Manatee River

The Manatee River is a 36-mile river in Manatee County, Florida. It forms where the East Fork and North Fork meet in the northeastern part of the county, flows west, and enters the Gulf of Mexico at the southern edge of Tampa Bay. Its watershed covers about 360 square miles. Lake Manatee lies about halfway along the river. It is a 1,174-acre reservoir built in 1967 and is Manatee County's main water supply. Below the dam the river is an estuary, and Bradenton sits on its banks. The Braden River is its main tributary. The Manatee River Estuary covers 5,766 acres and is listed as an Outstanding Florida Water.

Manatee County runs most of the public access, including Fort Hamer Public Boat Ramp near Parrish, Highland Shores Public Boat Ramp, Warner's Bayou Public Boat Ramp and Kayak Launch, Rye Preserve, Tom Bennett Park and Emerson Point Preserve. The City of Palmetto runs Riverside Park Public Boat Ramp. The Upper Manatee River State Canoe Trail is a 5-mile blueway that runs from Gamble Creek to the Lake Manatee Dam. East of Fort Hamer the current usually runs under 2 mph and changes with the tide and with water released from the dam. A warning siren means a dam gate is opening or closing. Boats must stay at least 300 yards from the dam, and a no-entry cable line crosses the river below the spillway. West of Fort Hamer the river widens to almost a mile. State manatee protection zones set slow-speed and 25 mph zones on the river.

The estuary is widely used for commercial fishing. Freshwater fish in the river include bass, bluegill, catfish and gar, and bull sharks sometimes appear in the brackish water near the mouth.