- Access
- By boat
- Best months
- December to March
- Species
- Snook, Redfish (red drum), Tarpon, Jack crevalle, Black drum, Sheepshead
Whitaker Bayou is an urban tidal bayou that drains into Sarasota Bay along the downtown shore, and the water district lists it as a bay tributary. FWC says snook spend the winter in this kind of upper-estuary water, and its Tampa Bay angling guide lists canals, tidal creeks and other deep, warm water in the cool months. NOAA charts about 1 to 8 feet near the mouths of Whitaker and Hudson bayous. The city's six-lane Centennial Park ramp is just south of the Whitaker Bayou mouth.
How to fish it
Idle in and fish the seawalls and dock shade with slow lures on winter afternoons. On warm-season nights, fish the edges of dock lights.
Watch out for: Whitaker Bayou is a year-round slow-speed zone south of (downstream from) the 27th Street bridge. FWC says manatees look for warm water when it drops below about 68°F, so watch for them in cold weather. This is a residential waterway: respect private docks and keep casts off moored boats.
Rules here: FWC's Sarasota Bay region. The rules to check in Sarasota inshore waters