Your shoreline field guide

Fort De Soto Park — East Beach

Pinellas · beach

Call ahead

7 a.m. to sunset, 7 days a week$6 per day beach parking through November 30, 2026 (pay stations, mobile apps or annual pass); $3.50/hour capped at $12/day beginning December 1, 2026.

Sunrise over Tampa Bay from a Fort De Soto beach, Skyway Bridge in the distance — Sunrise at Fort De Soto Park; the photographer did not name the exact beach. Photo: photography_Buff (Flickr) · CC BY 2.0 · Source

Before you go

County says the northeast end of Anderson Blvd (East Beach loop) was impacted by Hurricane Helene; repair construction is scheduled from Summer 2027. Call ahead about which East Beach areas are reachable.

Pinellas County Parks & Conservation Resources

Call Fort De Soto · 727-582-2100 Website

Hours not listed — call during business hours

Good for

Target species

Spotted seatrout Redfish Florida pompano Sheepshead

Style

surfwadeflats

General guidance: Bay-side beach facing lower Tampa Bay grass flats; wade for trout and reds on a moving tide.

Choose bait and rigs for these fish →

Wind & weather

Mon, 5 AMNE 26 mphgusts 2973° · Rain 1%Mostly Clear

Mon, 8 AMNNE 26 mphgusts 2974° · Rain 0%Sunny

Mon, 11 AMNE 25 mphgusts 2876° · Rain 0%Sunny

Mon, 2 PMNE 22 mphgusts 2679° · Rain 1%Sunny

Mon, 5 PMNE 25 mphgusts 3180° · Rain 3%Sunny

Mon, 8 PMNNE 24 mphgusts 2877° · Rain 1%Mostly Clear

Mon, 11 PMNNE 25 mphgusts 2674° · Rain 0%Partly Cloudy

Tue, 2 AMNNE 23 mphgusts 2572° · Rain 0%Partly Cloudy

Tue, 5 AMNNE 23 mphgusts 2572° · Rain 1%Mostly Clear

Tue, 8 AMNNE 23 mphgusts 2572° · Rain 0%Mostly Sunny

Tue, 11 AMNE 22 mphgusts 2475° · Rain 0%Mostly Sunny

Tue, 2 PMNE 22 mphgusts 2679° · Rain 3%Sunny

Tue, 5 PMNE 25 mphgusts 3180° · Rain 2%Sunny

Tue, 8 PMNE 24 mphgusts 2878° · Rain 3%Mostly Clear

Tue, 11 PMNE 24 mphgusts 2675° · Rain 3%Mostly Clear

Wed, 2 AMNE 24 mphgusts 2674° · Rain 2%Mostly Clear

Forecast from National Weather Service, updated Oct 26, 3:01 AM ET

The practical details

Access at a glance

Status	Call ahead
Status note	County says the northeast end of Anderson Blvd (East Beach loop) was impacted by Hurricane Helene; repair construction is scheduled from Summer 2027. Call ahead about which East Beach areas are reachable.
Address	3500 Pinellas Bayway S., Tierra Verde, FL 33715 (park address)
Hours	7 a.m. to sunset, 7 days a week
Parking / fees	$6 per day beach parking through November 30, 2026 (pay stations, mobile apps or annual pass); $3.50/hour capped at $12/day beginning December 1, 2026.
Amenities	Beach
Fishing license	Statewide (FWC): a Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless exempt or covered by a licensed fishing pier; a free shore-based shark fishing permit is also required to target sharks from shore, jetties, bridges and piers. Fishing license: who needs one

Last checked Oct 2026 from Pinellas County: Fort De Soto Park Repairs

Parking

Location: Fort De Soto Park.
Rates: $6 per day through November 30, 2026; $3.50 per hour, capped at $12 per day, beginning December 1, 2026.
How to pay: Parking terminals, mobile parking apps, pay-by-text, or annual pass. Visa, Mastercard and American Express accepted.
Notes: $0.35 convenience fee for app or pay-by-text payment.

Source · Additional source · checked Oct 26, 2026

Freshly caught red drum showing its tail spots — Redfish

Angler-caught spotted seatrout — Spotted seatrout

Fish photo credits

Know the water

Fish to target here

General habitat guidance; confirm access and regulations before fishing.

Redfish Bay-side beach facing lower Tampa Bay grass flats; wade for trout and reds on a moving tide.
Spotted seatrout Bay-side beach facing lower Tampa Bay grass flats; wade for trout and reds on a moving tide.
Sheepshead Bay-side beach facing lower Tampa Bay grass flats; wade for trout and reds on a moving tide.
Florida pompano Bay-side beach facing lower Tampa Bay grass flats; wade for trout and reds on a moving tide.
Blacktip shark Work nearby sand, grass or shoreline edges within permitted fishing areas.
Bonnethead Work nearby sand, grass or shoreline edges within permitted fishing areas.
Stingray Work nearby sand, grass or shoreline edges within permitted fishing areas.

Tide chart, next 48 hours

Predictions from NOAA station Mullet Key Channel (Skyway) (8726364). Times are local (EST/EDT). Updated when the site rebuilds.

7-day high/low table

Station: Mullet Key Channel (Skyway) (8726364) · 2.1 km away. Heights in feet above MLLW; station local time (EST/EDT). Predictions are not observed conditions.

Date / time	Tide	Feet
2026-10-26 06:51	Low	-0.482
2026-10-26 13:54	High	1.59
2026-10-26 18:02	Low	1.039
2026-10-27 00:02	High	2.397
2026-10-27 07:38	Low	-0.618
2026-10-27 14:50	High	1.458
2026-10-27 18:21	Low	1.109
2026-10-28 00:33	High	2.526
2026-10-28 08:29	Low	-0.64
2026-10-28 15:51	High	1.31
2026-10-28 18:39	Low	1.136
2026-10-29 01:11	High	2.569
2026-10-29 09:25	Low	-0.556
2026-10-30 01:55	High	2.507
2026-10-30 10:27	Low	-0.394
2026-10-31 02:49	High	2.34
2026-10-31 11:37	Low	-0.198
2026-11-01 03:03	High	2.094
2026-11-01 11:49	Low	-0.004

not present/background (0-1,000)

Red tide (FWC samples, last 8 days)

Nearest sample: Mullet Key; Gulf Pier, Oct 19 2026; not present/background (0-1,000); 3.3 km away. Maximum within 15 km: not present/background (0-1,000) (7 samples).

Samples are point-in-time observations; missing samples do not establish safe conditions. Check FWC’s current report.

Next steps

Sources

OpenClosedCall ahead

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