Blind Pass Jetty (Upham Beach) Fishing

Blind Pass Jetty guards the south side of Blind Pass at the north tip of St. Pete Beach, beside Upham Beach. The pass links the Gulf with Boca Ciega Bay and is a well-known shore snook spot.

• Tide through the narrow pass concentrates bait along the rocks.
• A mix of beach, jetty and pass fishing in a few hundred yards.
• Upham Beach has its own pay-by-plate parking, restrooms and a beach grill.
• Treasure Island, across the pass, bans shark fishing and chumming on its Blind Pass shore.

The jetty is at the north end of Upham Beach in St. Pete Beach; the beach's address is 6850 Beach Plaza, off Gulf Boulevard.

• Getting there: follow Gulf Boulevard (SR 699) to the Upham Beach turn at the north end of St. Pete Beach.
• Parking: pay-by-plate spaces, 183 of them at Beach Plaza and 67th Avenue plus smaller lots on Sunset Way and 75th Avenue; they fill on weekends.
• The walk: from the lot to the beach, then a short walk north along the sand to the rocks.
• Surface: soft sand, then uneven rock.
• Hours: St. Pete Beach opens its parks and beaches during daylight, with hours posted at each site.
• Beach works: renourishment and groin maintenance at Upham Beach can close sections from time to time.

Summer is best, but the pass fishes year-round.

• Spring (Mar–May): sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, pompano and snook returning to the beach.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook on the jetty and beach, mangrove snapper late in the day, tarpon passing.
• Fall (Sep–Nov): redfish and trout in the pass, mackerel again, flounder arriving.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead and flounder around the rocks; trout on warmer days.

Medium spinning gear with 30 lb leader covers most fish here.

• Snook: live whitebait or pinfish on a 1/0–2/0 circle hook, drifted along the rocks; or a 1/2 oz white bucktail.
• Reds and trout: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jighead.
• Sheepshead and snapper: a knocker rig with a 1/0 hook and 1/2 oz egg sinker.
• Pompano: sand fleas on a two-hook rig with 1–2 oz of lead in the beach troughs.
• Bring a landing net with a long handle.

Tides here are mixed: most days bring two highs and two lows of unequal size, and some days only one of each, with a typical range of about 2 feet. The narrow pass speeds that flow up.

• Best: the outgoing tide early or late in the day for snook; the incoming for clear water and trout inside the pass.
• Slack tide is best for fishing into the rocks without snagging.
• Wind: calm or light east winds flatten the beach; strong west winds send surf over the rocks.
• Water: clear green Gulf water is best; bay water runs darker after heavy rain.

A rock jetty with no rails; not suitable for anyone unsteady on their feet.

• Footing: slippery, uneven rocks; wear shoes with grip.
• Current: the pass runs hard, and St. Pete Beach bans swimming and wading in Blind Pass; never go in after a snag.
• Boats: the pass is a busy channel for small boats and personal watercraft.
• Swimmers: Upham Beach is popular in summer; keep casts well clear.
• Lightning and heat: summer afternoon storms and little shade.

Beach facilities rather than angling ones.

• Parking: pay-by-plate spaces around Upham Beach.
• Food: the Paradise Grill at Upham Beach, and restaurants along Gulf Boulevard.
• Restrooms and picnic tables at Upham Beach.
• Bait: none at the jetty; buy live bait from shops along Gulf Boulevard.
• Lights: none dedicated to fishing.

• Get there early; the lot and the rocks both fill up by mid-morning in summer.
• The best snook light is early and late in the day; plan around the beach hours posted at Upham.
• Keep lures swinging with the current rather than retrieving straight back.
• Check for beach renourishment work before you go, as it can fence off the north end.
• Rinse reels after a session; salt spray on the rocks is constant.
• Leave the shark rigs and chum at home: Treasure Island bans them along its Blind Pass shore.

Upham Beach and the jetty are in the City of St. Pete Beach, with rules posted at the beach.

• City parks and beaches are open during daylight hours, as posted; follow posted rules on fishing near swimmers.
• St. Pete Beach bans swimming, skin diving and wading in Blind Pass.
• Treasure Island, across the pass, bans shark fishing, shark rigs and chumming along its beaches and the Blind Pass shore, and fishing from any bridge or abutment in the city; do not fish from the Blind Pass bridge.
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt.
• Snook and tarpon have specific FWC rules and release requirements.
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.