Howard Frankland Bridge and reef

Bridge and in-bay artificial reef in Tampa Bay inshore waters

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

InshoreUpdated October 11, 2026

Access
By boat
Best months
March to October
Species
Snook, Tarpon, Sheepshead, Mangrove (gray) snapper, Spotted seatrout, Redfish (red drum)

The I-275 crossing of Old Tampa Bay between St. Petersburg and Tampa, fished from boats. Hillsborough County's Howard Frankland reef, about 400 by 200 yards of bridge rubble and pilings placed in 1991 in about 16 feet, sits about 1.5 km (0.8 nautical miles) southeast of the bridge's Tampa end by FWC's reef database; FWC's boating guide gives a different position. FDOT opened the new southbound span in March 2025, and on May 27, 2026 opened a nearly 7-mile, 12-foot shared-use path on its north side, open sunrise to sunset. NOAA publishes current predictions at the west span.

How to fish it

Fish it like the Gandy: snook and tarpon around the spans at night on strong moving water, sheepshead on the pilings and the reef rubble in late winter and early spring, and snapper on the structure in summer. On the reef, idle around until the structure shows on the sounder before you anchor; FWC's positions are a starting point. The Courtney Campbell Causeway ramp (4 lanes) and the Salty Sol Fleishman ramp (6 lanes) are the nearest launches.

Watch out for: Strong current, traffic in the channel spans and night navigation. There's been heavy bridge work here in recent years, so watch for barges, work zones and debris. Hillsborough slow-speed manatee zones run along the eastern shore south of the bridge and around Rocky Point north of it. FWC reports a local seagrass decline in Old Tampa Bay, so don't run over the grass.
Rules here: Check FDOT's posted rules before you fish from the new shared-use path; we found no official word either way. The rules to check in Tampa Bay inshore waters

Wind and waves

Now and the next 48 hours, at the middle of Howard Frankland Bridge and reef

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On the map

Howard Frankland Bridge and reef and the places around it

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Position

It's drawn on the map as a line.

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.