Hello all! My name is Shawn, from Houston TX. I am a custom rod builder, by night, and have been Shark Fishing for over 10 years now. We are making our first trip to FL next July. We will be staying at the Sheraton Sand Key for 10 days. My daughter is competing in a National Pageant & my butt will be fishing!!!
I am pretty sure the rules differ from Texas & I was hoping I could get some questions answered.
* Can you drive / park on the beach?
* Is overnight camping / fishing allowed?
* Are there places where surf / shark fishing is not allowed?
* Are there any other do's or don'ts pertaining to law or etiquette, that I should know about?
I am wanting to do the majority of my fishing in the vicinity of the hotel. It looks like a perfect location for Surf fishing the beach front & kayaking the small bays & causeways just behind the hotel.
Thanks for helping me out on this! I want to make the most of my week there & spend as little time as possible figuring out the lay of the land!
Shawn
- Tight lines & Screaming drags!
I know u can't drive or park on the beach, it's a $1 an hour to park next to the main beach. Sand key park closes at dark. I've never fished the main beach at night but the pier is open 24 hours and has a bait shop, minimal tackle, concessions. There are a ton of shark pups in the intercostal behind sand key. U will find out quickly if u can fish their at night because Clearwater is crawling w cops, and make sure u have your fishing license because they love writing tickets. They are very strict on the alcohol there, esp make sure u don't bring any glass. However if your staying at the Sheraton u might b able to fish directly behind it all hours, not sure. Daytime will def be an issue in July since it's a major tourist destination. And don't tell anyone your targeting sharks, if anyone asks just say tarpon or Goliath grouper, good luck.
Thanks RF! Looking forward to the trip and meeting the local LEO's!