Bay Park on Sand Key Fishing

Bay Park on Sand Key is a neighborhood park with free parking beside a small bay-side beach on busy Sand Key. It suits a relaxed session of casting from the sand over the harbor flats.

• A small beach on Clearwater Harbor, away from the Gulf-side crowds
• Trout, redfish and snook over the grass
• Sheepshead and black drum in the cooler months
• Free parking, picnic tables and a playground

The park is at 1551 Gulf Boulevard on Sand Key in Clearwater, on the east side of the island facing Clearwater Harbor.

• Getting there: follow Gulf Boulevard south from Clearwater Beach over the Clearwater Pass Bridge, or north from Belleair Beach
• Parking: free, in the park's lot
• Hours: sunrise to sunset
• The walk: a short walk from the lot to the small beach

Clearwater Harbor is sheltered Intracoastal water with grass beds and sandy holes.

• Spring (Mar–May): trout and redfish on the grass, sheepshead finishing up, ladyfish and jacks arriving with the bait
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook early and late in the day, mangrove snapper near structure, ladyfish schools
• Fall (Sep–Nov): the best redfish and trout fishing, with snook and flounder
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead and black drum, and trout on warmer afternoons

Light spinning tackle is ideal: a 7-foot rod, 10–15 lb braid and a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader.

• Trout: shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic on a 1/8–1/4 oz jig head worked over the grass
• Redfish: cut bait or shrimp on the bottom, or a gold spoon along the edges
• Snook: a live pilchard or shrimp on a 1/0 circle hook early or late in the day
• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs or shrimp on the bottom
• Carry a small landing net to lift fish from the water's edge

Clearwater Harbor has mixed tides, usually two a day of unequal size, with a small range; the moving tide is what brings fish onto the flats.

• Fish the incoming tide as it covers the grass, and the first of the outgoing
• Calm mornings are best, before boat traffic and afternoon wind
• A strong wind chops up the harbor and muddies the flats
• Winter fronts clear the water and push trout into deeper holes

The park is small and easy to use, with the lot close to the water.

• City park rules allow wading only where it is set aside, so fish from the sand; stingrays bury in the shallows
• Boats run the Intracoastal channel; keep your casts clear of them
• Fish from the public beach, not from the docks along the neighboring shore
• Leave at the first thunder; summer lightning is the main hazard
• The lot is close to the water, but the sand is soft going for wheelchairs

Bay Park is a small neighborhood park with free parking and a few family amenities, but nothing built for anglers.

• Free parking in the park's lot
• A small beach on the bay side of Sand Key
• Picnic tables for a break between tides
• A toddler playground, a tennis court and a dual tennis and pickleball court
• The park is adopted by a local company, CHA Companies, which helps look after it
• No restrooms, bait or food are listed, so come prepared

• Weekday mornings are the quietest time to fish here
• Work a popping cork over the grass on a rising tide for trout
• Look for redfish pushing wakes in the shallows on calm mornings
• Keep your casts clear of docks and moored boats
• Pack out all line and bait; the park is adopted and looked after by a local company

Bay Park on Sand Key is a City of Clearwater park, and the city's park rules allow fishing in all parks except where signs say otherwise.

• Open sunrise to sunset
• No fishing in any designated swim area, and no wading except where it is set aside
• No alcohol, no smoking and no amplified sound; dogs must be leashed, and pets are not allowed on bathing beaches
• Do not feed wildlife
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Snook and tarpon have their own rules; check FWC
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything