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FISHING GUIDE · TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA
Tampa Bay (St. Petersburg, Skyway and Egmont Key) Fishing Guide
Tampa Bay mixes wide grass flats, mangrove shorelines, bridges, piers and deep shipping channels, so there is something to fish all year. Snook, redfish and trout are the main inshore targets, and tarpon run through the bay and along the beaches in late spring and summer. Spanish mackerel, kingfish and cobia move through in spring and fall, and grouper and snapper live on nearby reefs and structure.
📍 Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties. Towns: Tampa, St. Petersburg, Apollo Beach, Ruskin, Bradenton area. Landmarks: Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, Egmont Key, Fort De Soto Park, Weedon Island, Manatee River.
📅 Florida Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full Florida Gulf Coast map →
Quick facts
- Tampa Bay is Florida's largest open-water estuary, with nearly 400 square miles of water.
- Its watershed covers about 2,200 square miles, roughly five times the size of the bay.
- Skyway Fishing Pier State Park was made from the old Sunshine Skyway Bridge approaches and is open 24 hours a day.
- Egmont Key, at the mouth of the bay, is open sunrise to sunset; its bird sanctuaries and several beaches are closed year-round for nesting birds, and pets are not allowed.
- Tampa Bay has its own FWC management region for redfish, trout and snook.
What you can catch
- Snook
Grass flats, passes and mangroves; Gulf slot 28-33 inches. - Redfish
Flats and oyster bars; big schools on the flats in late summer. - Spotted seatrout
Grass flats; deeper grass in hot months. - Tarpon
Peak in May and June along the beaches and in the bay. - Sheepshead
Bridges, docks and pilings in winter; best in February. - Spanish mackerel
Spring and fall runs around the bay mouth. - Cobia
Arrive on nearshore flats and reefs in March-April. - Gag grouper
Nearshore reefs and structure; short Gulf season.
Month by month
| January | Sheepshead, black drum, reds and trout on docks and bridges. |
|---|---|
| February | Best sheepshead month; snook harvest closed until March 1. |
| March | Snook, reds and trout on the flats; cobia and kingfish arrive. |
| April | Very good variety; Spanish mackerel and tarpon improve. |
| May | Peak tarpon; snook harvest closes May 1. |
| June | Tarpon continue; early mornings best on the flats. |
| July | Fish early; mangrove snapper on structure. |
| August | Big redfish schools on the flats; snook harvest closed until Sept 1. |
| September | Snook harvest opens Sept 1; mixed bag on the flats. |
| October | Kingfish and Spanish mackerel fall run. |
| November | Reds reliable, bigger trout; snook open through Nov 30. |
| December | Snook harvest closed Dec 1; sheepshead and drum on structure. |
Tips
- Follow posted manatee speed zones; FWC, USFWS and Hillsborough County zones are found around Port Manatee, Old Tampa Bay, eastern Tampa Bay, Weedon Island and the Manatee River.
- Combustion motors are not allowed in posted exclusion zones on the east side of Honeymoon Island and Caladesi Island state parks.
- Stay out of posted security zones (MacDill Air Force Base, Port Tampa, power plants).
- At Egmont Key, stay out of closed and staked bird and turtle nesting areas; leave pets at home.
- Do not fish for tarpon from bridges or piers if you cannot land a big fish without lifting it from the water.
Rules and license
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) · Official rules page ↗
- A Florida saltwater fishing license is required, plus a snook permit to keep snook.
- FWC's Tampa Bay region runs from Fred Howard Park south to State Road 64 in Manatee County, including the Manatee and Braden rivers.
- Redfish (Tampa Bay region): 18-27 inch slot, 1 per person, 2 per vessel, open year-round.
- Spotted seatrout (Tampa Bay region): 15-19 inch slot, 3 per person per day, one over 19 inches allowed per vessel, open year-round.
- Snook (Tampa Bay region): 28-33 inch slot, 1 per person per day; closed Dec 1 - end of Feb and May 1 - Aug 31.
- Tarpon are catch-and-release only; fish over 40 inches must stay in the water unless you hold a tarpon tag.
- Gag grouper (Gulf state waters): the 2026 season was Sept 1-30; check FWC for future dates.
- Egmont Key: open sunrise to sunset, no pets, bird sanctuaries closed year-round.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 79 boat ramps and 27 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Bay Pines Marina
- Bayboro Harbor
- Boat ramp near Bayboro Harbor
- Boat ramp near Big Bayou
- Boat ramp near Bimini Bay
- Boat ramp near Boat Bayou
- Boat ramp near Boca Ciega Bay
- Boat ramp near Champlain Bayou
- Boat ramp near Clearwater Harbor
- Boat ramp near Cooper Bayou
- Boat ramp near Cross Bayou
- Boat ramp near Emerson Bayou
- Boat ramp near Largo Inlet
- Boat ramp near Long Bayou
- Boat ramp near McPherson Bayou
- Boat ramp near Mill Bayou
- Boat ramp near Pelican Cove
- Boat ramp near Riviera Bay
- Boat ramp near Safety Harbor
- Boat ramp near South Stop
- Boat ramp near St Petersburg Central Yacht Basin
- Bradenton Yacht Club
- Clearwater Beach Public Boat Ramp
- Coquina Beach South Boat Ramp
- Davis Islands Yacht Club
- Gulfport Municipal Marina
- Harbor Marina
- Harborage Marina
- Hubbards Marina
- Kingfish Boat Ramp
- Lighthouse Point Marina
- Little Harbor Marina
- Loggerhead Marina Saint Pete
- Marjorie Park Marina
- Maximo Marina - Saint Petersburg/Tampa
- Municipal Marina
- Non Moterized Boat launch area
- Non Moterized boat launc area
- O'Neil's Marina
- Piper's Marine
- Pointe Marina
- Regatta Pointe Marina
- Safety Harbor Marina
- Snell Isle Marina
- St Petersburg Sailing Center
Sources
- https://gis.myfwc.com/boating_guides/tampa_bay/pages/natural_resources.html
- https://gis.myfwc.com/boating_guides/tampa_bay/pages/marine_zones.html
- https://www.fws.gov/refuge/egmont-key/visit-us/rules-policies
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyway_Fishing_Pier_State_Park
- https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/red-drum/
- https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/spotted-seatrout/
- https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/snook/
- https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/tarpon/
- https://myfwc.com/news/all-news/gag-grouper-0826/
- https://www.reelcoquinafishing.com/blogs/florida-fishing-blog/st-pete-fishing-calendar
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.