Recreation, Boating & Fishing

Whether your favorite recreation takes place above the water, under the water, on the water, or dry land, you can find it to do in Manatee County. From parasailing to scuba, hooking a fish or just swimming like one, water and beach activities are some of the county's most alluring pastimes.

Access to the Gulf of Mexico, Sarasota Bay, bayous, and the county's miles of waterways and rivers is easily provided through more than 30 marinas and 8 boat ramps. The waters of Manatee County are renowned as fertile fishing grounds, teeming with pompano, flounder, redfish, and trout to name a few, while grouper, tarpon, mackerel and kingfish abound in the Gulf waters, providing fishermen of every skill level plenty of fish tales about "reeling in the big one".

For those who prefer to fish from the coastline, there are a host of public fishing piers, including the world's longest fishing pier, which extends more than a mile and a half from the Skyway Bridge. Anna Maria's City Pier at Pine Avenue and Rod 'n Reel Pier along Bay Boulevard are also favorite fishing spots, along with Bradenton Beach Fishing Pier at Bridge Street and the Manatee Beach Fishing Pier on Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach.