Every tide, the whole of Sarasota Bay breathes in and out through a handful of gaps in the barrier islands. Bait rides that current, and fish line up to eat it. If you only learn one kind of water around Sarasota, learn the passes.
The flow matters for the bay too. Sarasota Bay proper is the clearest part of the whole system, partly because of the strong tidal exchange through Longboat, New and Big Sarasota passes, and some of its large seagrass meadows sit on the shoals beside New Pass and north of Longboat Pass.
The passes, north to south
- Longboat Pass, between Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key, at the north end of Sarasota Bay proper.
- New Pass, between Longboat Key and Lido Key.
- Big Sarasota Pass, between Lido Key and Siesta Key, at the north end of Roberts Bay.
- Midnight Pass, between Siesta Key and Casey Key. It had been closed since 1983 until the 2024 hurricanes opened it again. Sarasota County surveys it every week, and in October 2026 the county approved planning for signs and channel markers, but none were in place yet. A young pass can shoal, shift or close, so go slowly and don't trust an old chart.
- Venice Inlet, between Casey Key and Venice, the southern end of the Sarasota Bay system. Its jetties are structure in their own right.
What moves through, and when
The passes fish all year, but the cast changes with the seasons. Our what's biting calendar has the month-by-month view; here's how it plays out at the passes:
- Snook, late spring to early fall. Snook spawn at river mouths and major inlets from about April or May through September or October, in the late afternoon and early evening, and the same schools come back to the same spots every year. The passes and the beaches beside them are where Sarasota's spawning snook gather. See our snook guide for the rest of their year.
- Tarpon, summer. Tarpon move along the beaches and through the passes in the warm months.
- Spanish mackerel and pompano, spring and fall. Both move with the water temperature. Spanish mackerel head south when the water drops below about 70°F, and pompano work the beaches, passes and sandbars, often in murky water.
- Redfish, late summer and fall. FWC says redfish spawn from about August into the fall in passes, inlets and the nearshore Gulf, where big adults gather in schools; its surveys have tracked those schools from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. Younger redfish stay inside the bay all year.
- Sheepshead, late winter and early spring. FWC says they gather over rocks, artificial reefs and channel markers to spawn, so the hard structure in and around the passes is the place to look.
Work the tide
The current is the engine. Snook in particular bite best on moving water, especially an outgoing tide, and FWC's researchers say days with four tides fish better than days with two, when the current is weak. They're ambush feeders that hold facing into the current, so put the bait upstream and let it wash down to them.
Tide times at the passes aren't the same as in the middle of the bay, so pick the station closest to where you're fishing. NOAA publishes predictions for:
- Longboat Key, inside Sarasota Bay
- Sarasota, Sarasota Bay
- Siesta Key, Big Sarasota Pass
- Nokomis, Venice Inlet
Some of these give only the times and heights of high and low tide. The current runs hardest between the turns and slacks off around them, so plan to be set up before the flow peaks.
Staying safe in a pass
The things that make a pass fish well also make it the most dangerous water around Sarasota.
- Current. A strong tide runs hard enough to push a small boat sideways or drag an anchor. Keep the engine ready, and don't anchor where a dragging anchor would put you on the rocks or the jetties.
- Wind against tide. When an onshore wind blows against an outgoing tide, the waves in the mouth of a pass stand up steep and close together. A pass that was flat on the incoming tide can turn ugly on the outgoing one.
- Traffic. The passes are the only way in and out for every boat in the bay. Keep a lookout, stay out of the middle of the channel when traffic is heavy, and slow down near anglers drifting nearby.
- Shoals and grass. The shoals beside the passes move, and many are covered in seagrass. FWC asks boaters to know their boat's draft, stay in marked channels, and stop and pole off if they run aground rather than powering across.
- Life jackets. In a kayak or small skiff in a running pass, wear one.
Before you go
There's no separate marine forecast for Sarasota Bay. The National Weather Service covers the bay and the Gulf out to 20 nautical miles in one coastal zone, GMZ853, and its forecast includes a line for "bay and inland waters." Check that, look at the conditions on our Sarasota page, and see our guide to the marine forecast for Sarasota and Venice. Then check FWC's rules for anything you plan to keep. Snook, redfish and trout have regional rules, and the line between the Sarasota Bay and Charlotte Harbor regions sits near the Venice Municipal Airport, a couple of miles south of Venice Inlet and about 0.4 mile north of the Venice Fishing Pier.