Growing up in Tampa Bay in the 50’s and 60’s had so much to offer when it came to fishing. When we were not going to Boca Grande for the weekends, we spent a lot of time exploring new spots and there were plenty of places to find. In the 50s and 60s, the mindset was to fish offshore and very little attention was given to the inshore areas. Last month, I covered the upper part of the bay in the 50s and 60s. This month I have some stories about how it was in lower Tampa Bay.
Bayside Power Station (Port Sutton Road)
We called the area Black Docks–the winter fishing was terrific. The colder it got, the hotter the bite. In those days, we were allowed to fish from the bank or run your boat right up to the hot water runoff. The bank would have elbow-to-elbow fishermen catching pompano, redfish, snook, trout, sharks and sheepshead; and yes, sometimes a school of catfish would move in and mess up the bite. I can’t remember the year; but, I do remember the story of an angler falling into the water from the bank and drowning. After that, all fishing from shore was stopped and “No Trespassing” signs were put up.
Bullfrog Creek Railroad Crossing
There’s a railroad crossing on Bullfrog creek that I remember well. Before there was a catch limit or size on redfish, we would sit next to the crossing and load up on 12-inch redfish all morning long, using fiddler crabs or shrimp. The last time I stopped by was 10 years ago. An old lady, with her cane pole, was fishing the same spot we used to and had several undersize redfish on a stringer. I walked the area where I saw several large redfish and sheepshead hanging around the pilling. So, I guess the fishing was still pretty good at the old crossing.
Little Manatee River
We didn’t fish the area much, since it was a long run for us from the old boat ramp on 22nd street causeway next to the Seabreeze restaurant. When we did make the run, one of our favorite spots was the broken-down bridge area and the mouth of the river. Winter was our most productive time, as during the summer months we were too busy fishing Boca Grande or Courtney Campbell Causeway.
Piney Point
In the 40’s through the mid 50’s, there was the Bee-Line ferry that went from Piney Point to Pinellas Point–the original site of O’Neal’s Bait Shop. It was a 69-mile drive down US Highway 41 and this took about 55 minutes to get across. It saved a long drive if you wanted to go from Pinellas to Manatee County. The original two-lane Bridge (currently known as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge) did not open until 1954. The bridge was the downfall of the Bee-Line ferry. The fishing around the docks was fantastic all year round and produced some of the biggest snook and redfish for residents. Still today, in the spring, its one of the best places for large snook–if you can get them out of what remains of the old pylons left from the loading dock of the Bee-Line ferry landing.
Bishop Harbor
There used to be a small boat ramp off the old Highway 41 road that took you to the Skyway Bridge. From that ramp we could access the fertile grounds of Bishop Harbor in our little boat. Mariposa Key, at the entrance to the harbor, was a home base for mullet fishermen in the 30’s. To this day, there still exists some of the remains of their cabin and part of the dock.
I look forward to hearing from my readers for any fishing stories they have from the 50’s and 60’s fishing in Tampa Bay. Thanks to my uncle, who took the time to teach me how to fish, he made me the angler I am today.