Mobbly Bayou (Oldsmar)
North coast launch
Mobbly Bayou (Oldsmar) is a north-coast kayak and paddleboard launch, free to park.
One of the bay's best-kept secrets. A no-wake bayou tucked into the northeast corner of Old Tampa Bay, surrounded by mangrove preserves and almost no boat traffic. The water is dark and still, perfect for the kind of paddle where you stop hearing the highway and start hearing birds. Wading birds work the mangrove edges all year (herons, egrets, ibis), otters sometimes pop up to look at you, and bobcat tracks appear on the muddy shoreline now and then. In winter, manatees push deep into the bayou for the warmer enclosed water. The light here in early morning is gorgeous. Long gold light across dark water, with the mangrove trees mirrored perfectly when there's no wind.
Where do I park, and is it free?
- Cost
- Free
- Parking
- Moderate
Free Oldsmar park, open roughly 6am to 8pm, with a small lot. Calm, sheltered bayou water that is great for a first paddle. No vending machines, so bring your own water.
How clear is the water?
Tannic mangrove water: brown like tea, perfectly healthy, just not see-through. Come for the quiet and the wildlife
What will I see?
- Wading birds, otters, the occasional bobcat track on shore
- Manatees come deep into the bayou in winter
What's the fishing like?
Snook and redfish in the sheltered bayou, trout on the nearby flats. Quiet nursery water, easy on the fish.
How do I share the water here?
This is a no-wake bayou ringed by mangrove preserves with almost no boat traffic, and that quiet is the whole point, so keep your paddle calm along the mangrove edges where the wading birds are working. Manatees push deep into the bayou in winter, so if you see one back off and let it move on its own rather than following it in.