Historic Bridge Street Pier Fishing

Historic Bridge Street Pier is Bradenton Beach's city fishing pier, the island end of the old wooden bridge to Anna Maria Island, and its old bridge pilings hold fish all year.

• A city fishing pier at the foot of Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach
• Pilings, a shaded pavilion at the bay end and grass flats around it
• Winter sheepshead, summer snapper and snook, spring and fall trout and mackerel
• A restaurant, public restrooms and a retail shop on the pier

The pier sits at the bay end of Bridge Street, the historic district of Bradenton Beach, just south of where Cortez Road crosses the Cortez Bridge onto the island.

• Getting there: drive Cortez Road west over the bridge, turn south on Gulf Drive, then east onto Bridge Street and follow it to the water
• Parking: spaces in the Bridge Street district are limited, and some lots are paid
• Other ways in: Manatee County's Gulf Islands Ferry lands at the pier, with boats from downtown Bradenton and from the Coquina Beach area
• The walk: a short, level stroll from the end of the street onto the railed deck

The pilings, the shade of the pier and the grass flats nearby give a steady mix through the year.

• Spring (Mar-May): sheepshead finishing up, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish arriving, spotted seatrout on the grass edges, pompano on the move
• Summer (Jun-Aug): mangrove snapper on the pilings, snook in the pier's shadow lines, jacks chasing bait
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish and trout, Spanish mackerel with the bait schools, snapper still biting
• Winter (Dec-Feb): the sheepshead season on the pilings, with black drum mixed in

Medium spinning gear with 15-20 lb braid and a fluorocarbon leader covers most of it.

• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs or shrimp on a short leader and a small 1/0 hook, dropped straight down beside the pilings
• Mangrove snapper: small live baits or cut shrimp on light 15-20 lb fluorocarbon, a little chum to bring them up
• Snook and redfish: live shrimp or pilchards along the shadow line; step up to a 30-40 lb leader
• Spotted seatrout and ladyfish: a jig or a shrimp under a popping cork over the grass
• Spanish mackerel: small spoons or jigs when birds are working
• Bring a pier net or long-handled gaff for bigger fish

Sarasota Bay has mixed tides, usually two highs and two lows a day of unequal size, with a small range, so a strong run of current is the thing to wait for.

• The middle of a moving tide is the best time around the pilings
• Slack water makes it easier to hold bottom for sheepshead
• Clear winter water after a cold front brings sheepshead in numbers
• Early morning and evening beat the midday heat and the busiest restaurant hours
• A strong south or west wind muddies the shallows; the calmer days fish best

The pier is a comfortable place to fish, but it is a busy public place.

• Watch your backcast: walkers, diners and children share the deck
• Keep clear of the floating day dock and the ferry landing when boats come in
• The Cortez Bridge just north of the pier is being replaced, with barges and work boats in the channel
• Summer afternoon thunderstorms bring lightning; leave the pier when they build
• Carry water, a hat and sunscreen; there is little shade outside the pavilion
• The deck is level from the street with railings, and public restrooms are on the pier

The pier has restrooms, a shop and a restaurant, though no confirmed bait shop.

• Public restrooms and a retail shop on the pier
• A restaurant at the end of the pier, run by the Anna Maria Oyster Bar
• The Richard P Suhre Pavilion at the bay end for shade
• A floating day dock for boaters, first come, first served
• Gulf Islands Ferry stop
• Bring your own bait and tackle; the shops and restaurants of Bridge Street are a short walk away

• The pavilion at the bay end is the shady spot to fish, and it fills first
• Winter sheepshead hug the barnacled pilings; a fiddler crab dropped tight to the wood beats casting away from it
• Snook feed along the pier's shadow line at dawn and dusk in summer
• Come early on weekends, when parking is hardest and the restaurant is busiest
• Take the ferry from downtown Bradenton if you do not want to hunt for a space
• Do not tie up to or cast across the day dock when boats are using it

The City of Bradenton Beach owns and runs the pier; follow its posted rules.

• Obey posted signs on the pier and keep the ferry landing and day dock clear
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit
• Snook and goliath grouper have their own rules; check FWC
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything