- Depth
- 27 ft
- Access
- By boat
- Best months
- March to May, October to December
- Species
- Gag grouper, Red grouper, Mangrove (gray) snapper, Sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, King mackerel (kingfish), Cobia
The newest reef off the south Pinellas beaches: three deployments of concrete slabs and culverts, 2,000 tons in all, set in 27 feet in late September 2023 with 6 to 10 feet of relief (FWC). Pinellas County says it expanded King's Reef that month with three new sites parallel to Tierra Verde and Fort De Soto, paid for with an FWC grant; matching the county's name to FWC's FWC-1, -2 and -3 rests on the tonnage, dates and location. It's about 4.8 nautical miles from the nearest shore and about 2.9 nautical miles north of the dredged Egmont channel, in state water.
How to fish it
Find the structure on the sounder first, then bottom fish live or cut bait for grouper and snapper. In spring and fall, watch for mackerel and cobia around bait over the reef.
Watch out for: Open Gulf about 5 nautical miles out, with Egmont Channel's ship traffic about 3 nautical miles south. FWC says reef material can move, break up or get buried, and Pinellas County says storms shift it, so confirm the structure before you anchor.
Rules here: State water (inside 9 nautical miles): FWC's reef fish gear rules apply, and you need the State Reef Fish Angler designation for listed reef fish. Grouper seasons are set each year. The rules to check in Tampa Bay nearshore waters