Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers

UPDATE: The state is planning to radically alter the make up of the Skyway Fishing Piers. There is a petition available to register your opposition here.

I had a great day at the North Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier today... and I didn't even fish. It's amazing that I have lived here for so long and have not taken advantage of such a great resource for our local fishing community. As any boater knows, the structure of the Skyway provides habitat for a tremendous number of species and is the one stop shopping for all offshore fisherman looking to pick up those large greenbacks, whitebait and pinfish before a long day on the water.

The Skyway area has long been a popular stop with boaters looking for tarpon, Spanish mackerel, sheepshead, kingfish, grouper and mangrove snapper as there is tremendous tidal flow, nice deep water, and a wealth of artificial structure adjacent to the fishing piers from the remains of the old Skyway.

Unfortunately, until today, my view of the fishing piers has been  limited to the images below... in getting bait, as we did on Thursday moring.

The entrance to the North Skyway fishing pier is located adjacent to a public rest area after the toll when heading South on 275. The exit is clearly marked and the directions to the pier can't be missed when approcaching the rest area. As you drive toward the pier you will be greeted by a friendly staff member who take your access fee in exchange for a parking permit that should be placed in your window.

The fees for using the brige, which is a state park are:

► $3.00 per vehicle ► $2.00 per person for fishing ► $1.50 for seniors over 65 ► $1.00 for children  6 - 12 ► Children 5 and under free ► $3.00 one hour sight seeing ► $10 daily for RV parking

My experience today will definitely take me back with the shorties to try our luck from the pier itself. The convenience of the pier is a great asset as fisherman can drive thier vehicles directly to their fishing spot so that they may easily access coolers, equipment and personal items. With the price of gasoline as it is, it just makes too much sense not to take advantage of the piers to conveniently find some of the species that are unavailable when wading or fishing from shore.

I was surprised to see a large, breezy, screened in food court where weary anglers can get a break from the sun and enjoy snacks, hot dogs, chili dogs, chips and a nice cold beverage.

Sunshine Skyway Bait and Tackle is a full service bait and tackle that offers a good selection of rods and reels, along with all of the essentials in terminal tackle. They also have a great selection in live bait: pinfish, shrimp, greenbacks and white bait when available as well as a good variety of lures and frozen bait. It makes great sense, they're getting their bait at the same place that the boaters are... they're just there all of the time and don't have to motor around to find it. They are the only bay area bait and tackle where you can get live bait 24hrs a day, seven days a week!

I had the good fortune to meet a local fishing legend "Scooter", AKA William Robinson, who is the resident expert on getting the most out of a fishing trip to the piers. You name the species, and he's caught it from the pier, and in most caes... larger than most have gotten from their boat or charter. Huge sharks, monster grouper, trophy kingfish, and tarpon in the 150 + pound class.

The middle image above is of  "Scooters Corner" which are images of just some of the trophies that he's pulled over the side on his many days fishing the Sunshine Skyway Piers. When I asked him about getting the most out of a visit to the piers he just chuclked, I mean... can you imagine how many times he's been asked this question? He did concede though that the experienced angler will target species according to season.

The real highlight of the visit  though, was all of the people that I had the opportunity to see and meet that were takiing advantage of the resource! Individuals, couples, families and groups of all shapes, sizes and descriptions enjoying a great day of fishing with those that they care about.

The images below are in no particular order, but I hope will give you an idea of why I think it's so cool!

We were also excited to find an obvious commitment to the environment by making sure that there were line disposal cannisters, courtesy of Tampa Bay Watch, and well maintined, covered garbage cans every few yards or so. Having that many individuals that close to the waterway it takes some planning and hard work to ensure that none of the byproducts of a day of fishing end up in our bay.

Whether you are a serious angler, or a recreational fisherman we encourage you to spend a day or eveing at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Piers... we know you won't be disappointed.

We also encourge you to visit their web site www.skywaypiers.com to learn more about the opportunites, the facility, or to contact the management.