Weedon Island Preserve Fishing

Weedon Island Preserve is a wild stretch of Tampa Bay mangroves and lagoons inside St. Petersburg, with a public fishing pier and miles of boardwalk. The county itself calls the pier and the oyster bars ideal for seatrout, snook and sheepshead.

• About 3,000 acres of mostly marine habitat on Tampa Bay
• A public fishing pier beside the paddling launch, with restrooms
• Oyster bars and mangrove shorelines for kayak anglers
• Parking and a cultural and natural history center

The preserve is at 1800 Weedon Drive NE in north St. Petersburg, south of the Gandy causeway.

• Getting there: from Gandy Boulevard or 4th Street North, follow the signs to Weedon Drive NE and into the preserve
• The pier: at the south end of Weedon Drive NE, with its own parking area, restrooms and the canoe launch beside it
• Hours: 7 a.m. to about 15 minutes before sunset; the daily closing time is posted at the entrance, and no overnight parking is allowed
• Closures: part of the Bay Boardwalk is closed for repairs until late 2026, the north paddling trail is closed, and a trail race keeps the preserve closed until noon on October 24, 2026
• Kayak and paddleboard rentals operate inside the preserve

The lagoons and oyster bars fish best in the cooler months, with snook the summer draw.

• Spring (Mar–May): seatrout and redfish on the flats, sheepshead finishing on the oysters, snook moving out of the backwaters
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook along the mangroves early in the morning, mangrove snapper, ladyfish and jacks, juvenile tarpon in the lagoons
• Fall (Sep–Nov): redfish on the high tides, flounder, big trout
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead and black drum on the oyster bars, trout and snook tucked into deeper, warmer water

Light tackle and natural baits suit the shallow water.

• Seatrout: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a soft plastic on a 1/8 oz jig head along grass edges
• Snook and redfish: live shrimp or a weedless soft plastic skipped under the mangroves on a rising tide
• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs or shrimp on the bottom beside oyster bars
• Mangrove snapper: small live baits on light fluorocarbon around the pier and any structure
• Kayak anglers can rent or launch at the preserve and reach the outer oyster bars

Tides here are mixed: most days bring two highs and two lows of unequal size, and some days only one of each, with a range of about 2 to 3 feet between high and low at the nearest NOAA stations on Old Tampa Bay. In these shallow lagoons the tide decides where the fish are.

• A rising tide lets redfish and snook push into the mangroves
• A falling tide pulls fish to the mouths of creeks and the edges of the bars
• Very low winter tides leave much of the preserve dry; fish the deeper channels then
• Calm, clear mornings are best for sight-fishing; a strong east wind muddies the bay side

The preserve is easy going on foot but remote in places on the water.

• The pier sits beside accessible parking and is the best choice for anglers with limited mobility
• Do not wade: county rules allow wading only in designated areas, and oyster shell cuts
• Bring insect repellent; mosquitoes and no-see-ums are thick on still evenings
• Leave the water when summer thunderstorms build
• Paddlers should carry water and a phone; the lagoons are a maze and the bay side can get rough

Weedon Island has good visitor facilities.

• Restrooms at the fishing pier and at the Cultural and Natural History Center
• Parking beside the pier, with accessible spaces
• A paddling launch, with kayak and paddleboard rentals
• More than 4.7 miles of boardwalks and trails, with a 45-foot observation tower
• The Cultural and Natural History Center, open Thursday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• No bait shop in the preserve; buy bait before you arrive

• Shellfish harvesting is prohibited in this part of Tampa Bay; fish, but do not collect oysters or clams
• Arrive early; the lots fill with hikers and paddlers on weekends
• The oyster bars fish best for sheepshead on a winter falling tide, and a kayak gets you there
• Paddle the south trail early in the morning for snook along the mangroves
• Check the county's Know Before You Go page for boardwalk and trail closures
• Bring a small drop net for landing fish from the pier

Weedon Island Preserve is run by Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources.

• Open 7 a.m. to about 15 minutes before sunset; the closing time is posted daily
• County code allows fishing and wading only in designated areas; the county names the fishing pier and the outlying oyster bars as its fishing sites
• State saltwater fishing regulations apply; commercial fishing is prohibited
• Shellfish harvesting is prohibited here for health reasons
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Stay on boardwalks and trails; pets are not permitted in the preserve
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything