Egmont Key

Barrier island and state park (boat or ferry only) in Tampa Bay nearshore waters

Draft - not published. This page is only shown while developing. It stays off the live site until its status is changed to published.

NearshoreUpdated October 11, 2026

Access
By boat or from shore
Best months
April to October
Species
Spotted seatrout, Tarpon, Snook, Grouper, Flounder

A low, sandy, wooded island about 1.6 miles long, almost in the middle of the mouth of Tampa Bay between Egmont Channel and Southwest Channel, and reachable only by boat or the ferry from Fort De Soto. It's both a state park and a national wildlife refuge, and the bird sanctuaries take up the southern third of the island, about 97 acres. Florida State Parks says it has designated fishing areas where sea trout, tarpon, snook, grouper and flounder are often caught. The park reopened Aug. 12, 2026, but all of its structures are still closed; it's open 8 a.m. to sunset, with no drinking water or store.

How to fish it

Fish from the park's designated fishing area on the Gulf side, or wade the beaches and grass edges. From a boat, work the beach and the channel drop-offs on a moving tide, and keep well clear of the ship channel.

Watch out for: Egmont Channel's ebb runs 2 knots or more, deep-draft ships pass on the north side, and shoals reach 5 miles seaward of the island (Coast Pilot). Stay out of the posted bird sanctuaries.
Rules here: State park rules and the refuge's closures apply: fish only in the park's designated areas and stay out of the bird sanctuaries. Normal FWC rules and licenses. The rules to check in Tampa Bay nearshore waters

Wind and waves

Now and the next 48 hours at Egmont Key

Loading the forecast…

On the map

Egmont Key and the places around it

Loading the map…

Position

  • N27° 35.732' W082° 45.854'27.595530, -82.764230

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.