Gandy Beach and Causeway Fishing

Gandy Beach and Causeway is a long, informal shoreline on the St. Petersburg side of the Gandy Bridge, a local favorite for fishing, wading and night fishing in Old Tampa Bay. It costs nothing and you can fish a short walk from your car.

• More than a mile of sandy shoreline along US 92
• Grass flats and sand bars for seatrout and redfish
• Deeper water and bridge shadows for snook
• No facilities; roadside parking behind posts that keep cars off the sand

The causeway carries Gandy Boulevard (US 92) east from north St. Petersburg to the Gandy Bridge over Old Tampa Bay.

• Getting there: follow Gandy Boulevard east from I-275 or 4th Street North toward Tampa; the beaches start where the road reaches the bay
• Parking: free, along Gandy Boulevard behind the wooden posts FDOT set to keep vehicles off the sand and out of the mangroves; a gate closes the open sand nearest the bridge to cars
• The walk: a short walk from the roadside to the water; the bottom is sand with grass, mud and shell patches
• It is roadside shoreline maintained by FDOT, not a staffed park, and overnight camping is not allowed
• The old Friendship Trail span that anglers once fished from was torn down beginning in 2015

The flats and bridge hold fish all year.

• Spring (Mar–May): seatrout and redfish on the flats, sheepshead late in their run, cobia now and then near the bridge, Spanish mackerel
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook along the beaches and bridge at night, ladyfish and jacks, tarpon rolling in the channel
• Fall (Sep–Nov): redfish schools, big trout, flounder moving out, Spanish mackerel with the bait
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead and black drum near the bridge, trout in deeper potholes on warm days

Wading gear and a light spinning rod are the tools here.

• Trout and redfish: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a paddle-tail soft plastic on a 1/8–1/4 oz jig head over sand holes
• Snook: at night, drift live shrimp or cast small white jigs and swimbaits to the shadow line along the bridge; 30 lb leader
• Flounder: slow-bounce a soft plastic along sandy edges
• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs or shrimp on the bottom near structure
• A wading belt with a stringer or bucket keeps your hands free

Tampa Bay has mixed tides, usually two highs and two lows a day of unequal size, with a typical range of about 2 feet; on these flats the stage of tide matters most.

• The first half of the incoming tide pushes fish onto the grass
• A falling tide concentrates fish in cuts and along the bar edges
• Night tides around the bridge are prime for snook in summer
• A strong wind from the north or east muddies the shallow water; the lee side of the causeway stays cleaner
• Winter fronts bring very low tides; fish the deeper edges then

The fishing is gentle, but the roadside is not.

• Traffic on US 92 is fast; park only where allowed, watch children and never cross carelessly with gear
• Shuffle your feet when wading; stingrays are common
• Soft mud and oyster shell can cut feet; wear wading boots
• No lighting away from the bridge at night; bring a headlamp
• No lifeguards, restrooms or shade; bring water and leave when thunderstorms build
• Access is a short walk over soft sand from the road, so it is poor for wheelchairs

There are no facilities on the causeway itself.

• No restrooms, shelters or water; pack out everything, including old line
• No lighting along most of the beaches
• No bait shop on the causeway; buy bait before you arrive
• Food and fuel are a short drive away in north St. Petersburg
• Weedon Island Preserve, with restrooms and a fishing pier, is a few minutes away

• The north side of the causeway is often calmer for wading; the south side has more open water
• Night fishing for snook around the bridge is the local specialty in summer
• Weekday mornings are quiet; weekends fill with jet skis and beachgoers
• Look for mullet schools; trout and redfish often feed underneath them
• Keep a flashlight for spotting stingrays when wading at night
• Take your trash home; volunteers from Keep Pinellas Beautiful clean this beach every month

The causeway shoreline is state road right of way on US 92, maintained by FDOT, rather than a staffed park, so there are few posted rules beyond traffic and parking signs.

• Park only where allowed, keep vehicles off the sand and never cut or damage the mangroves
• Fish from the shore, not from the Gandy Bridge itself
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit; snook, redfish and tarpon have their own rules, so check FWC
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything