Blackburn Point, Blackburn Bay and South Creek

Bridge in Sarasota inshore waters

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InshoreUpdated October 11, 2026

Depth
0.3-16 ft
Access
By boat or from shore
Best months
October to April
Species
Snook, Redfish (red drum), Sheepshead, Spotted seatrout, Mangrove (gray) snapper, Jack crevalle, Tarpon

The Blackburn Point crossing separates Little Sarasota Bay from Blackburn Bay. NOAA charts a swing bridge here with only about 9 feet of closed clearance and predicts tidal current at it. Blackburn Bay, about 1.1 square miles, gets salt water through Venice Inlet and fresh water from South Creek, which Florida State Parks describes as a tidal estuary running through Oscar Scherer State Park. Sarasota County's Blackburn Point Park has a one-lane ramp and a kayak beach, and the county's Osprey Fishing Pier and kayak launch is just north on Little Sarasota Bay.

How to fish it

Fish the bridge and nearby docks for sheepshead in the cooler months and for snook on the outgoing tide in the warm months. Paddle South Creek from the state park for snook and redfish in the cooler months, and fish Blackburn Bay's mangrove shores for reds and trout.

Watch out for: Strong current at the narrow bridge opening, a low swing bridge, a narrow waterway and boat traffic. From the Blackburn Point bridge south to Intracoastal marker 23, all the water, channel included, is a year-round slow-speed zone, and so are Dryman Bay and South Creek up to the park dam; the channel is 25 mph only between markers 23 and 15. Check the Osprey Fishing Pier's status with Sarasota County Parks before you go.
Rules here: FWC's Sarasota Bay region. State park rules apply inside Oscar Scherer State Park. The rules to check in Sarasota inshore waters

Wind and waves

Now and the next 48 hours, at one of the marked positions of Blackburn Point, Blackburn Bay and South Creek (N27° 10.070' W082° 29.189')

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On the map

Blackburn Point, Blackburn Bay and South Creek and the places around it

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Positions

  • N27° 10.800' W082° 29.700'27.180000, -82.495000
  • N27° 08.794' W082° 28.557'27.146563, -82.475955
  • N27° 10.070' W082° 29.189'27.167831, -82.486486

Not for navigation: check it against a current chart before you rely on it.

Places nearby

The closest named places, as the crow flies

Check the rules before you keep a fish. Size limits, bag limits and seasons change, sometimes at short notice. Our "Can you keep it today?" lists give them as of the day we last checked; these are the official pages.