Stuart Tides Plunge to -0.6 Feet Saturday for Prime Fishing

The St. Lucie River mouth off the Stuart waterfront will expose its sandy bottom nearly a foot below mean lower low water Saturday afternoon, giving anglers and kayakers one of the more dramatic low-tide windows of the season.

NOAA CO-OPS tidal predictions for Stuart show four tide cycles Saturday, April 18:

LOW — 3:14 a.m. | -0.2 ft HIGH — 9:10 a.m. | 2.9 ft LOW — 3:18 p.m. | -0.6 ft HIGH — 9:51 p.m. | 3.6 ft

The day's deepest swing comes in the afternoon. That 3:18 p.m. low of -0.6 feet will push water off the flats south of the Roosevelt Bridge, concentrating snook, redfish and sheepshead in the deeper cuts of the river channel — exactly where a patient angler with a live shrimp wants to be. The incoming flood tide that follows, building toward a 3.6-foot high just before 10 p.m., will push baitfish back onto the grass flats and trigger another feeding window near sunset.

For boaters navigating the shallower bars in the South Fork, the 3:18 p.m. low is a caution point. Crossing those areas between 2 and 5 p.m. risks grounding until the flood reasserts. Plan to be in or out before 2 p.m., or wait until after 5.

The morning high at 9:10 a.m. crests at 2.9 feet — more modest than the evening peak, but enough for paddleboarders and kayakers launching from River Cove Marine Park to move easily through the mangrove tunnels along Willoughby Creek while the water is full.

All predictions are issued by NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services and represent astronomical tide only. Wind, atmospheric pressure and storm surge can alter actual water levels, forecasters note. Do not base planning around these numbers if a small craft advisory or coastal flood advisory is in effect.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.