Park Channel Bridge Fishing

Park Channel Bridge is a small Heritage Trail fishing span in the Lower Keys, ideal for a quick daytime session on the way to or from Key West.

• Old concrete span beside the highway, free to fish
• Narrow channel with a steady tidal flow
• Snapper and grunts all year, winter barracuda, and snook and tarpon passing through in the warm months
• No facilities; the trail's hours of 8 a.m. to sunset apply here too

Look for it on US 1 around mile marker 18.5, in the Sugarloaf Key area, alongside the highway bridge.

• Route: follow the Overseas Highway to about mile marker 18.5, where the old span parallels the road
• Parking: a gravel patch at the edge of the road; get well away from passing cars
• Fee: none
• Hours: the state lists the trail as open 365 days a year, from 8 a.m. until sunset, and that covers this span
• Underfoot: a level concrete deck used by walkers and cyclists too

Expect a steady mix of small fish with bigger visitors on the right days.

• Spring (Mar–May): snook and tarpon arriving, mangrove snapper, jacks
• Summer (Jun–Aug): mangrove and lane snapper feeding while the water moves, plus bonnethead and nurse sharks
• Fall (Sep–Nov): grunts and snapper, jacks, and the last of the tarpon
• Winter (Dec–Feb): great barracuda in the current, grunts, sheepshead around the pilings

Light tackle does most of the work here.

• Snapper: live shrimp on a 1/0 hook with a split shot, drifted along the pilings
• Grunts and sheepshead: small hooks with shrimp or cut squid on the bottom
• Snook and tarpon: a live pinfish or pilchard fished along the bridge shade, 40 lb leader
• Barracuda: a tube lure or silver spoon, fast
• A long-handled net for landing

Two tides a day squeeze through a narrow channel here, so the current picks up fast.

• Snapper and snook bite best on a late-afternoon outgoing tide, right up to sunset
• The flow peaks at mid-tide; switch to heavier weights then
• With the trail open from 8 a.m., a strong morning tide is your other chance
• Calm, warm days between April and September are ideal
• Barracuda like the clear water that follows a winter front

The span is simple and low, next to a busy highway.

• Take care parking on the shoulder and walking to the span
• Keep tackle out of the trail lane
• Leave when thunderstorms build; there is no shelter
• Bring water and sun protection
• The trail closes at sunset: leave the span in good time
• The deck counts as wheelchair accessible in the state's 2010 angling survey, though the parking is gravel

There are no facilities at the bridge.

• No restrooms, water, bait or tackle
• The state's 2010 survey found no line-recycling bin here, so take your old line home
• Buy bait, ice and food at the shops on US 1
• There is no shade, bench or shelter; a folding chair helps, and so does a rain jacket for summer squalls
• Carry drinking water, ice and a bucket with an aerator for live shrimp
• A trash bag for line, bait packets and cans

• The no-fishing sign is aimed at the highway span, not at the old fishing bridge
• Combine Park Channel with Bow Channel and Kemp Channel a few miles north and fish whichever is quietest
• Snook sit in the bridge shade on the uptide side; cast past it and swing the bait through
• Bring bug spray; the mangroves are close
• Aim to leave before sunset, the trail's closing time

This old span is one of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail's fishing bridges, looked after by Florida State Parks, which the Florida Department of Environmental Protection runs through its Division of Recreation and Parks. There is no fee, the hours are 8 a.m. to sunset, and you may fish from the old span only.

• Never fish from the highway bridge
• You will need a Florida saltwater fishing license unless you are exempt
• Shark fishing from the shore needs a shore-based shark fishing permit, which FWC issues free
• Tarpon and goliath grouper each have release rules; look them up with FWC before you fish for either
• Park Channel lies within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, so its regulations apply as well
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything