N Skyway Fishing Pier State Park — Attraction in Palmetto

Both the South and Northside of the Bridge have remnants of the original sunshine skyway bridge that are used as fishing piers. The center section of the original bridge was knocked down at 7am one summer morning in 1980. A cargo ship evidently hit some pilings and it came down. Because of the early morning light and fog, cars and a greyhound bus didn't see it and went over. Over 30 people lost their lives that morning. Enough history, the bridge is a great place to go fishing if you don't have a boat , or if you do . It costs $4 per car and $4 each adult and $2 for kids. They're around a mile long, each side (guessing) and have bathrooms all along the piers. About half way there's a bait and tackle shop that has snacks, ice, frozen and live bait for sale . I like to go fishing at night because the pier is lit up different colors that change often. You will almost always be able to catch "greenies" (greenback shiners) which are usually thick. You can see many dolphins, snook, Goliath grouper, sharks, and tarpon feeding on them if you're looking carefully. Also itdoesn't matter when you go fishing, it's almost always cooler out there because of the breeze from the bay. And NO MOSQUITOES! I see people camping along the sides near the entrance to the pier and I can see why. Unfortunately there's no campgroundthere or hookups for RVs. There is a rest area on the Southside (probably both sides) that has decentlymaintained restrooms, on site security, and vending machines.l One more MAJOR THING, be mindful of the kids on the pier. I have personally seen a kid almost get hit, and there was a toddler hit and killed this year. So PLEASE watch for little ones and go 5mph! The parents aren't always on top of things out there, so don't expect them to keep kids out of the road....

We've always enjoyed going here when visiting St. Pete. We have not caught a lot, but it's relaxing. Remember, this isn't an actual pier. It's part of the original Skyway Bridge so it's an old road. They have a bait shop, but it's a good idea to get what you need before you go. There 2 piers. One on the north and one on the south side. Your pass is good for 24 hrs and good for either side. There are NO snack shops, so take your own munchies & drinks. We have only seen charcoal grills being used. You can catch a variety of fish if you're lucky. But remember you are fishing from a bridge. There is no land to walk out on and "land" a fish. You'll be hauling them up at least 30' or so. It's a good idea to have a long-handled net. While there are few underwater obstacles, the biggest is the bait-stealing crabs!! They eat well off the pier. There are bathrooms conveniently located as well. Take your own shade as there is absolutely no shade areas. As you pull off for North Pier there is also a nice sandy point on the inside of the bay that is VERY popular as it never really gets too deep. You'll see family picnics, horseback riders (yes, I said horseback riders), kayakers, kite flyers, and so on. They used to allow you to stay out there all night. However within the last couple of years because of troublemakers, they now have gates and close it after dark. Remember- sunscreen, shade, bait, tackle, poles (they do rent poles at the bait shops), drinks, and something for your children to do when...

My boyfriend and I live in Lakewood Ranch and decided that we may want to go fishing at the pier this weekend. We decided to drive up just to check out a good spot and drive through. We went to the South fishing pier first. The gentleman in the booth was very kind and friendly and allow us to drive through just to see what the pier was like for tomorrow night. We decided to take a look at the Northside fishing pier, and when we got to the booth, we very kindly explained to the lady in the booth that we were looking to go fishing tomorrow night and asked kindly if we could just drive through. We had our Service dog with us, but did not have his vest on. She raised her voice at us and told us we were not allowed to go past her booth that she was demanding we turn around or even back up! I told her he was a Therapy dog and asked her kindly once again if we were allowed to just drive through that we were not getting out. Once again with her voice raised, she told us absolutely not, and that he should “have his vest on“! Wow… Not a very nice person to have representing one of our State Parks! Needless to say, we will be sticking with the Southside fishing pier tomorrow night. And there’s our tax dollars hard at work for a very nasty and miserable old bitty! I’ve included a picture of this “specimen” after we turned...