Bunces Pass and the Fort De Soto backwaters

Pass and mangrove backwaters in Tampa Bay inshore waters

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InshoreUpdated October 11, 2026

Access
By boat or from shore
Best months
March to November
Species
Snook, Redfish (red drum), Spotted seatrout, Flounder, Sheepshead, Florida pompano, Tarpon, Spanish mackerel

Bunces Pass runs between the Fort De Soto keys (Mullet Key and Madelaine Key) and Shell Key, linking the grass flats of the lower bay with the Gulf, and it opens onto the mangrove keys, bayous and flats behind Fort De Soto, such as Mullet Key Bayou and Soldier Hole. The Fort De Soto ramp and several paddle launches sit right on it, and NOAA publishes current predictions for the pass west of the Bayway bridge.

How to fish it

Fish the moving tide, preferably the outgoing for snook (FWC). Anchor up-current of the channel edges and the Pinellas Bayway bridge pilings and let live baits swing back to the fish. When the water is up, paddle or pole the backwater mangroves and the holes in the grass for redfish and snook, and drift or wade the flats with a float rig or soft plastics for trout. TBEP notes flounder on sandy channel edges near the passes, and the bridge pilings hold sheepshead in late winter and early spring.

Watch out for: Strong tidal current in the pass and around the bridge. Mullet Key Bayou is a year-round slow-speed manatee zone, and the water east of Tierra Verde north of the Bunces Pass channel is a seasonal slow-speed zone. The flats are shallow seagrass: idle or pole, and if you run aground, stop and pole off. Shuffle your feet when you wade.
Rules here: These waters are inside the Boca Ciega Bay Aquatic Preserve, where damaging seagrass breaks state law. Pinellas County sets park hours, fees and pier rules and requires a fishing license throughout the park. FWC's Tierra Verde and Fort De Soto boating-zone map shows the speed zones. Shell Key Preserve, across the pass, has closed areas. The rules to check in Tampa Bay inshore waters

Wind and waves

Now and the next 48 hours at Bunces Pass and the Fort De Soto backwaters

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On the map

Bunces Pass and the Fort De Soto backwaters and the places around it

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Position

  • N27° 38.752' W082° 43.706'27.645865, -82.728434

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.