- Depth
- 9-14 ft
- Access
- By boat
- Best months
- April to October
- Species
- Tarpon, Spanish mackerel, Snook, Florida pompano, Cobia, Sharks, Redfish (red drum)
The two natural channels south of Egmont Key. The Coast Pilot says Southwest Channel had a controlling depth of about 14 feet and is subject to shoaling, and Passage Key Inlet, between Passage Key and Anna Maria Island, about 9 feet in an unmarked, shifting channel, with ebb currents of 2 knots or more. The inlet mouth and outer bar are nearshore water; the bay side belongs to the inshore guide.
How to fish it
Drift the edges of the inlet mouth on a moving tide with live bait, and work the outer bar for pompano.
Watch out for: Passage Key is a national wildlife refuge closed to the public, and the Coast Pilot says to avoid the breakers and shoals in and around it because of unexploded ordnance reported in 2020. The channel is unmarked and shifting, the ebb is strong, and the charted gas pipeline runs through Southwest Channel, so don't anchor on it.
Rules here: Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge is closed to all public use year-round (USFWS). The rules to check in Tampa Bay nearshore waters