Kayak fishing, launch by launch

Every launch on Sun Coast SUP comes with a quick fishing rundown: what is biting, where the structure is, and which months matter. Snook, redfish, and trout are the backbone up and down this coast, with sheepshead on the structure in the cool months and tarpon and mackerel in season.

Pick a launch for the full fishing notes and today's wind and tide.

• Anclote River Park

  River-mouth launch, easy paddle out to the Gulf or upriver. Sandy beach put-in

• Ballast Point Park

  Free city park with a pier and an on-site ramp/slip on the west shore of Hillsborough Bay.

• Bayfront Park (Anna Maria)

  North tip of Anna Maria Island. Open paddling toward Egmont Key and the Skyway

• Bayport Park

  County park at the Weeki Wachee River mouth where it meets the Gulf. Open water beyond the mouth picks up fetch.

• Bird Key Park

  Bay beach launch at the foot of the Ringling Causeway. Closed at the launch after Milton damage; the nearby bay water is still...

• Brasher Park

  Free waterfront carry-launch on the Gulf at Millers Bayou. Storm-damaged: structures torn down with porta-potties only as of...

• Butler Hole (Tierra Verde)

  Roadside locals' put-in for Shell Key. Park along Pinellas Bayway, slide through a gap in the mangroves

• Chassahowitzka (The Chaz)

  County ramp at the head of the Chassahowitzka spring river. Small lot fills early on weekends.

• Clam Bayou

  Gulfport/St. Pete hidden mangrove preserve. No motors, classic locals' secret

• Cockroach Bay (Ruskin)

  Aquatic preserve, no motors, marked paddling trails. Hidden Hillsborough gem

• Coffee Pot Bayou

  NE St. Pete neighborhood launch. Tiny, sheltered, perfect first-paddle spot

• Coquina Beach Ramp (AMI south)

  South end of Anna Maria, Sarasota Bay side. Quiet alternative to the Gulf-side beach scene

• Crystal River (Hunter Springs)

  Spring-fed, gin-clear water. ~75 min drive, far north but worth it. Closed to paddle Nov 15 through Mar 31 for manatee season

• Davis Islands Boat Ramp

  Free city ramp on Hillsborough Bay at Seddon Channel, the practical downtown-area launch.

• Dunedin Causeway

  Free park-and-launch. 15-min paddle west to Caladesi Island, the iconic crossing

• E.G. Simmons (boat ramp)

  Hillsborough County park with a double boat ramp and kayak launches into calm mangrove tidal inlets on southeast Tampa Bay.

• Eagle Point

  Free county park with a developed kayak ramp on a Gulf-side cove.

• Emerson Point (Palmetto)

  Mouth of Manatee River meets the bay. Wide-open paddling with Skyway views

• Fort De Soto

  Big SW Gulf-influenced fetch

• Fort Hamer Park (launch)

  Free 24-hour boat and kayak ramp on the upper tidal Manatee River in Parrish. Also a rowing-crew training venue.

• Fort Island Gulf Beach

  Open Gulf county beach with real fetch exposure. The calmer Fort Island Trail ramp sits a few miles inland on the river if the...

• Fred Howard Park

  Mangrove trail to a hidden Gulf beach. Tarpon Springs gem, locals' favorite for sunset

• Green Key

  Robert K. Rees Memorial Park, a west-facing key beach with open Gulf exposure.

• Hernando Beach Ramp

  Public boat ramp that reaches the Gulf through residential canals and the Hernando Beach channel. Card-only parking.

• Honeymoon Island

  State park, Gulf side. Pay to enter. Great launch for the Caladesi crossing

• Jenkins Creek Park

  County park with a boat ramp and fishing pier, directly across Shoal Line Blvd from Linda Pedersen on the same Jenkins Creek.

• Ken Thompson / City Island

  City Island kayak launch with access to New Pass and the Lido mangrove tunnels, the SUP draw here. The on-site tour operator is a...

• Key Vista

  Free county nature park with a beach carry-launch, sharing the same shallow Gulf water as the canonical Anclote River Park nearby.

• Kingfish Boat Ramp

  Major public ramp and kayak launch at the east foot of the Anna Maria Island bridge on Anna Maria Sound. Shade and portapotties;...

• Kings Bay Park

  City park on Kings Bay, a separate lot and ramp from the canonical Crystal River / Hunter Springs launch on the same spring-fed...

• Lassing Park

  Best on straight-E wind; flat shallow water

• Linda Pedersen Park

  County park with a kayak-carry launch on tidal Jenkins Creek. The observation tower has been closed since 2025 (structural), and...

• Maximo Park

  Sheltered ramp, S fetch toward Skyway

• Mobbly Bayou (Oldsmar)

  Tucked, no-wake bayou at the top of Old Tampa Bay. Hidden, dead-calm most days

• Nick's Park

  Public launch reaching the Gulf through the Port Richey canal and bayou.

• Old Homosassa Public Ramp

  Cherokee Way public launch on the spring-fed Homosassa River. This is the real public put-in, not the commercial Riverside rental...

• Ozello Community Park

  Free county park launch into the Ozello backwater maze on the north side of Crystal Bay.

• Palma Sola Causeway Ramp

  Free causeway ramp on protected Palma Sola Bay, opening toward Anna Maria Sound.

• Philippe Park

  Old Tampa Bay east shore, Safety Harbor. Sheltered from W winds, exposed to E

• Picnic Island Park

  Free city park at the interbay tip by the Old Tampa Bay entrance. Use the public canoe/kayak launch and beach, not the on-site...

• Pine Island (McKethan)

  Alfred A. McKethan Pine Island Park, the main Hernando County beach park and the northernmost launch of the cluster. Reopened...

• Robinson Preserve

  700 acres of restored mangrove, NW Bradenton. Tunnels feel like a separate world

• Rogers Park

  County park on the lower Weeki Wachee River, downstream of the spring head.

• Sand Key Park

  County Gulf-beach park on Clearwater Pass. The open beach is exposed; the calm SUP put-in is the sheltered bay lagoon on the pass...

• Seminole Waterfront Park

  Free city park with a launch pad and rinse station on the salt side, Long Bayou into North Boca Ciega Bay. Not the freshwater...

• Sims Park

  Free city park with a dedicated kayak launch on the tidal Pithlachascotee (Cotee) River in downtown New Port Richey.

• Strickland Memorial

  The Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park boat ramp on Armand Way, reaching the Gulf via the Hudson channel. The park proper up the...

• Sunset Beach (Tarpon)

  Tiny, free, quiet. Locals' sunset launch just south of Fred Howard

• Ted Sperling / South Lido

  Sarasota's famous mangrove tunnels. Protected even on windy days

• Turtle Beach (Siesta Key)

  South Siesta Key. Launch into the intracoastal, paddle to Jim Neville Preserve's hidden beach

• Upper Tampa Bay Park

  Hillsborough County regional park; the kayak/canoe launch is at the Nature Center into mangrove creeks reaching inner Old Tampa...

• Warner's Bayou Ramp

  Free 24-hour ramp and kayak launch on a lower Manatee River inlet at 59th St W in Bradenton. Osprey nest and dolphins per reviews.

• Weedon Island

  Long S/SW fetch up Old Tampa Bay

• Weeki Wachee Springs SP

  Paid state-park launch at the spring head. You launch at the top and get shuttled back, same public-but-paid setup as Honeymoon...

• Werner-Boyce SP

  Paid state-park launch on the salt-spring run at the main US-19 entrance, leading west through mangroves to the Gulf.