Belleair Causeway Fishing Pier

Belleair Causeway Fishing Pier is a compact pier at the county's Belleair Causeway Boat Ramp, one of the most convenient places in mid-Pinellas to fish deeper Intracoastal water without a boat. A bait house on site means you can arrive empty-handed.

• Short T-shaped pier beside the Belleair Causeway bridge
• Channel water and bridge pilings within easy casting range
• Bait house operating daily at the ramp
• Ramp area open 24 hours

The pier sits at the Belleair Causeway Boat Ramp, 3900 West Bay Drive in Belleair Bluffs, on the mainland end of the causeway to Belleair Beach.

• Getting there: follow West Bay Drive west toward the beaches; the ramp is on the water just before the causeway bridge
• Parking: 98 car spaces and 108 trailer spaces; county boat ramp parking is paid, and the county's boat ramp rate becomes $12 a day from December 1, 2026, so check the pay stations
• Hours: the boat ramp site is open 24 hours a day
• The walk: a short, level walk from the lot to the pier beside the bait house
• Floating docks 2 and 3 are out of service until further notice; the fishing pier is separate from the docks

Channel and bridge structure make this a year-round spot.

• Spring (Mar–May): sheepshead finishing their run, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish with the bait, seatrout on the grass
• Summer (Jun–Aug): mangrove snapper on the pilings, snook at dawn and after dark, jacks and ladyfish
• Fall (Sep–Nov): redfish along the shoreline, flounder, Spanish mackerel, big trout
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead and black drum on the bridge pilings, trout in the deeper channel

Light to medium spinning gear handles most fish here.

• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp on a 1/0 hook, dropped straight down beside pilings
• Mangrove snapper: live shrimp or small pilchards on light fluorocarbon and a small circle hook
• Snook: live bait or a white jig drifted along the bridge shadow line at dawn or after dark
• Seatrout and redfish: shrimp under a popping cork cast toward the grass edges
• Spanish mackerel and ladyfish: small spoons and jigs when bait is running

The Intracoastal here has mixed tides, usually two a day of unequal size, with a typical range of about 2.5 feet, and the causeway pinches the current.

• Moving water is key; fish the first hours of the outgoing or incoming
• Slack tide is the time to fish tight to the pilings for sheepshead
• Early morning and evening are best in summer; midday boat traffic is heavy
• Winter fronts clear the water and bring sheepshead to the structure

The pier is short, level and easy to reach from the lot.

• Stay off the boat ramp lanes and courtesy docks; launching boats have priority there
• Boats come and go all day beside the pier; keep children close and look for passing boats before you cast
• Leave when summer thunderstorms build; lightning is the main hazard
• Little shade apart from the bridge; bring water and sun protection
• Level access from the lot suits most visitors

The ramp has the basics.

• The Belleair Bait House, run daily by the concessionaire, Belleair Bait & Tackle Co.
• Portable restroom facilities on site
• Large paved parking lot shared with the ramp
• Ten launching lanes and five courtesy docks for boaters (two docks out of service)
• Food and shops are a short drive away in Belleair Bluffs
• Some shade under the causeway bridge on hot afternoons

• Buy live shrimp at the bait house and fish the pilings on a slack tide for sheepshead
• Weekend mornings are busy with boaters; weekday evenings are quieter
• Snook work the bridge shadow line at dawn and after dark in summer
• Watch the channel for diving birds; mackerel and ladyfish follow the bait through
• Bring a small drop net for lifting fish up to the pier
• Check the county's Know Before You Go page for dock and ramp closures

The ramp and pier are run by Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources, with the bait house run by a concession.

• County code allows fishing in county parks only in designated areas, so fish from the fishing pier, not from the courtesy docks or ramp lanes
• Follow posted rules and keep clear of the launch lanes
• 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