Sarasota Coast
Sarasota Beach Cam
Live Gulf-front camera on the Sarasota barrier coast at Peppertree Bay.
Beach Cam · Peppertree Bay · Sarasota
Right now at Sarasota
- Air temp
- 68°F
- Wind
- N 5 mph
- Sky
- clear
- Next tide
- High 10:18 PM
Today runs 66–81°F with a 0% chance of rain. Sunset is at 5:42 PM.
Conditions from Open-Meteo and NOAA, refreshed through the day. The camera itself is a live feed from its operator.
Which fish look best today at Sarasota
The same day scores differently for each fish: water temperature, wind, tide and seas count differently for a snook than for a sheepshead. Today’s read for Sarasota, species by species.
Best bet: Snook.
- Snook89Prime
79°F water is right in the snook range.
Tide: 2.1 ft range · 2 in daylight
- Redfish87Prime
79°F water is right in the redfish range.
Tide: 2.1 ft range · 2 in daylight
Where to look
Oyster bars, grass flats and mangrove shorelines; they push shallow on a rising tide.
Best redfish spots today → - Spotted seatrout86Prime
79°F water is a little warm for trout; the bite starts to ease. Still warming, which pushes it further past the range.
Wind: 5 mph N, gusts 17
Where to look
Grass flats and pothole edges; deeper holes and canals when it's cold.
Best trout spots today → - Tarpon73Good
79°F water is right in the tarpon range.
Tide: 2.1 ft range · 2 in daylight
Better Mon: 91
- Spanish mackerel73Good
79°F water is right in the Spanish mackerel range.
Wind: 5 mph N, gusts 17
Better Wed: 93
Where to look
Open runs along beaches and passes, on clean, moving water.
Best Spanish mackerel spots today → - Sheepshead70Good
79°F water is warm for sheepshead. Fish early, late and where current moves. Still warming, which pushes it further past the range.
Wind: 5 mph N, gusts 17
Where to look
Pilings, docks, oyster bars and rock — anything that grows barnacles.
Best sheepshead spots today →
Scores conditions for each fish, not where they are or when a run starts. Water temperature is today’s reading applied to the whole week, so a cold front further out won’t show here until the water follows. Temperature ranges are rules of thumb for Florida inshore water; the snook range is from published research.
About Sarasota
This stretch of Sarasota's barrier coast sits south of Siesta Key's main public beach, where the shoreline is quieter and fronted by low condos rather than beach bars. The water here shallows gradually and stays clear on an east wind, which is why it fishes well for snook and trout right off the sand at first light. Sarasota Bay lies immediately behind, so conditions on the Gulf side and the bay side can differ sharply on the same morning.
What this camera is good for
- Gulf-side surf and water color
- Whether the sea breeze has kicked in yet
- Sunset conditions
- Comparing the Gulf against the bay before picking a side
Full conditions for Sarasota
Common questions
- Is the Sarasota camera live?
- Yes, it is a live stream running 24 hours a day. If it looks dark, it is night at the camera.
- Does it cost anything to watch?
- No. Salty Forecast is completely free — no ads, no account, no paid tier, and nothing on this page is behind a sign-up.
- What are the tides at Sarasota today?
- Today's high and low tide times for Sarasota are on the tide chart page, drawn from the NOAA station at Sarasota, Sarasota Bay. Tide state changes what the beach looks like on camera — at low water the beach is at its widest.
- Why does the camera look hazy or dark?
- Live cameras sit outdoors: rain on the lens, salt spray, fog and low light all affect the picture. Night views are lit only by whatever is nearby. If the feed is down entirely, that is the operator's camera rather than this page — the conditions above still update.