Skyway Fishing Pier (North)

Skyway Fishing Pier (North) is the Pinellas side of what the state calls the world's longest fishing pier, built from the approach spans of the old Sunshine Skyway, which was replaced after the 1980 collapse. It puts shore anglers over fast water at the mouth of Tampa Bay.

• Big-water fishing without a boat: mackerel, kings, snapper, grouper, snook and tarpon all within reach.
• You drive onto the deck and fish next to your car, so heavy gear, coolers and live-bait buckets are easy.
• Open 24 hours and lit at night, which makes it a popular night-fishing platform.
• Nobody may go beyond the bait shop on the south (Manatee) pier since October 2025, and it has had no power since March 2026, so the north pier is the one to fish, and it is busier than it was.

The entrance is off I-275 (US 19) on the causeway at the southern tip of St. Petersburg, before the bridge itself.

• Getting there: follow the signs for Skyway Fishing Pier State Park from I-275; the park road runs along the causeway to the pay booth.
• Fees: $4 per vehicle plus $4 per adult, less for children, paid at the booth.
• Parking: park on the deck beside where you fish; no long walk and a flat concrete surface.
• Hours: the park is open 24 hours, every day of the year.
• Works: in March 2026 the state announced a facelift for the north pier; work on the parking and seawall sidewalks was already under way and the unused, damaged parts of the north pier are to be demolished, so short-notice lane or section closures are possible.

Something is always biting over this much structure, but the runs are seasonal.

• Spring (Mar–May): Spanish mackerel and kingfish arrive with warming water, plus cobia, blue runners and the odd pompano.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): mangrove snapper peak at night, tarpon roll under the lights from May to July, snook hold on the pilings, and sharks and jacks raid hooked fish.
• Fall (Sep–Nov): the second mackerel and king run, bluefish, and snapper still going on warm nights.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead on the pilings, silver (sand) trout in the channel, and gag grouper on the rubble when the water cools.

Come heavier than you would for inshore fishing; the current is strong and the fish live in structure.

• Mackerel: silver spoons, Gotcha plugs (not during the winter treble-hook ban) or live whitebait on 30–40 lb leader with a short piece of light wire.
• Snapper: a knocker rig with a 1/0 to 2/0 circle hook, 20 lb fluorocarbon and an egg sinker, baited with live shrimp or pilchards.
• Grouper and big fish: 50–65 lb braid, a sliding sinker of 2–4 oz or more on strong tides, and a live pinfish.
• Bait: sabiki rigs under the lights for threadfins and pinfish in the warm months; they are banned here through the winter.
• Landing: bring a pier (drop) net; you cannot hand-line a big fish up this height.

Tides here are mixed: most days bring two uneven highs and lows and some days only one, with a typical range of about 2 feet, but the whole bay drains past this pier, so current is strong at mid-tide.

• Best: the first and last couple of hours of a good moving tide; slack water is quiet and the peak of a big spring tide can make bottom fishing hard.
• Light: dawn and dusk for mackerel; after dark under the lights for snapper, snook and tarpon.
• Water: clean green water after a few calm days fishes best for mackerel; a hard east wind or heavy rain muddies it.
• Wind: an open deck with no shelter, so strong winds make light-lure casting miserable.

The deck is wide, flat and drivable, which makes it one of the most accessible big-water spots in Florida, but it is fully exposed.

• Lightning: summer afternoon storms build fast and there is no shelter; leave early when you hear thunder.
• Seabirds: pelicans dive on baits; everyone fishing here must first pass the FWC's online Skyway course on avoiding and handling hooked birds.
• Heat and sun: no shade on the deck, so bring water, a hat and sunscreen.
• Railings: keep children back from the rail and watch for vehicles moving along the deck.
• Big fish: never go over the rail; use a pier net and keep goliath grouper in the water.

The north pier is set up for all-day and all-night fishing, but bring what you need.

• Bait shop: bait, fishing supplies, snacks and drinks, and free copies of the fishing regulations.
• Restrooms are available in the park.
• Lights: the pier is lit at night (the south pier has had only limited lighting since it lost power in March 2026).
• Parking: beside your fishing spot on the deck.
• Food: snacks and drinks from the bait shop; bring a proper meal and plenty of water for a long session.
• Pets are not allowed on the piers.

• Pass the FWC Skyway education course online before you go and carry your proof of completion; it must be renewed every year and applies even to anglers who would normally be license-exempt.
• From mid-November to mid-March multi-hook rigs and treble hooks are banned here to protect seabirds, so pack single-hook rigs and check FWC for exact dates.
• Arrive before sunset on summer weekends to claim a lit spot for the night snapper bite.
• Catch bait under the lights with a sabiki during the warm months rather than relying on the shop.
• Carry out all line and leader; loose line kills seabirds.
• Keep a live bait out on a second rod when mackerel are running; kings and cobia follow the schools.

The pier is run by Florida State Parks (Skyway Fishing Pier State Park) and fishing gear rules are set by FWC.

• The park is open 24 hours; each angler may use no more than two sets of hook-and-line gear (rods or handlines).
• An FWC education course certificate, renewed yearly, is required to fish here; anglers under 16 are exempt when they fish with an adult who has one.
• Seasonal gear rules ban multi-hook rigs and treble or double hooks through the winter; check FWC for the current dates.
• Cast netting is allowed only in designated areas; no alcohol and no pets.
• The park says a Florida saltwater fishing license may be required, so carry one unless you are exempt or the bait shop confirms you are covered.
• Shore-based shark fishing needs a free FWC permit, and tarpon and goliath grouper have release rules.
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.