Tampa Bay is situated on Florida's beautiful west central coast. The bay is a large natural harbor and estuary connecting via deep water to the Gulf of Mexico. Tampa Bay is a brackish estuary and has existed for approximately 6,000 years, it was originally a large freshwater lake possibly fed by the Florida Aquifer through underground natural springs. It is thought that the lake became connected to the Gulf of Mexico following the last ice age when rising ocean levels and a large sink hole near the current mouth of the bay created the connection between the lake and the gulf.

There are many points to access Tampa Bay by boat ramp, lift or hoist. Many marinas and public access areas are available.

Tampa Bay is widely known for its rich fishery. Snook, Redfish, Trout and Tarpon frequent the bay and can be caught on a variety of both live and artificial baits.

NASA Satellite image of Tampa Bay