John's Pass Fishing

John's Pass links the Gulf with Boca Ciega Bay between Madeira Beach and Treasure Island, and the tide through it makes the jetty and pass edges some of the fishiest shore water on the Pinellas beaches.

• A true inlet spot: bait is swept past the rocks on every tide.
• Big snook in summer, with tarpon, snapper, mackerel and sheepshead through the year.
• John's Pass Village and Boardwalk across Gulf Boulevard, with food, shops and charter boats.
• The jetty walkway was destroyed by the 2024 hurricanes; you fish from bare rock until the city's planned replacement is built.

The jetty runs out from John's Pass Park at the south end of Madeira Beach, across Gulf Boulevard from John's Pass Village.

• Getting there: follow Gulf Boulevard (SR 699) to the John's Pass bridge; the park is on the Gulf side at the north end of the bridge.
• Parking: metered spaces at John's Pass Park and paid lots around the Village; they fill early on weekends.
• The walk: a short wooden walkover to the beach, then onto the jetty rocks; the old concrete path is gone, so the surface is uneven rock.
• Status: the city finished dredging the pass in 2026 and has drawn up plans for a new jetty walkway, with permits applied for in mid-2026; obey any fencing or closure signs once work begins.

The pass fishes all year, but summer is the headline.

• Spring (Mar–May): Spanish mackerel at the mouth, sheepshead finishing up, and snook moving to the beaches.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook along the rocks and pass edges, tarpon at dawn, mangrove snapper and ladyfish.
• Fall (Sep–Nov): redfish runs through the pass, mackerel again, flounder starting on the sand.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead and black drum around the rocks and in the pass, small gag grouper in the jetty.

Medium spinning tackle with 30–40 lb leader is the standard.

• Snook: live whitebait or pinfish on a 1/0–3/0 circle hook, free-lined or with a small split shot, drifted along the rocks; or a 1/2–3/4 oz white bucktail swung with the current.
• Snapper and sheepshead: a knocker rig with a 1/0 hook and a 1/2–1 oz egg sinker, dropped straight down beside the rocks.
• Mackerel: spoons or Gotcha plugs at the mouth.
• Tarpon: 50–65 lb braid and a live bait; be ready to follow the fish.
• Landing: a long-handled landing net helps, as lifting fish over the rocks breaks lines.

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 pass squeezes that flow, so the current here is strong.

• Best: the outgoing tide early or late in the day for snook; the last of the incoming for clean water and mackerel.
• Slack tide lets you fish the rocks for snapper and sheepshead without losing rigs.
• Wind: a light east wind clears the water; a strong west wind makes the jetty wet and dangerous.
• Water: clear green water is best; after heavy rain the bay side runs dark.

This is not a spot for the unsteady.

• Footing: bare, uneven rocks that are slippery when wet or weedy; wear shoes with grip.
• Current: the pass runs hard; never wade or swim to free a snag.
• Boats: constant charter, rental and jet-ski traffic through the channel; do not cast across the fairway.
• Swimmers and surfers: the Gulf water off the beach north of the jetty is a buoyed swim and surf zone; cast into the pass or off the tip, never toward the beach.
• Lightning: summer afternoon storms; get off the rocks early.
• Access: no wheelchair access to the jetty itself, though the park walkover and beach are close to parking.

Good facilities close by, none on the jetty itself.

• John's Pass Park: a wooden walkover, public restrooms, an outdoor shower area, a covered picnic area and beach chair rentals, with fishing listed among the park's amenities.
• Food and drink: restaurants and shops in John's Pass Village across the road.
• Bait and tackle: shops and marinas in the Village area; check opening times.
• Lights: no dedicated fishing lights on the jetty.

• Get there early in summer; the best snook bite is often over by the time the beach fills.
• Throw a cast net for whitebait on the pass side of the jetty, never into the swim and surf zone off the beach, or buy live shrimp in the Village.
• Fish the downstream side of the jetty tip on the outgoing tide, where bait gets swept round the rocks.
• Watch the charter boats come and go; feeding birds at the mouth mean mackerel.
• Keep lures swinging in the current rather than cranking straight back.
• The Village boardwalk is off limits to anglers from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., so stay on the jetty side.

John's Pass Park and the jetty are managed by the City of Madeira Beach.

• Fish the jetty at your own risk and obey any closure fencing or construction signs.
• Madeira Beach bans fishing from the John's Pass Village Boardwalk from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and cast netting and fish cleaning there at all times.
• Across the pass, Treasure Island bans fishing from any bridge or bridge abutment in the city, and shark fishing, shark rigs and chumming on its beaches; do not fish from the John's Pass bridge.
• Madeira Beach Code Sec. 78-4 declares the buoyed Gulf water from 131st Avenue to the south line of John's Pass Park, 300 feet out, a restricted area for the exclusive use of swimmers and surfers, so fish the pass side and the tip of the jetty, not the beach water north of it.
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt.
• Shore-based shark fishing needs a free FWC permit, and snook and tarpon have specific FWC rules and release requirements.
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.