Lake Manatee
Fishing and stocking
Channel catfish and hybrid striped bass water, stocked through the 2024-25 season program; 78,627 fish in the published allocation. One of 3 stocked waters on the Manatee County record.
Manatee County · Florida · see it on the national map
Water temp 75 °F at MANATEE RIVER AT RYE FL, 4 km away USGS site 023000095 · read 8:15 pm this evening
What swims here
Channel catfish
Hybrid striped bass (wiper)
Season program record
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission publishes this water by season or program window, not by dated schedule, so there are no truck dates to list; the rows below are the published program allocations. The Florida season shape statewide: year round, reported by fiscal year.
Agency feed checked today.
| Season | Species | Size | Fish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 season | Channel catfish | 50,627 | |
| 2024-25 season | Hybrid striped bass (wiper) | 28,000 |
When to fish Lake Manatee
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:07 am-12:07 pm and 10:30 pm-12:30 am | 4:24-5:24 am and 4:43-5:43 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:53 am-12:53 pm | 5:24-6:24 am and 5:16-6:16 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Stocked through the 2024-25 season program
- Water 75 °F at a gauge 4 km away
Computed this evening, Oct 23
Gear for this water
For the catfish (channel catfish on the season program here)
| Circle hooks on a slip-sinker rig | 2/0 to 5/0 circles on a Carolina rig; let them load up |
| Cut bait and prepared baits | fresh cut shad or chicken liver; scent is everything |
| Rod holders | catfishing is a waiting game; fish two rods where legal |
For the striped bass and hybrids (hybrid striped bass (wiper) on the season program here)
| Flutter spoons and swimbaits | match the shad; count down to suspended fish |
| Live or cut shad | the reservoir standard where legal |
| Topwater walkers | early mornings when they push bait to the surface |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Bennet Park Lake | 9.5 mi | 2024-25 season |
| Natahan Benderson Lake | 11 mi | 2024-25 season |
| Conservatory Park Lake | 12 mi | 2024-25 season |
| Twin Lakes Park Lakes | 16 mi | 2024-25 season |
| Southshore Sportsplex Pond | 19 mi | 2024-25 season |