Thread: TAMPA AREA

Don't know anything about that area..... By welcome to CdC.

Ft Desoto a Pinellas county park. Has 2 piers. One on bay side and 1 on gulf side. Skyway bridge, a state park per say and is the old bridge over the bay. Thats 2 I know of from camping trips over there. Good fishing is plentiful over there, good luck to ya and post pics of your adventures.

Highway 60 between Tampa and Clearwater you can surf and bank fish (rocky). Also on the Gandy Blvd bridge I think. The old Skyway bridge is better. I think the silver trout(?) run this time of year at the skyway. A guy told me and my buddy to use the rig with 4 or 5 hooks on it and the sinker on the bottom(I don't remember what it's called), put a piece of shrimp on each hook, lower it to the bottom and then wind it up a little... fish between the tides. It worked so I hope this helps. WELCOME!

Thank you all....

Hwy 60 is known as Courtney Campbell Causeway. The Skyway fishing pier north or south is good. South probably the best. You can drive out on the pier and fish next to your car. Not free. Simmons Park in Ruskin is another good place. Don't know how you crab. We used to use a string with a mullet head or chicken neck for bait. Pull string slowly after it tightens when crab is close enough dip them with crabnet. From pier you would need a crab trap. Skyway pier tide flow can be very swift.

https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Skyway
Hillsborough County - E.G. Simmons Regional Park

Englewood bridge (if I remember right) was replaced and the old bridge is now for fishing. Some of the best in the area. South of the Tampa area but worth the drive, especially for a night trip for Snook when they are running. I got broken off 3 times in one night, and I was using 30lb line. Good fishing......and Welcome from Orange City.

Thanks, guys.....well when I had better ballance and was able to go out in a boat in the Wye river in MD, we use to run 2 strings of 15 toplees traps with floasts and up to a 1200' trot line. If you wnt on one of Chuck Schnaitman's charters, you ran longer trot lines. I once got 3 bushels, but the biggest hall was 8 bushels. Largest crab I caught was over 8 1/2 inches. Wednesdays you were only allowed to use handlines...you don't catch as many, but it's more fun and relaxing.

Can't help you regarding fishing Salt Water...........i stay away from it.

Freshwater i know fairly well - depending on what you want to do.
Medard Park is probably best place around to fish from bank
Dover Park off 92 is good walk around little park- has big spec's in it - one hole 21ft deep.
Itenoroc in Lakeland has a couple pits that you can bank fish from