The Skyway Pier South offered 1.5 miles of easy saltwater fishing, but the offshore portion of that access is now closed due to deterioration of the concrete structure. 

The Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier has long been considered one of the most convenient and productive fishing piers on the planet. It was created from the remnants of the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which collapsed in 1980 after a ship struck one of its pillars, sending multiple vehicles into the bay and claiming 35 lives. When the new high-rise bridge was completed, the lower approach spans of the old bridge were left in place, forming what combined became the longest fishing pier in the world—approximately ¾ mile on the north side and 1.5 miles on the south.

Remarkably, the structure was essentially a “drive-up” pier. Anglers could park their vehicles right beside where they fished, making it accessible to anyone—from families with coolers and chairs to older anglers who could no longer walk long distances. It offered offshore-style fishing without ever leaving pavement.

Now, a major portion of the south pier has been closed indefinitely. After decades of exposure to storms and salt, engineering assessments by the Florida Department of Transportation found severe deterioration in the concrete and rebar below the deck. 

With no structural maintenance program in place and repair costs estimated in the tens of millions, officials determined that vehicles could no longer safely use the span. The closed section extends from the bait shop to the end of the pier—roughly half a mile of prime fishing real estate—with no announced plans for repair.

The loss is more than simply losing a place to cast a line. For decades, the Skyway Pier has been a lifeline to deep-water fishing for shore-bound anglers in the Tampa Bay region. In many places, catching grouper, snapper, cobia, or king mackerel requires a boat or a pricey charter. At the Skyway, you could drive out, park, and be fishing over 15–25 feet of water in minutes. The bottom structure, including manmade reefs and bridge rubble, helped produce catches that felt more offshore than inshore. The vast water flows through the span concentrates bait there, and the bait brings the gamefish in close where anglers can reach them.

Annual usage figures for the newly closed stretch are unclear, but the pier complex as a whole draws more than 200,000 visitors a year according to Florida Parks. Many come for one reason—fishing. Snook, tarpon, gag and mangrove grouper, black sea bass, sheepshead, redfish, pompano, Spanish and king mackerel, and cobia all frequent the area. The farther reaches of the south pier—now off limits—were well known for producing the bigger offshore-class fish.

The closure hits especially hard for those with limited financial resources. A day of fishing at the Skyway required only a vehicle entry fee and a modest fishing fee that covered the license for 24 hours. No boat payment, no fuel bill, no guide fee. The pier was open 24 hours, had lights, restrooms, bait and tackle shops, and was fully accessible to those with mobility challenges. It was, in many ways, Florida’s most democratic saltwater fishing platform.

With the south section gone, there will be more crowding on the remaining spans, fewer prime spots to rotate among, and a measurable reduction in opportunity—especially for retirees and working families for whom the pier was not just a pastime but a primary connection to the coast and its resources.

There is no dispute that safety must come first. But the closure of this section of the Skyway Fishing Pier represents a significant loss to the fishing community—an erosion of access that won’t be easily replaced.

— Frank Sargeant
Frankmako1@gmail.com