Pick a launch for the full fishing notes and today's wind and tide.
- Anclote River Park
River-mouth launch, easy paddle out to the Gulf or upriver. Sandy beach put-in
- Ballast Point Park
Free city park with a pier and an on-site ramp/slip on the west shore of Hillsborough Bay.
- Bayfront Park (Anna Maria)
North tip of Anna Maria Island. Open paddling toward Egmont Key and the Skyway
- Bayport Park
County park at the Weeki Wachee River mouth where it meets the Gulf. Open water beyond the mouth picks up fetch.
- Bird Key Park
Bay beach launch at the foot of the Ringling Causeway. Closed at the launch after Milton damage; the nearby bay water is still...
- Brasher Park
Free waterfront carry-launch on the Gulf at Millers Bayou. Storm-damaged: structures torn down with porta-potties only as of...
- Butler Hole (Tierra Verde)
Roadside locals' put-in for Shell Key. Park along Pinellas Bayway, slide through a gap in the mangroves
- Chassahowitzka (The Chaz)
County ramp at the head of the Chassahowitzka spring river. Small lot fills early on weekends.
- Clam Bayou
Gulfport/St. Pete hidden mangrove preserve. No motors, classic locals' secret
- Cockroach Bay (Ruskin)
Aquatic preserve, no motors, marked paddling trails. Hidden Hillsborough gem
- Coffee Pot Bayou
NE St. Pete neighborhood launch. Tiny, sheltered, perfect first-paddle spot
- Coquina Beach Ramp (AMI south)
South end of Anna Maria, Sarasota Bay side. Quiet alternative to the Gulf-side beach scene
- Crystal River (Hunter Springs)
Spring-fed, gin-clear water. ~75 min drive, far north but worth it. Closed to paddle Nov 15 through Mar 31 for manatee season
- Davis Islands Boat Ramp
Free city ramp on Hillsborough Bay at Seddon Channel, the practical downtown-area launch.
- Dunedin Causeway
Free park-and-launch. 15-min paddle west to Caladesi Island, the iconic crossing
- E.G. Simmons (boat ramp)
Hillsborough County park with a double boat ramp and kayak launches into calm mangrove tidal inlets on southeast Tampa Bay.
- Eagle Point
Free county park with a developed kayak ramp on a Gulf-side cove.
- Emerson Point (Palmetto)
Mouth of Manatee River meets the bay. Wide-open paddling with Skyway views
- Fort De Soto
Big SW Gulf-influenced fetch
- Fort Hamer Park (launch)
Free 24-hour boat and kayak ramp on the upper tidal Manatee River in Parrish. Also a rowing-crew training venue.
- Fort Island Gulf Beach
Open Gulf county beach with real fetch exposure. The calmer Fort Island Trail ramp sits a few miles inland on the river if the...
- Fred Howard Park
Mangrove trail to a hidden Gulf beach. Tarpon Springs gem, locals' favorite for sunset
- Green Key
Robert K. Rees Memorial Park, a west-facing key beach with open Gulf exposure.
- Hernando Beach Ramp
Public boat ramp that reaches the Gulf through residential canals and the Hernando Beach channel. Card-only parking.
- Honeymoon Island
State park, Gulf side. Pay to enter. Great launch for the Caladesi crossing
- Jenkins Creek Park
County park with a boat ramp and fishing pier, directly across Shoal Line Blvd from Linda Pedersen on the same Jenkins Creek.
- Ken Thompson / City Island
City Island kayak launch with access to New Pass and the Lido mangrove tunnels, the SUP draw here. The on-site tour operator is a...
- Key Vista
Free county nature park with a beach carry-launch, sharing the same shallow Gulf water as the canonical Anclote River Park nearby.
- Kingfish Boat Ramp
Major public ramp and kayak launch at the east foot of the Anna Maria Island bridge on Anna Maria Sound. Shade and portapotties;...
- Kings Bay Park
City park on Kings Bay, a separate lot and ramp from the canonical Crystal River / Hunter Springs launch on the same spring-fed...
- Lassing Park
Best on straight-E wind; flat shallow water
- Linda Pedersen Park
County park with a kayak-carry launch on tidal Jenkins Creek. The observation tower has been closed since 2025 (structural), and...
- Maximo Park
Sheltered ramp, S fetch toward Skyway
- Mobbly Bayou (Oldsmar)
Tucked, no-wake bayou at the top of Old Tampa Bay. Hidden, dead-calm most days
- Nick's Park
Public launch reaching the Gulf through the Port Richey canal and bayou.
- Old Homosassa Public Ramp
Cherokee Way public launch on the spring-fed Homosassa River. This is the real public put-in, not the commercial Riverside rental...
- Ozello Community Park
Free county park launch into the Ozello backwater maze on the north side of Crystal Bay.
- Palma Sola Causeway Ramp
Free causeway ramp on protected Palma Sola Bay, opening toward Anna Maria Sound.
- Philippe Park
Old Tampa Bay east shore, Safety Harbor. Open bay to the W, sheltered from E winds
- Picnic Island Park
Free city park at the interbay tip by the Old Tampa Bay entrance. Use the public canoe/kayak launch and beach, not the on-site...
- Pine Island (McKethan)
Alfred A. McKethan Pine Island Park, the main Hernando County beach park and the northernmost launch of the cluster. Reopened...
- Robinson Preserve
Restored mangrove preserve, NW Bradenton. Tunnels feel like a separate world
- Rogers Park
County park on the lower Weeki Wachee River, downstream of the spring head.
- Sand Key Park
County Gulf-beach park on Clearwater Pass. The open beach is exposed; the calm SUP put-in is the sheltered bay lagoon on the pass...
- Seminole Waterfront Park
Free city park with a launch pad and rinse station on the salt side, Long Bayou into North Boca Ciega Bay. Not the freshwater...
- Sims Park
Free city park with a dedicated kayak launch on the tidal Pithlachascotee (Cotee) River in downtown New Port Richey.
- Strickland Memorial
The Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park boat ramp on Armand Way, reaching the Gulf via the Hudson channel. The park proper up the...
- Sunset Beach (Tarpon)
Tiny, free, quiet. Locals' sunset launch just south of Fred Howard
- Ted Sperling / South Lido
Sarasota's famous mangrove tunnels. Protected even on windy days
- Turtle Beach (Siesta Key)
South Siesta Key. Launch into the intracoastal, paddle to Jim Neville Preserve's hidden beach
- Upper Tampa Bay Park
Hillsborough County regional park; the kayak/canoe launch is at the Nature Center into mangrove creeks reaching inner Old Tampa...
- Warner's Bayou Ramp
Free 24-hour ramp and kayak launch on a lower Manatee River inlet at 59th St W in Bradenton. Osprey nest and dolphins per reviews.
- Weedon Island
Long S/SW fetch up Old Tampa Bay
- Weeki Wachee Springs SP
Paid state-park launch at the spring head. You launch at the top and get shuttled back, same public-but-paid setup as Honeymoon...
- Werner-Boyce SP
Paid state-park launch on the salt-spring run at the main US-19 entrance, leading west through mangroves to the Gulf.