Terra Ceia Bay: depth, boat ramps and water quality
Boat: 6 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Terra Ceia Bay at Highway 19 - ""Crab Trap"" Paddlecraft Access, 1 lane, sand.
The estuary
Terra Ceia Bay covers 3,515 acres in Florida, across Manatee County. It is an estuary: the deepest point measured is at least 15 feet (4.6 m). Our records hold 17 species for this water.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 15 ft (4.6 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. We hold 1,465 depth contours for this water, drawn from 27,702 soundings.
Water and conditions
Water clarity runs 3.3–8.9 feet on our readings, averaging 5.7 feet, from 143 readings. Water temperature averages 78°F across the year. The coldest single reading we hold is 56°F and the warmest is 92°F; the warmest monthly average is 88°F. pH averages 7.7. These readings span 2016–2025.
Monthly average water temperature: Jan 61°F · Feb 70°F · Mar 71°F · Apr 76°F · May 83°F · Jun 86°F · Jul 88°F · Aug 88°F · Sep 85°F · Oct 78°F · Nov 72°F · Dec 67°F
6 ramps and launches on this water
On this water we hold 1 boat ramp, 5 hand launches and 1 shore access point.
- Bradenton Yacht Club — Palmetto. 4307 Snead Island Road, Palmetto 34211 · website bradentonyachtclub.com
Car-top and kayak launches — no trailer
- Emerson Point Preserve - Canoe/Kayak Dock — hand launch. Palmetto, Manatee County. website mymanatee.org/departments/parks___natural_resources/parks__preserves___beaches/emerson_point_preserve
- Terra Ceia Bay at Highway 19 - ""Crab Trap"" Paddlecraft Access — hand launch, sand, parking for 6 trailers (firm unpaved), no fee, open around the clock, needs repair. Palmetto, Manatee County. 5611 US Highway 19, Palmetto 34221
- Terra Ceia Bay at Highway 19 Northbound - Paddlecraft Access — hand launch, sand, parking for 10 trailers (firm unpaved), no fee, open around the clock, needs repair. Terra Ceia, Manatee County. US 19, at Terra Ceia Bay 34250
- Terra Ceia Bay at Highway 19 Southbound - Paddlecraft Access — hand launch. Terra Ceia, Manatee County.
- Terra Ceia Preserve State Park - Frog Creek Kayak Access — hand launch, sand, parking for 4 cars, no fee, daylight hours. Terra Ceia, Florida Department of Environmental Protection. 77th Street East, Terra Ceia 34250 · website floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/terra-ceia-preserve-state-park
Shore access for bank fishing
- Terra Ceia Bay Highway 19 Access Point North (Paddle Craft Only) — open around the clock. Terra Ceia, Florida Department of Transportation. US 19, at Terra Ceia Bay 34250
3 of the 7 places listed have both a fee and opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.
What is hard here
Only 6 public ramps are on file, so the launch decides where you fish. Summer water sits at 88°F: heat and afternoon lightning are the real risks, not the fishing.
Where this data comes from
- NOAA Digital Coast — NOAA Digital Coast bathymetric lidar: class A, a survey of the bottom, 2021.
- NOAA BlueTopo: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- NOAA National Bathymetric Source (S-102 ed3.0.0) — NOAA S-102 bathymetric surfaces: contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- NOAA ENC — NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts: soundings: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- NOAA ENC — NOAA Electronic Navigational Charts: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- NOAA NOS Hydro — NOAA NOS hydrographic survey archive: class A, a survey of the bottom.
