Sunset Beach, Treasure Island Fishing

Sunset Beach, Treasure Island is the quiet end of Treasure Island, with sea oat dunes and a long, narrow Gulf beach running down to Blind Pass. The city describes the tip, where the pass meets the Gulf, as famous for fishing.

• Gulf surf for summer snook, with pompano and Gulf kingfish on the bars.
• Mackerel, ladyfish and jacks when bait pushes along the beach.
• Redfish, flounder and sheepshead where the pass current meets the sand.
• The Sunset Beach Pavilion reopened on June 4, 2026, with renovated restrooms and outdoor showers.

Sunset Beach runs along West Gulf Boulevard at the southern end of Treasure Island, with the Sunset Beach Pavilion at 8000 West Gulf Boulevard.

• Getting there: follow Gulf Boulevard to the south end of Treasure Island and turn onto West Gulf Boulevard into Sunset Beach.
• Parking: city lots are named after birds and marked with blue-and-white numbers, all parking is enforced around the clock, and Weckesser Park at 88th Avenue has metered spaces right on the beach.
• Access: the 2024 storms wrecked most of the dune walkovers here; sand paths lined with post and rope now lead to the beach, and the two walkovers at Sunset Vista Park were cut back into viewing platforms.
• The walk: from the pavilion, head south along the sand toward the tip and Blind Pass.
• Hours: the city closes the beach from 1 to 5 a.m.

Sunset Beach mixes open Gulf surf with the pass at its southern tip, so it gets both beach fish and pass fish.

• Spring (Mar–May): pompano and Gulf kingfish along the bars, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish arriving with the bait, and the first snook in the wash.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook close to the sand at dawn, tarpon rolling offshore and jacks harrying the bait schools.
• Fall (Sep–Nov): redfish along the pass edge, another push of pompano and mackerel, and flounder near the tip.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): Gulf kingfish on calm days and sheepshead around any hard structure near the pass.

Light surf tackle is enough here: a 7- to 8-foot spinning rod, 15–20 lb braid and a fluorocarbon leader.

• Snook: walk the waterline at dawn in summer and work a white jig or a live whitebait along the trough rather than straight out, on a 30–40 lb leader.
• Pompano and Gulf kingfish: shrimp or sand fleas on a two-hook bottom rig, or a pompano jig bumped along the sand.
• Mackerel and ladyfish: small spoons or jigs thrown to bait breaking just off the beach.
• The pass: a shrimp or a strip of cut bait on a sliding-sinker rig along the pass edge for redfish and flounder; a single piece of cut bait on your hook is fine, but chumming is banned.
• Sharks: the city bans shark fishing and shark rigs here; cut loose any shark hooked by accident.

Tides here are small and mixed, usually two uneven highs and lows a day, and both the beach and the pass fish best when the water is moving and clean.

• Beach: the last of the rising tide and the first of the falling tide push bait along the troughs.
• The pass: the current can run hard at mid-tide, so fish the edge near the turn.
• Light: dawn for snook before the beach fills; evenings for mackerel and the sunset.
• Wind: an easterly flattens the surf and clears the water, while a strong westerly stirs up a murky shore break.

The beach is soft sand and the pass adds current, so keep safety in mind.

• Stingrays: the city warns they live in the warm shallows from April through October; shuffle your feet.
• Currents: rip currents are more likely near the pass and in rough weather; never wade out to free a snag.
• Swimmers: cast well away from anyone in the water.
• Lightning and heat: summer afternoon storms build fast and shade is scarce on the sand.
• Accessibility: most storm-damaged walkovers have given way to sand paths, so expect soft sand from the road to the water; the city rents beach wheelchairs from City Hall on weekdays.

The city lists restrooms and outdoor showers at the Sunset Beach Pavilion, which reopened on June 4, 2026 after storm repairs, and describes the pavilion with playground equipment, a bike rack and a shaded picnic area.

• Sunset Vista Park has an outdoor shower, benches and a bike rack, according to the city.
• Weckesser Park at 88th Avenue has metered parking by the beach and a bell rung every day at sunset.
• Bait and tackle: none are listed at the beach, so bring bait with you.
• Food and water: none are listed on the beach itself, so bring your own.

• Walk south to the tip on a moving tide and work the pass edge for redfish and flounder.
• In summer, be on the sand at first light, when snook ride the trough within a rod's length of the beach.
• Scoop sand fleas as the waves wash back for pompano and kingfish bait.
• Use a city lot and pay; parking is enforced around the clock.
• Leave cigarettes and glass at home: the city bans smoking and vaping on its beaches and in its parks, and glass containers as well.
• Plan night sessions around the beach closure from 1 to 5 a.m.

Sunset Beach and its parks are run by the City of Treasure Island.

• City code bans shark fishing, shark lures and rigs, and chumming along its beaches and the Blind Pass shore; a shark caught by accident must be cut loose.
• City code also bans fishing from any bridge or bridge abutment in the city, glass containers on beaches and in parks, and smoking (other than unfiltered cigars) and vaping.
• The beach is closed from 1 to 5 a.m., according to the city.
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt, and snook and tarpon have their own FWC rules.
• Keep off the protected dunes and marked turtle nests, and check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.