Upper Old Tampa Bay: Safety Harbor, Mobbly Bay and Double Branch

Upper-bay flats, mangrove creeks and bayous in Tampa Bay inshore waters

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InshoreUpdated October 11, 2026

Access
By boat or from shore
Best months
September to May
Species
Snook, Redfish (red drum), Spotted seatrout, Tarpon, Sheepshead, Black drum

The shallow head of Old Tampa Bay north of the Courtney Campbell Causeway: Safety Harbor, Mobbly Bay, and Double Branch Bay and creek. It's a backwater of mangrove shorelines, oyster bars and grass flats, far from the Gulf. Hillsborough County's 596-acre Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park has a canoe and kayak launch onto the creek and bay, which the county calls excellent for redfish and snook. Other launches are Oldsmar's Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve ramp and Mobbly Beach kayak launch, Pinellas County's Philippe Park ramp (1 lane) and the Courtney Campbell Causeway ramp (4 lanes). NOAA publishes tide predictions for Safety Harbor and Mobbly Bayou.

How to fish it

Paddle or pole the creek mouths, oyster bars and mangrove shorelines when the water is up for redfish and snook. In winter, FWC says snook use the creeks, canals and deeper water of the upper bay, so fish slowly with lures.

Watch out for: Very shallow water and oyster bars well away from the marked channels, and strong offshore winds can drop the water well below normal (NWS). Pinellas County has a seasonal slow-speed manatee zone around Safety Harbor. FWC reports a local seagrass decline in Old Tampa Bay, so don't run over the grass. FWC lists the Safety Harbor Municipal Marina ramp and paddle launch as temporarily closed for hurricane repairs.
Rules here: The Pinellas side is in the Pinellas County Aquatic Preserve. FWC's Tampa Bay rules apply to snook, redfish and trout, and both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties have manatee zones here. The rules to check in Tampa Bay inshore waters

Wind and waves

Now and the next 48 hours, at one of the marked positions of Upper Old Tampa Bay: Safety Harbor, Mobbly Bay and Double Branch (N28° 01.247' W082° 40.585')

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On the map

Upper Old Tampa Bay: Safety Harbor, Mobbly Bay and Double Branch and the places around it

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Positions

  • N28° 01.247' W082° 40.585'28.020780, -82.676420
  • N28° 00.643' W082° 38.869'28.010712, -82.647818

Not for navigation: check it against a current chart before you rely on it.

Places nearby

The closest named places, as the crow flies

Check the rules before you keep a fish. Size limits, bag limits and seasons change, sometimes at short notice. Our "Can you keep it today?" lists give them as of the day we last checked; these are the official pages.