Snook and redfish bite heats up in Sarasota Bay

What's biting

What's next

Tides at the Tampa Bay entrance (CO-OPS 8726520) peak near 7:00 a.m. with the next low around 4:24 p.m.; further south at Clearwater Beach (CO-OPS 8726724), high tide falls near 4:47 a.m. and low near 1:59 p.m. Under the First Quarter moon, tidal swings are moderate rather than extreme, which favors working docks and bridge shadows on the push rather than chasing max current.

Grassett's forecast points to snook continuing their seasonal shift away from beaches and passes toward the ICW over the next several weeks, staging tighter around structure as they prepare for cooler-water months — anglers working live shrimp or pilchards around docks should see that pattern build through late September. Kurtz's active snook, redfish, and trout bite in Sarasota Bay looks likely to hold as long as water temps stay in the mid-80s, with the best windows lining up around the morning high tides noted above.

Expect the redfish bite Cress described on popping corks and live shrimp to keep producing on rising water heading into the weekend.

Context

This lines up with a normal early-fall pattern for Tampa Bay and Sarasota: water still holds summer warmth, snook season is open again after the seasonal closure (check current FWC regulations before harvesting), and fish are just beginning the transition from open passes and beaches toward backwater docks, bridges, and grass flats they'll use through the cooler months. Redfish and spotted seatrout activity inshore is typical for this stretch of September, and nothing in this week's reports suggests conditions are running ahead of or behind the usual seasonal clock.