Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, State fishing park in Pinellas County, Florida, US.
Skyway Fishing Pier State Park is a fishing destination with two long piers extending from the north and south into Tampa Bay, Florida. Both structures provide continuous access to saltwater fishing spots with open views across the water.
The original cantilevered Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened in 1954 carrying US 19. In 1980 a freighter struck one of its pilings and the structure partially collapsed; it was replaced by the current bridges, while the old approaches were left in place and turned into fishing piers. The eastern portion, worn by corrosion, closed on August 29, 2008, and parts of it were demolished that year.
Anglers on the piers fish for snook, tarpon, grouper, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel, king mackerel, cobia, sheepshead, mangrove snapper, grunts, sharks, Goliath grouper, lane snapper and flounder. Besides fishing, visitors come for sightseeing, photography, kiteboarding, kayaking and windsurfing. The park stays open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
An on-site shop sells bait, fishing supplies, snacks, and drinks for visitors. Vehicle access requires a small fee, and parking is available near the pier structures.
The surviving spans are not one pier but two: the western approaches, built 17 years after the 1954 eastern ones, were judged sound when the eastern portion closed on 29 August 2008 for corrosion and wear. Demolition crews then removed parts of the eastern piers and unused approaches. The north end of the south pier closed to fishing on 1 November 2025.
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