War Veterans' Memorial Park Fishing

War Veterans' Memorial Park is a big, quiet county park on the north shore of Boca Ciega Bay, built around a memorial to the armed forces, with a long waterfront and plenty of shade. The county's park map shows two fishing spots on its far shoreline along the Intracoastal Waterway.

• Sheltered water with mangrove and grass edges for snook, redfish and trout.
• Picnic shelters with grills, restrooms, playgrounds and a nature trail close to the water.
• A canoe launch for reaching the quieter corners of the bay.
• The boat ramp is closed for repairs, so the waterfront is quieter than usual.

The park entrance is at 9600 Bay Pines Boulevard, on the north side of Boca Ciega Bay beside the Bay Pines bridge.

• Getting there: turn into the park from Bay Pines Boulevard, then drive through to the far end, where the canoe launch and the shelters sit on the water.
• Hours: 7 a.m. to sunset daily; county parks close the day after Thanksgiving and on December 25.
• Parking: use the lots near the shelters; the county has suspended the boat ramp's parking fee while the ramp is closed.
• The walk: short and flat from the lots to the shoreline.
• Boat ramp: closed for repairs; the county's park page says through November 2026 and its park updates page says through late 2026.

This is the sheltered back side of Boca Ciega Bay, with mangroves and grass edges rather than open surf.

• Spring (Mar–May): snook and redfish return to the edges as the water warms, and trout feed over the grass.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook at dawn and dusk, jacks and ladyfish chasing bait, and small snapper around structure.
• Fall (Sep–Nov): the best months for redfish and trout, with flounder on sandy bottom.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead and black drum around hard structure, and snook holding in deeper water on warmer days.

Keep it light and quiet: a 7-foot spinning rod, 10–15 lb braid and a 20–30 lb fluorocarbon leader, cast from the bank.

• Snook and redfish: a live shrimp or pilchard free-lined along the mangroves, or a weedless soft plastic worked slowly along the edge.
• Trout: a shrimp under a popping cork, or a 1/8–1/4 oz jig with a paddle tail over the grass.
• Sheepshead and black drum: a fiddler crab or shrimp on a 1/0 hook and a small sinker near any hard structure.
• Canoe or kayak: the launch lets you reach shoreline you cannot cast to from the bank.
• Landing: a long-handled net keeps fish off the mangrove roots without stepping into the water.

Tides here are small and mixed, often two uneven highs and lows a day, and the shallows can get very skinny on a big low.

• Best: the first half of the incoming tide, which floods the mangrove edges and brings cleaner water in from the Intracoastal.
• Outgoing: fish the points and deeper cuts as bait drains off the flats.
• Light: early and late in the day; the 7 a.m. opening makes winter dawns easier to catch than summer ones.
• Water: heavy rain clouds the bay for a day or two, so pick a spell of settled weather.

The park is flat and shaded, with short walks from the parking lots to the water, but the shoreline itself is natural and soft.

• Stay on the bank: county code allows wading only in designated areas, and the bottom here is soft mud.
• Boats: the Intracoastal carries boat traffic, so keep lines clear of passing boats.
• Lightning: summer afternoon storms build fast; leave at the first thunder.
• Bugs: mosquitoes and no-see-ums are fierce in the shade at dawn and dusk.
• Construction: stay away from the closed boat ramp and any fenced work area.

The county lists a nature trail, parking, playgrounds and five shelters with grills, and its park map shows restrooms near the shelters and a canoe launch on the far shoreline.

• Boat ramp: closed for repairs expected to run into late 2026.
• Memorials: the Memorial Center, a Battlefield Cross, a sundial and an Army tank are in the park.
• Bait and food: none on site, so bring bait, water and snacks.
• Hours: the park closes at sunset, so there is no night fishing.

• Head for the far end of the park by the canoe launch; the county map shows the fishing spots on that shoreline.
• Be at the water at the 7 a.m. opening on a rising tide in the cooler months, when snook and reds push onto the edges.
• Bring a kayak or canoe; the launch opens up quiet mangrove shoreline.
• Use weedless soft plastics near the mangroves to avoid snags.
• Pack insect repellent for the shaded shoreline.
• In summer, the shade makes a midday session far more bearable than on an open beach.

War Veterans' Memorial Park is run by Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources and is open 7 a.m. to sunset.

• County code allows fishing only in designated areas; the county's park map puts the fishing symbols on the far shoreline, and the county lists fishing among the park's amenities.
• County code allows swimming and wading only in designated areas, so fish from the bank.
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt.
• Stay out of the closed boat ramp and any construction area.
• Snook and redfish have specific FWC rules, and tarpon have release rules; check FWC before keeping anything, including current size, bag and season limits.