| Bunce's Pass Tides & Best Times for 2010 (West Central Florida) |
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| Written by Richard Martin |
| Tuesday, 19 January 2010 00:00 |
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May 5th - May 11th
Gulfport Tide, May 5th - May 11th, 2010
5/05
5/06
5/07
5/08
5/09
5/10
5/11
 May 5th (Wednesday): If you plan on going out this evening, plan on arriving late. The tide will still be above average at sunset and won't drop below average until nearly 22:00. Once the tide drops, you can get about five hours of shrimping in until it dies off. Water levels will not drop below sea level at all during the evening. All in all, expect mediocre conditions that, while better than nothing, offer little prime time shrimping.  May 6th (Thursday): Another late night, this evening falls during a weak outgoing tide. So, even though it will technically be possible to shrimp the outgoing tide if you head out around 23:00, the tide will not be anywhere close to optimum and will only be about a foot below average water levels between 23:00 and 06:00. Most shrimpers will avoid this evening because the odds are just not with them but, if the shrimp bite is on, this evening could very well prove to be a small gem.  May 7th (Friday): This evening is a relative wash. The tide will be coming in around sunset and will not turn around and drop to below-average tide levels until after midnight. There may be a small window of about two hours or so in the early morning to get in some light shrimping but the low tide will be nowhere near fantastic.  May 8th (Saturday): Tonight is a good night to stay home and tell your friends about shrimping. If you have friends who shrimp with you, now is the time to make bets on whose annual catch will be bigger. Tonight is definitely not a night to go shrimping. Low tide will not even begin until nearly 01:00 and even then it will not be very low.  May 9th (Sunday): Tonight is the last night of the no-shrimping evenings for this tidal period. The tide will mostly be coming in for the evening and it will be above average for all but an hour or so or usable time. Stay home and get your gear ready because the next week is going to be good!  May 10th (Monday): We are now entering what has historically been the best week of shrimping each year. The New Moon has entered the game once again and the tides are lining up for the shrimp's big run out to the Gulf. Small groups of shrimp have been making runs before this point in time but this week is when their instinctual drive and the large swell of water pushed by the New Moon drives the the Gulf. Outgoing tides will be strong and long, flushing most of them out in packs. Your job is to get to them before they head out. Tonight you can get about two hours of shoreline shrimping done as the tide will be below average for a small period of time after sunset. Pack it up and head home afterward. You'll need your rest for the next few days.  May 11th (Tuesday): The early evening cycle has begun. Get out to the water early and be waiting in the flats when the sun sets. The tide will be below average until about 23:00 and you want to maximize the time you have on the flats. Three or so hours is a good enough time to catch several hundred shrimp if you are fast during this time of year.
May 12th - May 18th
Gulfport Tide, May 12th - May 18th, 2010
5/12
5/13
5/14
5/15
5/16
5/17
5/18
 May 12th (Wednesday): The early evening will provide about four hours of shrimping time tonight starting around sunset if you play your cards right. Get out early and wait for the sun to set while you are on the flats in order to maximize your time. Remember, this week is historically the big week for the shrimp migration, make it count!  May 13th (Thursday): Sun sets at the bottom of low tide tonight, about a half foot below sea level. The grass will be sticking up out of the water when you arrive and will give you an opportunity to pick them up right off the top of the grass blades. Don't forget to set your bucket depth to low or you will end up spilling them all over the flats for other shrimpers to score. You should enjoy good shrimping until abut 01:00. Work channel edges in the first half until the water comes in enough for you to work some of the shallower areas.  May 14th (Friday): Tonight is going to be one of the most popular and busiest shrimping nights around the Tampa Bay area. Do not be surprised to see 50 people scattered across the extent of a large flat. It is both a perfect New Moon, a Friday and the peak of the shrimp run. THis means you will have plenty of opportunity to catch shrimp and plenty of folks around you to share your catch with. Low tide will be at about 21:00 with a half a foot less water than sea level. You should be able to shrimp until about 02:00. Bring ice and ziploc baggies.  May 15th (Saturday): This weekend is quite possibly the most expectant weekend for catching shrimp. If yesterday was the best in the season, today is going to be the second best. The New Moon is still in effect and lots of folks will want to go shrimping. Be courteous, follow shrimping etiquette and enjoy the below average water level window between sunset and about 03:00.  May 16th (Sunday): Tonight is a special evening reserved for those of us who don't have to work in the morning. The tidal window reflects a strong outgoing tide and a slow incoming tide. You should see shrimp moving across the surface of the water and have plenty of time up to about 04:00 within to shrimp. The benefit (if you see if that way) is less people because tomorrow is a weekday. Happy Shrimping!  May 17th (Monday): The New Moon is departing but tonight might be a good time to catch the last of it. It may be a Monday but the tide sure looks like a Friday to us! The tide will be below-average at sunset and will fall to about a quarter foot below sea level near 23:30. It will not come back to normal levels until nearly 05:00. Enjoy one of the best shrimping times of the year!  May 18th (Tuesday): Tonight is another good shrimping night where the tide will remain below average all evening from sunset until about 05:30. There will be a small three hour window between 22:15 and 01:15 where it will be below sea-level and the full body of the evening will be prime shrimping time. It falls in the middle of the week for most people and this will deter many from shrimping but if you are dedicated enough, you will make time to go out during the peak of the year.
May 19th - May 25th
Gulfport Tide, May 19th - May 25th, 2010
5/19
5/20
5/21
5/22
5/23
5/24
5/25
 May 19th (Wednesday): Tonight marks the beginning of the late evening period of the tide cycle. The tide will be below average starting about an hour after dark tonight and will bottom out below sea level for about two hours. You will be able to shrimp until about 05:00 but realistically expect to come in around 03:00 as the shrimp will become less active and move to deeper waters.  May 20th (Thursday): Shrimping will not be possible until about 22:00 this evening. You should be able to enjoy some time on the water after this but you will not experience the super-low tides of the previous weekend. Still, anything below average is good enough for shrimping so have at it if you have the time.  May 21st (Friday): The peak of today's high tide will occurs about a half an hour before sunset making shrimping unlikely until about 23:00. The low tide tonight will not be spectacular but it might give the brave (or bored) soul a small window between 23:00 and 03:00 to catch a meal.  May 22nd (Saturday): The period of bad tides is upon us once again. No one will be catching anything tonight. Make sure you clean up, maintain and spray paint your equipment in preparation for the week ahead.  May 23rd (Sunday): Once again, another bad tidal evening. Take the day off to stock up on needed equipment and supplies for the next week and plan your trips with fellow shrimpers. If you need a ride, check out our forum to see who might be able to meet up with you and head out.  May 24th (Monday): If you are in the mood to do a little shoreline shrimping with the kids, you might be able to get out before sunset an walk the beach to pick up some of the stragglers. The tide will be below average for a short period of time immediately after sunset but this window will quickly disappear around 22:00  May 25th (Tuesday): The Full Moon has brought us an early evening shrimping. Expect to get out on the water before sunset and head back in around midnight. Water levels will vary between sea level and average during this period. It is a quick evening but it is also easily possible to catch a few weeks supply.
May 26th - June 1st
Gulfport Tide, May 26th - June 1st, 2010
5/26
5/27
5/28
5/29
5/30
5/31
6/1
 May 26th (Wednesday): We are entering the pronounced tidal period of good shrimping once again. Sunset will find water levels below sea level and the grass blades should be visible above the water line. Start working the deeper water and walk your way in toward the shallow grass flats as the tide rises. Make sure you make your way back to shore around 12:00 because the water will be above average around 12:30.  May 27th (Thursday): The bottom of low tide, the rise of the full moon and sunset will all occur within five minutes of each other this evening. The water level will be at about a half foot below sea level and the slowly incoming tide should provide about six hours of unfettered shrimping to all interested parties.  May 28th (Friday): Hooray! Another Friday with near-perfect shrimping conditions. The full moon is out tonight and will rise at the bottom of low tide at 21:21. You can get out about an hour before this and enjoy a West Coast sunset on the water while you jump the gun. Shrimping should be possible until about 02:00 when the tide recovers to average levels. Don't forget that tonight is a Friday night and there will most likely be a lot of people out there. This is still the height of shrimping season. There are plenty t go around (they are refreshed every day) so have a good time!  May 29th (Saturday): Assuming the weather is solid, tonight should be a perfect evening for shrimping. The Full Moon is leaving us but it should still be visible for most of the evening. The tide will be going out at sunset with water levels already below sea level. Expect to be able to shrimp your hearts' desire until about 03:00 - plenty of time to catch a bag full.  May 30th (Sunday): The good news is that tomorrow is a holiday so you can shrimp all evening and still wake up n time to enjoy hot dogs and grilling out! Tonight is another opportune tide cycle that will provide you with plenty of time to shrimp below-average water levels for the extent of the evening. The tide will be on its way out to below sea-level marks at sunset and will not return to average until about 03:15.  May 31st (Monday): Happy Memorial Day everyone! Once again we see a nearly perfect bell curve for shrimpers out there. Sunset will occur during the outgoing tide with a two hour window where it will be beneath sea-level. Expect to shrimp until about 03:00 if you dare. Please make sure you report your catch back to the forum so we can assess the state of the shrimp run. June 1st (Tuesday): Tonight will not be much different than last night except there will be no period of below sea-level tidal conditions. Expect below average levels that will provide the adventurous shrimper with and entire evening of workweek shrimping.
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| Last Updated on Monday, 22 February 2010 15:35 |
