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Is a fishing license required to fish while on Shell Key?
Hi Annette,
Yes, you need to have either a ‘shoreline fishing license’ or a regular ‘saltwater fishing license’.
Hope this helps!
Hello. I cannot get a straight answer from Pinellas, fwc, or sheriff. What are the rules for spear fishing the gulf around shell key? How far out do I need to be to spear fish legally?
Sorry for the late reply (had some website glitches) As far as I know, the fishing rules in Shell Key Preserve are the same as other inshore areas.
I understand there’s a no pet rule. Do service animals count?
Hi Karena,
Sorry for the late reply (had some website glitches). Service animals are exempt from the rules. You should have proper documentation with you.
Hope this helps!
Hi Jack! I’m planning on kayaking from the Pinellas Bayway Launch and was wondering what part of the shell key I should aim to go to (to pretty much just spend the day there and go back before sunset), what the route would be. Also planning on fishing sometime around that hehe. What’s your recommendation?
Hi Maria,
From the Bayway launch area, you pretty much head due west toward the south end of the island. You’ll be inside the preserve waters the whole way. Water is fairly shallow with a few deep holes for fishing. Once at the island, you can also fish Bunces Pass from the beach.
Have fun!
Thank you so much Jack! I love your blog, very very helpful 🙂
Hi, so we do not need a reservation for us to camp there? Also, are there bathrooms and showers? And does the ferry cost anything?
Hi Maria,
You do need a reservation and camping permit to camp on the island http://shellkey.org/shell-key-camping-permits/
There are no facilities of any kind on the island. Bring your own toilet for camping. http://shellkey.org/camping/
Ferries are all privately run and are not free. http://shellkey.org/ferries-to-shell-key/
Hope this helps!
Hello,
How does Shell key conduct snorkeling and so forth with the red tide? Looking at purchasing some tickets to take the ferry, but concerned with small children if its safe to enter the water?
Hi Jacqui,
I don’t know if any of the private ferry companies offer snorkeling tours. The Shell Key Preserve itself is managed by Pinellas County which does not offer any services at all. You might call the ferry companies to see if they can point you in the right direction of give you a more current red tide report. Regarding the red tide, I believe it is waning and is not as bad as it was a few weeks ago. However, you would need to make a judgement call (based on odor and fish carcasses) once you reach the island to see if it seems safe to you. If the smell is still noticeable, it’s probably safe to wade up to your knees, but I would not put my head underwater. For what it’s worth – Shell Key is not what I would call a particularly great snorkeling destination. Even *if* the water is clear on the day that you visit, you will find mostly sandy bottom with no coral or underwater structures to attract sea life. Kids can still have fun snorkeling off the beach and they might find some sand dollars and shells – and see an occasional fish swimming by – but it’s not the same as snorkeling in the Keys in South Florida where the waters are crystal clear and reefs are plentiful.
Hope this helps!
I’d like to plan a day trip by ferry to look for shells. Is the island really big, or is it sometimes crowded? If I just walk around looking for shells, is there a lot of sand and beach area to rest on in between? I’ve never been there so I’m not really sure of what to expect. Thanks
Hi Alicia,
The island itself is over 2 miles long, but the middle 3rd is a bird sanctuary and is technically off limits. There are shuttles going to the north and south public use areas. I prefer the south public use area because it’s bigger and generally has fewer people. I would say that the island only really gets crowded on popular holidays (labor day weekend, etc). Otherwise, it’s busier on the weekends – so if you’d prefer fewer people, I’d suggest going on a weekday. There are no facilities (toilets, benches) on the island, so bring everything you need to be comfortable.
Hope this helps!
How bad is the red tide there? Are they cleaning up the dead sea life from the beaches?
Hi Lauri,
Right now, the red tide is pretty much the same all along this coast. Pinellas County does not do a lot of maintenance or cleanup on the island, so I doubt anyone is clearing the beaches of dead fish. I think that’s mostly done privately by the hotels and condos on the beach cities (SP Beach, Pass a grille, etc). Since Shell Key is (technically) inaccessible by land, it takes a lot to get work crews out there by boat and the county just doesn’t have resources for that.
Hope this helps!
My name is JT, and I’m a digital producer for Travel U.S. News & World Report. I’m hoping to acquire some horizontal high-resolution images of Shell Key Preserve to use in its description as a top attraction in St. Petersburg. It will appear in our St. Petersburg travel guide. We are seeking a perpetual, sublicensable worldwide, royalty-free right to display and license these images along with our textual content in online and other media (for example, print or social media). We plan to credit the photos with: Courtesy of Shell Key Preserve.
Please let me know if this is possible or who I should get in touch with to secure some photographs. I appreciate any assistance you can offer.
Hi JT,
Our organization doesn’t have any ready to go high resolution, royalty free images – however we can connect you with photographers who go to Shell Key frequently and can produce high resolution photographs as well as high quality drone footage. If this is something you would be interested in, please let me know and I will email you directly to exchange contact information.
Kind Regards,
are there benches or seats on the island?
Hi Dave,
No, there are no facilities or any kind on the island. No benches or shelters. This is a wilderness area so you will need to bring all of your own camping gear to be comfortable.
Hope this helps!
Hi There,
so glad I found this! We are visiting on 24.02. and wanted to launch Kajaks. I cannot find any phone number or e-mail. We are a party of 4 adults. Is there any good time of the day to be there, to make sure we get four Kajaks and parking is still available?
All the best and thank you very much for your help in advance. 🙂
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
You would need to contact the kayak rental companies directly for rental scheduling. Here is the website for the one inside Ft. Desoto Park: https://www.topwaterkayak.com/. (There are a couple of other rental companies nearby that can be found with a Google search). The Shell Key Preserve itself is managed by Pinellas County but they do not have a dedicated number for general questions.
Hope this helps!
Is flying a drone to capture video permitted?
Hi Chuck,
Yes, As far as I know drones are fine on Shell Key. They are not mentioned in the county’s ‘Shell Key Management Plan’ – and I saw one flying out there a few weeks ago.
Hope this helps!
I am traveling alone with my dog kayaking and camping all over florida right now. I have all of her paperwork. Is there any way i can camp Shell island with her?
Hi Joy,
Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on Shell Key at any time. If you do bring the dog, you would risk a fine (I think around $100) in the unlikely event that you are caught.
Best,
Hi, thank you for your website resource. It appears on a map that it would be closer to launch a kayak to get to south Shell Key, from the Fort De Soto fishing and picknicking area south of Shell Key. Would that be an option and if so what pros or cons do you foresee? Thanks again!
Hi TJ,
You can definitely launch a kayak from Ft. Desoto North Beach for a day trip to Shell Key. I have launched from the Arrowhead Picnic & Fishing area – and it’s a short trip to the island from there. You will be crossing the main boating channel when launching from that location, so depending on the time of day and traffic, you should be prepared for the possibly of busy boating traffic. The alternative would be to launch from the Pinellas Bayway Kayak launch. It’s a longer distance than crossing from North Beach, but there are no boating channels to cross – and it’s outside of the Ft. Desoto park, so there are no fees.
Hope this helps!
I plan to kayak to Shell Key. Can I trailer park at Butler hole? Is it fine to launch with a battery operated trolling motor?
Hi John,
You can park a trailer at the Butler hole location, but not overnight. (the posted sign reads “No Overnight Trailer Parking”). You are allowed to use an electric trolling motor while inside the preserve boundaries. (posted signs read “No Internal Combustion Engines”).
Hope this helps!
Is there any Good Fishing at Shell Key?
Hi Antonio,
The flats that are between the Shell Key and the Pinellas Bayway have a lot of good fishing holes – great fishing if you are set up for flats fishing. If you are fishing from the island, your best bet is the south shore on Bunces Pass. There is a relatively sharp drop in depth on that shore – so you have a nice channel to fish.
Hope this helps!
We’re planning on coming to Shell Key tomorrow (Friday). Do we need a reservation? If so, how much is it and where do we make the reservation? Thank you.
Hi Gina,
There are no reservations needed to visit the island during the daytime if you use your own boat. For transportation to the island, please contact one of the Ferries that offer shuttle services.
Hope this helps!
My wife &I are down for a stay. I have read about a land bridge due to development unfortunately… connecting shell key to the coastal development..does this mean it’s passable without taking a ferry now,? Or do you still have to take a ferry to get to the preserve?? If so who do I contact?? Thank you..MJ
Hi Michael,
It’s true that you can technically walk onto the island now, however it is not legal to access Shell Key this way and there is a fence blocking the path with trespassing signs posted. Visiting the island by boat is still the only legal way to get there.
Hope this helps!
Is fishing allowed here?
Hi Alivia,
Absolutely – you can fish anywhere with the aquatic preserve. Just make sure you have the appropriate fishing license with you and follow the regular catch rules for this season.
Hope this helps!
We are camping on Shell Key for the first time in mid-March (next month) and plan to arrive by Ferry. It will only be for one night, but we are hoping that the March weather is historically a good time to do this? One of our friends suggested that a large numbers of no-see-ums may be an issue in the camping area. Do you happen to know if this is really the case? Naturally, we want to enjoy our stay, not feel like we’re being eaten alive the whole time!
Hi Eric,
March is *usually* very nice for camping on Shell Key – warm days and cool nights. No-see-ums usually get bad in the summer starting in June. That said, they can be found year round if there is a bout of unseasonably warm weather. If you camp near the shore with a breeze, you’re usually fine. They are worse around the mud flats on the island’s interior. Mosquito repellent also works pretty well with no-see-ums – and some folks spray it on the sand around the campsite to keep them down. If it happens to be a particularly warm week when you go, bring some repellent and camp by the shore and you should be fine.
Hope this helps!