By Rusty Chinnis
Extending approximately 5 miles from Anna Maria Island to St. Petersburg, the mouth of Tampa Bay is fronted by the barrier islands of Egmont Key and Passage Key. The surrounding waters are beautiful, ecologically important and provide anglers with some excellent fishing opportunities. The history surrounding the islands is rich and, in the case of Egmont, goes back some 2,000 years. They seasonally hold some of angling’s prized species, including tarpon, snook and permit.
Egmont Key is a Florida State Park and a National Wildlife Refuge. Steeped in history, the entire island is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Artifacts and pottery dating back two millennia have been found on the island. The first recorded landing there dates back to a Spanish explorer in 1757. The island has miles of old brick roads, a holdover from Fort Dade, built in 1898 as the Spanish-American War threatened. Fort Dade, which remained active until 1923, had over 70 buildings and 300 residents. The key has a functioning lighthouse, rebuilt in 1857 after a hurricane destroyed the original structure. The Tampa Bay Pilots Association is based on the key, giving its members access to the ships they guide in and out of Tampa Bay. Ever changing, Egmont Key was once 50 percent larger than it is today.
Uninhabited Passage Key, south of Egmont, also is a National Wildlife Refuge. It was first established as a bird sanctuary in 1905 by President Theodore Roosevelt. At the time, it was a 60-acre island and had a freshwater lake. That all changed in 1921 when it was decimated by a hurricane. Over the past decade, Passage Key has been little more than a constantly changing sandbar but is building back. In the 1970s, the island was designated as a wilderness area. Together, the islands hold nesting colonies of all Florida seabirds including the largest concentration of royal and sandwich terns in the state.
In the spring and summer, schools of tarpon and permit can be sight-fished on the vast clear white sand flats that surround Passage Key. During the warm months of the year, schools of sharks and large houndfish can be found on the flats. In the cooler months, trout, redfish and pompano congregate on the edges of the flats and the grass beds off the east side of the key. Houndfish, which resemble large needlefish, gather in schools and, while they are not often pursued by anglers, they’re great sport on flies and light tackle. Small white Clousers and other lures that resemble baitfish can elicit some explosive strikes.
Egmont Key has a much more varied habitat and also has excellent fishing for tarpon, snook, permit and sharks. The old structures of Fort Dade can be seen along the western side of the Key, many of which are submerged. They provide a perfect habitat for species, including pompano, trout and sheepshead as well as other pelagic species that swim these waters. On the east side, the pilot’s dock attracts sheepshead, black drum, trout and redfish. Extensive grass flats there are home to trout, pompano, Spanish mackerel and redfish.
The ship’s channel north of the key provides access to Port Manatee and the Port of Tampa. This deep waterway holds a plethora of gamefish, including kingfish, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. The exposed ledges along the channel are also home to mangrove snapper, grouper and sheepshead.
If you haven’t explored these historical islands, a trip there will be eye-opening and, whether you’re swimming in the clear Gulf waters, exploring the rich history ashore or angling for a trophy, you’ll find these islands enchanting.
