Courtney Campbell Beach Recreation Area Fishing

Courtney Campbell Beach Recreation Area gives Clearwater anglers a drive-up patch of sand on Old Tampa Bay without crossing to the Tampa side. It is small and simple, but the causeway shoreline around it holds the same bay fish found along the rest of the causeway.

• A small city beach at the start of the causeway, next to the trail
• Trout, snook and redfish over grass and shell
• Ladyfish and jacks in the warm months; sheepshead and drum in winter
• Paid parking on the Clearwater side of the trail

The beach is at 3401 Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater, at the start of the Courtney Campbell Causeway (State Road 60) on its south side.

• Getting there: head east on Gulf to Bay Boulevard toward Tampa; the beach is at the beginning of the causeway, beside the Courtney Campbell Trail
• Parking: a flat fee of $15 per day, per vehicle, charged on the Clearwater side
• Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
• The walk: a few steps from parking to the sand
• The city has posted that the trail is closed for maintenance from the recreational beach entrance until further notice, so check before planning to walk or ride along it

Old Tampa Bay here is shallow, with grass beds, shell and soft bottom along the causeway.

• Spring (Mar–May): trout on the grass, redfish along the shoreline, sheepshead finishing up, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish with the first bait
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook at dawn and dusk, big schools of ladyfish, jacks crashing bait
• Fall (Sep–Nov): redfish and snook at their best, trout again as the water cools
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead and black drum on the bottom, trout on warm afternoons

Medium-light spinning gear with 10–15 lb braid and a 20–25 lb fluorocarbon leader is ideal.

• Trout: shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jig head worked over the grass
• Snook and redfish: live shrimp or pilchards on a 1/0 circle hook, or cut mullet on the bottom
• Ladyfish and jacks: small spoons, jigs and topwater plugs when birds are working
• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs or shrimp on the bottom near any rocks
• A long-handled landing net helps you land fish from the shore

Tampa Bay has mixed tides, usually two a day of unequal size, with a small range; moving water is the key along the causeway.

• Fish the first hours of the incoming or outgoing tide
• Low water exposes the grass edges; cast to the deeper water beyond them
• Early morning is best in summer, before heat, wind and afternoon storms
• A strong east wind after a winter front drains the flats and slows the bite
• Light onshore breezes and clean water are best for trout on artificials

The beach is easy to reach, but it sits beside a busy highway.

• Traffic on the causeway is fast; keep children and dogs well away from the road
• City park rules allow wading only where it is set aside for swimming, where fishing is not allowed, so fish from the shore; stingrays bury in the shallows
• Leave the beach at the first thunder; summer lightning is the main hazard
• Bring water and sun protection; there is little shade
• Cast well away from swimmers and paddlers

Facilities are basic.

• Paid parking on the Clearwater side
• A canoe and kayak launch listed by the city, though city code requires a city permit to launch any vessel here, so check first
• The paved Courtney Campbell Trail, which runs along the whole south side of the causeway to Tampa
• Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., so early and late sessions are possible
• No restrooms, bait or food are listed, so come prepared
• Local volunteers, the Courtney Campbell Causeway Cleanup Crew, have adopted the beach

• Arrive at 6 a.m. opening in summer for snook and the calmest water
• Pack out all line and bait; volunteers keep this beach clean
• The $15 daily fee makes this better for a long session than a quick cast
• Diving birds along the causeway show where ladyfish and jacks are feeding

The beach is a City of Clearwater recreation area, and the city's park rules allow fishing in all parks except where signs say otherwise.

• Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; park only in designated areas
• No fishing in any designated swim area, and no wading except where it is set aside
• No alcohol, glass, fires, grills, smoking or amplified sound; dogs must be leashed on the beach
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Snook and tarpon have their own rules and closed periods; check FWC
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything