Spanish Harbor Channel Bridge Fishing

Spanish Harbor Channel Bridge is one of the few Lower Keys fishing bridges still open: the old railroad bridge just east of Big Pine Key, now closed to cars, with easy parking, a flat deck and strong current below it.

• Easy to reach, and listed as wheelchair accessible in the state's angling survey
• Reliable mangrove and lane snapper fishing on the moving tide
• Barracuda and jacks in the channel, and tarpon passing in spring
• A handy base for the Lower Keys' other open trail bridges

The bridge runs beside US-1 at about mile marker 34, between Spanish Harbor Keys to the east and Big Pine Key to the west.

• Parking: shared with the Spanish Harbor wayside boat ramp at the east end, where the fishing section starts
• Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset on every day of the year, which is how Florida State Parks lists the Overseas Heritage Trail and this bridge with it; there is no fee
• Surface: flat concrete deck
• The old span is part of the trail, so expect cyclists and walkers too
• Nearby: Bahia Honda State Park is a few minutes east, and Big Pine Key has shops

Spanish Harbor holds fish all year; the moving tide matters more than the season.

• Spring (Mar–May): tarpon rolling through; mangrove snapper begin to bite well; Spanish mackerel and jacks after fronts
• Summer (Jun–Aug): mangrove and lane snapper, yellowtail up in a chum line, and nurse sharks picking at bottom baits
• Fall (Sep–Nov): the snapper bite holds up, and jacks, runners and barracuda chase bait
• Winter (Dec–Feb): mackerel, jacks and runners; snapper on warm afternoons between cold fronts

The usual Keys bridge outfit covers almost everything here.

• Bottom fishing: put 1 to 3 oz of lead on a knocker or fish-finder rig, add a leader of 20 to 30 lb fluorocarbon and a circle hook from 1/0 to 3/0, and bait it with live shrimp, a pinfish or cut ballyhoo
• Yellowtail: at slack water, keep a light chum going and let a silverside drift back with no weight
• Barracuda: a tube lure or a live runner, either one on wire
• Tarpon: if fish are showing, drift a live mullet or crab with the tide on heavy tackle and a 60 lb leader
• Land keepers with a drop net or bridge gaff and let everything else go at the water

Spanish Harbor Channel moves water between the backcountry on the Gulf side and the Atlantic, where there are two tides a day, so the current runs hard through much of every tide.

• Snapper feed best in the middle of the tide: set up on the down-current side and let the bait wash back into the shade under the bridge
• Use slack water for chumming and lighter rigs
• Late afternoon until sunset is the prime time; for a morning tide, the trail opens at 8 a.m.
• A strong wind blowing against the tide makes it hard to hold bottom, so calm days fish best

One of the more accessible Keys bridges, but busy.

• The state's 2010 angling survey lists the deck as wheelchair accessible from the east-end parking
• Busy afternoons: watch your back cast and keep lines clear of neighbors and cyclists
• Exposed to sun and lightning; carry water and leave when storms build
• Deep, fast water under the span: never go in after gear
• Do not fish from the modern US-1 bridge; the no-fishing signs refer to it
• The trail closes at sunset, so leave the bridge before then

Basic facilities only.

• Parking: shared with the boat ramp at the east end
• Florida State Parks keeps line-recycling bins at the ends of its trail fishing bridges
• Restrooms, fresh water and a cleaning table: none at the bridge
• There is no bait or tackle on site; pick up bait before you get there
• The trail's Spanish Harbor rest area, with picnic spots beside an old railroad quarry lagoon, is just east
• Bahia Honda State Park, a few minutes east, has restrooms for visitors who pay the park's entrance fee

• Weekend afternoons get busy; arrive early to claim a spot over deeper water
• Catch pinfish or runners on a sabiki first; live bait is the difference
• Downsize your leader for mangroves in clear water
• Goliath grouper and sharks sometimes grab a hooked snapper, so keep a knife handy to cut the line
• Big Pine Key is Key deer country: drive slowly on the way in and out
• The Niles Channel old bridge a few miles west has been closed for years, so Spanish Harbor is the reliable Lower Keys alternative

Florida State Parks, the Division of Recreation and Parks of Florida's Department of Environmental Protection, runs this fishing bridge as part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail; it is free and open from 8 a.m. to sunset. The no-fishing signs refer to the US-1 traffic bridge, so cast only from the old span.

• Anyone who is not exempt needs a Florida saltwater fishing license
• Fishing for sharks from shore requires FWC's shore-based shark fishing permit, which is free
• FWC has strict release rules for tarpon and goliath grouper; read them first
• These waters are part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; check its rules too
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything