Tampa Bay

Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
16
Spent time there last week. Wow, what a beautiful area. I'd like to return to boat.<br /><br />Does anybody live there/boat there?<br /><br />Any advise about public boat ramps and/or things to watch out for?
 

phatmanmike

Captain
Joined
Oct 24, 2003
Messages
3,869
Re: Tampa Bay

i live there<br />i boat there<br />i swim there<br />i fish there<br />i eat there<br />i crap there<br />you should too!!!<br /><br />there is a reason florida has the fastest growing population in the u.s.a<br /><br />i live in tampa bay area. next time youre here, check out Ft.Desoto beach.<br />check out caladesi island off clearwater<br />check out honey moon islan, off clearwater<br />check out crystal river, about 1.5 hours north of tampa<br />check out rainbow river, about 2 hours north of tampa<br />check out weeki wachee river, about 1.5 hours north of tampa<br />check out egmont key, at the mouth of tampa bay in the gulf<br />check out crabby bills seafood restaraunt<br />check out anclote key, just off tarpon springs<br /><br />do a yahoo or google search on any of these, combine that with the 300 plus days of sunshine, then combine that with the fact we have NO state income tax, then combine that with the fact the it NEVER snows here and you dont have to drain your lower unit and fill it with ANTIFREEZE, then combine that with the fact that you can boat about 50 of the 52 weeks outa the year, then combine that with the fact that we are the sport fishing capitol of the WORLD and youll probably wanna move here too!!!<br /><br />im 30 years old and have lived here for 29 of them, lived in honolulu for the first year, been here since! ! ! ! !<br /><br />ps, i have 5 boats and i use every one of them! a heck of a lot more than you can use yours i bet ! ! ! ! ! ! !
 

Sea Six

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Nov 7, 2004
Messages
191
Re: Tampa Bay

Watch out for pirates, especially near Treasure Island. Also, a large concentration of hammerhead sharks!
 

waterbill

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 4, 2003
Messages
106
Re: Tampa Bay

Don't overlook the Sanibel/Captiva/Pine Island Sound area; we recently brought our 17-footer across the state to this area. Nature is thriving there. We saw dolphins, otters, osprey, trout, miles and miles of beautiful waterways and beaches. What a great trip that was, though the recent hurricane roughed things up a bit.
 

waterbill

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Apr 4, 2003
Messages
106
Re: Tampa Bay

I was talking about the beautiful waters of the Pine Island Sound area in my last post, but I forgot to warn you about the drawbacks we encountered. First let me warn you that the Sanibel Causeway toll is $6.00. If you're not staying at a hotel with a marina/ramp facility(only a couple exist), you'll have to use the municipal ramp. There is no launching charge, but it costs $2.00 per hour to park your rig there while you're out boating. I found this to be unpleasant. 'Tween Waters Inn, on Captiva Island (connected to Sanibel) has a so-so ramp and excellent docking facilities available to its guests. If you want to avoid the traffic and tolls of Sanibel altogether, go to the Punta Rassa boat ramp which is on the right side immediately before the Sanibel Causeway toll bridge. There is a $3.00 fee for using the ramp, and it is open 24 hours. I'm doing that next time. The ICW runs right through Pine Island Sound and takes you past Sanibel, Captiva, North Captiva, Cayo Costa Island and Cabbage Key, clean out to Boca Grande--a known tarpon fishing hot spot. Time does not allow me to elaborate, but it will be a worthwhile trip.
 

phatmanmike

Captain
Joined
Oct 24, 2003
Messages
3,869
Re: Tampa Bay

Watch out for pirates
ARRR, MATEY!!!!<br /><br /><br />pirates, eh?!?!?<br /><br />have you ever SEEN one?!?!?<br /><br /><br />oh yeah, john, if you ever wanna come back, email me ahead of time, and i will give you local numbers, names, links, hotels, whatever you need. i am proud of where i live and where i boat and will be glad to help out ion any way i can !!!
 
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
16
Re: Tampa Bay

Myoutboards:<br /><br />shall do, friend. I have family down in Englewood, so I'll be back soon.<br /><br />Real nice area.<br /><br />PS: Can you do yourself a favor; can you make your boat shipshape? Of course you can.
 

teamstromer

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
May 9, 2004
Messages
125
Re: Tampa Bay

hey john,<br />i watch your show every saturday morning. you provide some great boating information.<br />happy boating this season
 
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