catch around Tampa?
Mostly snook, tarpon, redfish, speckled trout and permit, depending on the season and how far out you run.
90 ft, the journal
From this water
Tarpon season at Boca Grande, dressed for the fight
What to wear for tarpon season at Boca Grande and around Charlotte Harbor. Long fights, open sun and gear that has to move with you. August 13, 2026Read
Tarpon and snook
Where the southern Gulf fisheries run, from Boca Grande to the Keys, and why long fights change what you want to be wearing. August 13, 2026Read
100 ft, the seabed
Gear up for Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida
UPF 50+ fishing shirts, hats and gloves for the Gulf Coast. Free shipping over $100. Ships from Texas, usually within 1 to 2 business days.