Anchoring inTerra Ceia Bay
- Thread starter Roy
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Terra Ceia is usually quiet with mostly just small fishing boats almost year round. You can anchor all around Bird Key but be careful of extreme low tides this time of year (occuring during the day right now). I was able to motor all the way around Bird Key, finding about 5' of water in all areas but if I recall the WNW side is exposed to any traffic in the channel.
It's a nice place for solitude. Depending on the wind, I sometimes anchor close to the north east shore just before the flats in that area.
Just go slow and poke around until you find a nice spot that works for you. It's all sandy bottom in that area.
It's a nice place for solitude. Depending on the wind, I sometimes anchor close to the north east shore just before the flats in that area.
Just go slow and poke around until you find a nice spot that works for you. It's all sandy bottom in that area.
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There is a marina on the extreme SSW end of the bay. I've never seen boats coming or going from there leave the channel to explore the bay, they tend to just go straight into Tampa Bay.
When entering, be sure to start your approach to the channel from the white marker light. The channel is plenty deep, but it gets skinny at the entrance. Once you make the last turn into the bay it's wide open. I run the channel on plane all the time if there are no other boats in/near the it. I WOULD NOT recommend this for your first time in though.
Like tcijoe said, leave your anchor light on. If you're concerned, leave some other lights on, but it's not necessary. I would be shocked if you saw another boat above 15' in there. (unless it's me!)
A good alternative if you won't be able to sleep is to anchor just inside the Manatee River. I anchor here about 80% of the time.
When entering, be sure to start your approach to the channel from the white marker light. The channel is plenty deep, but it gets skinny at the entrance. Once you make the last turn into the bay it's wide open. I run the channel on plane all the time if there are no other boats in/near the it. I WOULD NOT recommend this for your first time in though.
Like tcijoe said, leave your anchor light on. If you're concerned, leave some other lights on, but it's not necessary. I would be shocked if you saw another boat above 15' in there. (unless it's me!)
A good alternative if you won't be able to sleep is to anchor just inside the Manatee River. I anchor here about 80% of the time.
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A lot of people anchor on the east side of De Soto Point on the Manatee.
I used to take my boat to Marsh Harbor Marina for service, just next to the bridge you go under to get to the Manatee river. I ventured into Terra Ceia Bay a few times and explored it, it was fairly shallow in many areas depending on the tide, eventually I always ended up going to the marina from the Manatee River side, as it always felt safer and deeper than the direct channel from Terra Ceia to Tampa Bay. Maybe just because I never knew the area well.
There's a single red marker on the Terra Ceia side marking the entrance to the channel that connects it to the Manatee River, and I remember getting on the wrong side of it... I believe I was assuming that I was "returning" to the main river but I had the logic inverted?... Something like that, the owner of Marsh Harbor told me it happens to a lot of people there... Anyway I got into the shallows but didn't have any big problems.
I used to take my boat to Marsh Harbor Marina for service, just next to the bridge you go under to get to the Manatee river. I ventured into Terra Ceia Bay a few times and explored it, it was fairly shallow in many areas depending on the tide, eventually I always ended up going to the marina from the Manatee River side, as it always felt safer and deeper than the direct channel from Terra Ceia to Tampa Bay. Maybe just because I never knew the area well.
There's a single red marker on the Terra Ceia side marking the entrance to the channel that connects it to the Manatee River, and I remember getting on the wrong side of it... I believe I was assuming that I was "returning" to the main river but I had the logic inverted?... Something like that, the owner of Marsh Harbor told me it happens to a lot of people there... Anyway I got into the shallows but didn't have any big problems.
I like to anchor on the NW side of Bird Key. I've never been there at night but there's no marked channel back there and I never see anybody tearing through there in the day.
It IS kind of shallow but it very calm and peaceful. It is my favorite place in the area to just hang out. I occasionally drop a line in the water but never had much luck fishing there. I usually enter through the cut from the Manatee River. There's a houseboat restaurant in the pass but I've never eaten there. Anybody have any opinions on it?
TCIJOE - Where's flounder pass in relation to Bird Key? Is that the pass into Miguel Bay?
It IS kind of shallow but it very calm and peaceful. It is my favorite place in the area to just hang out. I occasionally drop a line in the water but never had much luck fishing there. I usually enter through the cut from the Manatee River. There's a houseboat restaurant in the pass but I've never eaten there. Anybody have any opinions on it?
TCIJOE - Where's flounder pass in relation to Bird Key? Is that the pass into Miguel Bay?
Thanks again for all the comments. In studying the charts, I see a charted 7 foot depth on the NE side of Bird Key. I'm guessing this is where Skeetobite mentioned. Looks like a good possibility. And thanks for the comments about Flounder Pass. We like to go dinghying and that looks like a good spot.
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You got it. Although you can idle all the way around Bird Key, the water gets real skinny in the southwest side.