John Ringling Causeway, Bird Key and the Tony Saprito Pier

Bridge in Sarasota inshore waters

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InshoreUpdated October 11, 2026

Depth
1-12 ft
Access
By boat or from shore
Best months
May to October, December to March
Species
Sheepshead, Black drum, Snook, Mangrove (gray) snapper, Spanish mackerel, Tarpon, Redfish (red drum)

The John Ringling Causeway (SR 789) runs from downtown Sarasota over Bird Key and Coon Key to St. Armands. Its high-rise main span, which NOAA charts at about 65 feet of clearance, crosses the Intracoastal Waterway; a second, low span to the west has only about 10 feet. At the downtown end is the city's Tony Saprito Fishing Pier, around whose end FWC records 150 concrete bay-ball reef modules from 1998. Parts of the pier washed away in Helene and Milton in 2024. As of October 2026 the City of Sarasota lists the Saprito Pier (construction expected late 2026 or early 2027, finish late 2027) and Bird Key Park among its hurricane recovery projects. NOAA predicts currents off Golden Gate Point.

How to fish it

Until the pier is rebuilt, this is mostly boat water. Fish pilings, riprap and seawalls with live shrimp, sand fleas or fiddler crabs for sheepshead and black drum in the cooler months. FWC's snook researchers recommend bridges at night in the first hours of the outgoing tide, fished from the down-current side, and the edges of the lights. Watch for tarpon around the spans and for Spanish mackerel under birds in the channel.

Watch out for: Heavy traffic in the Intracoastal channel under the main span. Bird Key basin and the Lido area are year-round slow-speed zones (the marked Lido channel is 25 mph), and Pansy Bayou, north and west of St. Armands Key, is a year-round no-entry manatee zone. FDOT's SR 789 causeway project brings lane closures and work zones along the shore. The damaged pier and shoreline parks are closed or under repair, so obey closure signs. We couldn't confirm from an official page whether fishing from the bridge itself is allowed; follow the posted signs.
Rules here: FWC's Sarasota Bay region. Check the City of Sarasota's recovery page for pier and park closures before you plan to fish from shore. The rules to check in Sarasota inshore waters

Wind and waves

Now and the next 48 hours, at the middle of John Ringling Causeway, Bird Key and the Tony Saprito Pier

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On the map

John Ringling Causeway, Bird Key and the Tony Saprito Pier and the places around it

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Position

It's drawn on the map as an outline.

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.