This is the county park the locals in Ruskin have used since the 1960s, built on a fist of mangrove spits that poke out into the wide southeast corner of Tampa Bay. The launch is calm right where you put in, sheltered tidal inlets winding back through the red mangroves, with the open bay waiting past the points. Two hundred of the park's acres are set aside as a bird and wildlife sanctuary, so it is as much a birding paddle as a fishing one, and a small swimming beach with a lifeguard sits near the ramps if you bring the family. The bigger water draw is to the south: this is the closest easy launch to the Cockroach Bay mangrove maze, some of the most pristine paddling on the whole bay. A couple of honest notes. The two dollar per vehicle gate fee covers a board off the beach or the kayak launch, but trailered boats pay a separate five dollar launch fee at the ramp. The bay side picks up a chop when the wind is up, so pick your morning, and the bugs can be fierce in the warm months.
Where do I park, and is it free?
- Cost
- Paddlecraft fee scope unknown
- Parking
- Unknown
- Restrooms
- Listed in the checked source (checked 2026-08-20)
- Showers
- Current availability unverified
- Dogs
- Leashed on land only, not the swim beach
The county lists a 2 dollar vehicle fee, a 5 dollar boat-launch fee, restrooms, and seasonal hours. The page does not clarify whether the boat-launch fee or ramp access applies to non-trailered paddlecraft.
Access sources: hcfl.gov (checked August 20, 2026).
How clear is the water?
Calm mangrove-inlet water, bay beyond.
What will I see?
- Roseate spoonbills, herons, and bald eagles work the mangrove sanctuary and the shallows year-round
- Manatees move through the warm, shallow inlets in the warmer months
- Dolphins out on the open bay, with redfish and snook in the inlets and trout and sheepshead on the flats
What's the fishing like?
Mangrove inlets and bay: redfish, snook, and trout in the inlets, sheepshead and mangrove snapper on structure.
How do I share the water here?
The mangroves here were rebuilt by hand: a 1990 restoration resculpted these tidal creeks and salt marsh, and the forest grew back into the fish nursery you paddle today. Head south toward Cockroach Bay and you cross into an aquatic preserve, so stay in the channels off the seagrass, hold to the posted manatee slow-speed zones, and give the bird islands a wide, quiet berth, especially when they are nesting.
See how it scores before you drive out.
Check E.G. Simmons (boat ramp) on the live map