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Skyway Fishing Pier State Park is a
Florida State Park
There are 175 state parks and 9 state trails in the U.S. state of Florida which encompass more than , providing recreational opportunities for both residents and tourists.
Almost half of the state parks have an associated local 501(c)(3) non-pr ...
located on the north and south sides of the mouth of
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater in ...
. When the original cantilevered
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, often referred to as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge or the Sunshine Skyway, consists of a pair of long beam bridges with a central cable-stayed bridge that spans Lower Tampa Bay to connect St. Petersburg, Fl ...
, carrying
I-275 Interstate 275 (I-275) may refer to:
*Interstate 275 (Florida), a loop through Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Bradenton in Florida
*Interstate 275 (Michigan), a western bypass of Detroit, Michigan
*Interstate 275 (Ohio–Indiana–Kentucky), a full belt ...
(
US 19
U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie.
The highway's southern ...
), partially collapsed in 1980, due to the
collision of a freighter on one of its pilings, it was replaced by the current bridges. The approaches to the old bridge, however, were left in place and converted into the longest fishing pier in the world.
The most common activity on the pier is fishing. Common catches include
snook
Snook, Snooks, or Snoek may refer to:
Fishes
* Family Centropomidae (snooks)
** Common snook
* Family Esocidae (pikes)
** '' Haplochromis insidiae''
** Northern pike
* Family Gempylidae (snake mackerels)
** Blacksail snake mackerel or black ...
,
tarpon
Tarpons are fish of the genus ''Megalops''. They are the only members of the family Megalopidae. Of the two species, one (''M. atlanticus'') is native to the Atlantic, and the other (''M. cyprinoides'') to the Indo-Pacific Oceans.
Species an ...
,
grouper
Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.
Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...
,
black sea bass
The black sea bass (''Centropristis striata'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the western Atl ...
,
Spanish mackerel
Scomberomorini is a tribe of ray-finned saltwater bony fishes that is commonly known as the Spanish mackerels, seerfishes or seer fish. This fish closely resembles the King Mackerel. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae) – ...
,
king mackerel
The king mackerel (''Scomberomorus cavalla'') or kingfish, is a migratory species of mackerel of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. It is an important species to both the commercial and recreational fishing industries.
Description
T ...
,
cobia
The cobia (''Rachycentron canadum'') is a species of carangiform marine fish, the only extant representative of the genus ''Rachycentron'' and the family Rachycentridae. Other common names include black kingfish, black salmon, ling, lemonfis ...
,
sheepshead, Mangrove Snapper, grunts, sharks, Goliath Grouper, Lane Snapper,
flounder
Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries.
Taxonomy
The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, thou ...
, and many more.
Other pier activities include site seeing and photography.
Before the bridge are good flats to fish at, kite board, kayak, and wind surf
Snacks, drinks, bait, and fishing supplies can be purchased on the pier, which has a fee for admission. The park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Closing of eastern portion
In August 2008, Florida Department of Transportation officials announced that the eastern part of the pier would be closed on August 29, 2008, for safety reasons. Built in 1954, after 50 years of corrosion and wear and tear, it had worn out. The western portion, built 17 years later, were still deemed safe to use.
Gallery
File:2018 Skyway Fishing Pier State Park east pier.jpg, Eastern pier
File:2018 Skyway Fishing Pier State Park west pier.jpg, Western pier
References
External links
*
Skyway Fishing Pier State Parka
Florida State ParksSkyway Fishing Pier State Parka
Wildernet
Parks in Manatee County, Florida
Parks in Hillsborough County, Florida
Tourist attractions in the Tampa Bay area
Piers in Florida
State parks of Florida
Protected areas established in 1994
1994 establishments in Florida
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