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Make sure you're fishing license is are up today because they will be checked and you will be fine. Also know what fish you can eat and what you can. Follow the rules or you will be fined.

Lock your car unlock your stuff when you park it to go fish off bridges. Lot of the people fish off Bridges aren't the most honest people in the world.

So that's you know most of the bad stuff but hell it's pretty fun. And if you're going to do it you might as well take a long line with the heavy magnet on the end because magnet fishing is oftentimes as much fun as fishing for fish.

Fishing from a bridge with an artificial lure is not ideal. The angle of the dangle will be all wrong. You will want to get down closer to water level so the lure will "swim" as it was intended.

There's that long bridge that takes you across the bay.
I remember the little pull-off there at the end was always packed, so it must be good fishing.

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You're gonna need bigger boat.

There are rock piles along both sides of the skyway pier from the old bridge.
You can get a satellite image of the bridge on a good clear sunny day and see them clearly. Count the number of street lights in the image to get a reference point. They are mostly about 50 yards ish away from the bridge so you can’t really cast to it.
On the full moons the mangrove snappers go batshit. The piles are a few feet tall, so whatever depth you are fishing, use a slip bobber and float the bobber with the current until you are over the pile. Set the depth accordingly so you are on right above the bottom. For mangroves, cut bait is fine. Shrimps are good, but they will clean you fast.

The Spanish mackerel are all over in the winter on all of the piers and bridges. A fast moving, shiny spoon or jig works best for them.

Wading out on some of the approaches, like Gandy, Tierre Verde, Skyway and tossing a live shrimp on a cork will get redfish and trout all year, an occasional snook or flounder.

Big cut baits on any bridge for black drum and sharks.
There are some wash channels on the skyway where currents cut a few feet down that are fish highways.
In the summer the black tips cruise through regularly. In the winter, the groupers cruise through on their way to the deeper grass flats.
There are sheep’s head on every piling in the winter. Use live shrimp , sand fleas, or the best is to literally scrape live barnacles off some piling sand use them as bait (just pass the hook through the opening).

There are tarpon here now, but NFW you will do anything but watch all of your line spool out when you hook one (which is an asshole move for the fish’s sake…)

Good honey holes….
By weedon island wade fishing…
Backwaters in FT desoto,
Johns pass - not the bridge per se, but the inlet on both sides (tip- the old bridge rubble and piling foundations are still underwater there. It runs from just down from the east side of Crabbys on the Pass (formerly Gators) and comes out right next to where the pirate ship is moored.
Clearwater pass and passagrille inlet good shore fishing.
The inlet in blind pass is really good, good sandy beach…
This time of year, go to any of the beaches when it’s relatively quiet and put a pinkish either in the wash channel or out past the sandbar where it drops down to 6-10 feet. The snook are all over the place along with some black tips.

IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT SPECIES THE FISH IS, DO NOT HANDLE IT.
Assume it has big nasty teeth, because it probably does. There are poisonous fish here. Wear shoes when wading in the sea grass (crab claws, urchins, and broken/jagged shells suck on nice wrinkled-waterlogged feet).

You have to have a saltwater license, may as well get a snook stamp too.
Sunscreen is suggested.
Use circle hooks.
Use fluorocarbon leaders, unless you are fishing for mackerel- then use steel leader.
A moving current is always best (unless fishing for grouper in johns pass and Tierra Verde pass where they come out of their holes on slack tide).

Enjoy our beautiful area, and leave it as you found it.

In Florida it's legal to open carry a gun with you while fishing.
Do it.
https://youtu.be/nn2FO3gmU6A?t=262

Be sure to open carry your AR15 and a side arm as open carry is a legal activity in Florida only if you are going to, engaging in or coming from fishing, camping, or hunting. Exercise your rights and if zog violates your rights take them to court and get a payday.

Get a damn fishing license. The government loves ticketing people.