Photo: DanTD, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Grab your rod, load up the cooler, and let’s talk fishing in Pasco County — because if you haven’t dropped a line out here yet, you’re genuinely missing out. I’ve been fishing these waters my whole life, and I still get that same stupid grin on my face every time something tugs on my line. Whether you’re after redfish in the Gulf, largemouth bass in a freshwater lake, or just a quiet morning on a dock with a cup of coffee, Pasco County has more good spots than most people realize. The trick is knowing where to go, when to show up, and what you’re actually fishing for. Let me break it all down for you the way a neighbor would — not a brochure.
Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park
This is hands down one of my favorite places to fish in all of Pasco County, and I’ll argue with anyone who disagrees. Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park sits right on the Gulf of Mexico and gives you access to some incredible inshore saltwater fishing. The salt marshes, tidal creeks, and open Gulf waters here are absolutely loaded with redfish, snook, flounder, and sheepshead. I’ve had mornings out here where I couldn’t keep the redfish off my line, and I’ve also had mornings where I sat there humbled. That’s fishing.
The park is a paddler’s paradise too, so if you want to kayak out to your fishing spot — which honestly is the best way to do it here — you can launch right from the park. The shallow grass flats are where you want to be for redfish and snook, especially during the warmer months. Bring a light spinning rod, some live shrimp, or a gold spoon, and work those edges.
Location: 8737 US Highway 19 N, Port Richey, FL 34668
Phone: (727) 816-1890
Website: floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/werner-boyce-salt-springs-state-park
Hours: 8:00 AM – Sundown, daily
Cost: $4 per vehicle (2-8 people), $2 for pedestrians and cyclists
Parking: Included with paid entry
Insider Tip: The back tidal creeks on the north end of the park are less trafficked and hold redfish year-round. If you’re kayak fishing, launch early and work those creek mouths right around the tide changes. Also, the salt springs themselves attract some surprisingly large sheepshead in the cooler months — don’t overlook them.
Best Time to Visit: Fall and early spring for snook and redfish. Winter for sheepshead near the springs structure.
Best For: Inshore saltwater fishing, kayak fishing, redfish, snook, sheepshead, flounder
Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park
If you live in the New Port Richey/Hudson area, you already know about this spot. If you don’t, now you do. Robert J. Strickland Memorial Park sits right on the Gulf of Mexico with nearly 1,900 feet of waterfront, and it’s one of the most accessible fishing spots in the county. There’s a boat ramp, a dock, an observation tower, and canoe/kayak access alongside decent bank fishing.
I’ve caught snook right under the lights here at night during the summer. The park is easy to pop in for a couple of hours and still make it home for dinner without turning it into a whole production.
Location: 6345 Clark Street, New Port Richey, FL 34654
Phone: (727) 861-3010 (Pasco County Parks)
Website: pascocountyfl.gov
Hours: Dawn to Dusk
Cost: Free
Parking: Free on-site parking available
Insider Tip: Night fishing here during June through September for snook is legitimately good. The lights along the water attract bait, and the snook stack up under them. Use a light fluorocarbon leader and live pilchards or a white DOA shrimp under a popping cork. Keep your drag set right because those snook will run hard toward the structure.
Best Time to Visit: Summer nights for snook, fall and winter for sheepshead and redfish working the nearby grass flats.
Best For: Family-friendly bank fishing, snook night fishing, easy access dock fishing
Crews Lake Wilderness Park
Crews Lake is one of those places I take people when they visit and want to fish but aren’t into saltwater. It’s a roughly 400-acre lake surrounded by a wilderness park with trails, a boardwalk, and some genuinely solid freshwater fishing. Largemouth bass are the main attraction here, and the lake has good structure — lily pads, submerged grass, dock pilings — all the stuff bass love to hang around.
I’ve caught bass here on topwater frogs early in the morning when the surface is still glassy, and it never gets old watching a bass blow up on a frog. Beyond bass, you’ll also find bluegill, shellcracker, and the occasional catfish. It’s a family-friendly spot where kids can get into plenty of action without needing fancy gear.
Location: 16739 Crews Lake Drive, Spring Hill, FL 34610
Phone: (727) 861-3038
Website: pascocountyfl.gov
Hours: 7:00 AM – Sunset, daily
Cost: Free
Parking: Free
Insider Tip: The lily pad fields on the southern end of the lake are bass magnets in spring during the spawn. Walk the boardwalk early and look for bedding bass before you even cast — sight fishing for beds is incredibly fun and it helps you place your bait exactly right. A weedless Texas-rigged Senko in green pumpkin is my go-to here.
Best Time to Visit: Spring (February through April) for the bass spawn. Early morning year-round for the best topwater action.
Best For: Freshwater bass fishing, family fishing trips, beginners, topwater action
Withlacoochee River Park
Withlacoochee River Park, out near Dade City, is the pick for anyone who wants a genuine public freshwater ramp on flowing river water rather than a lake. The park sits right on the Withlacoochee River with a boat ramp for small boats, kayaks, and canoes, plus a dock and fishing pier where you can cast a line without ever putting a boat in.
The Withlacoochee has a completely different personality than the Gulf-side spots — tannin-dark water, cypress-lined banks, and a slower, quieter pace. It’s a solid bet for bass, bluegill, and catfish, and it’s far enough inland that it rarely gets the weekend crowds you’ll find at the coastal parks.
Location: 12449 Withlacoochee Boulevard, Dade City, FL 33525
Website: pascocountyfl.gov
Cost: Free
Parking: Free on-site
Insider Tip: Fish the pier if you don’t have a boat — it puts you right over deeper water close to the bank, which is often where the bigger bass and catfish are holding, especially in the heat of summer.
Best Time to Visit: Fall through spring for the most comfortable conditions and the most active bite.
Best For: Bank and pier fishing, small boat and kayak access, a quieter inland alternative to the coastal spots
Pithlachascotee River (The Cotee)
The Pithlachascotee River — locals just call it the Cotee — runs right through New Port Richey before emptying into the Gulf, and the whole stretch is fishable water. For public access, James E. Grey Preserve off Plathe Road (just west of Little Road) is the best put-in point, with a kayak/canoe launch, a fishing pier, and a boardwalk along roughly 80 acres of preserved riverfront.
Depending on where you fish along the Cotee, you’ll find a mix of freshwater and brackish species — snook and mangrove snapper closer to the mouth, bluegill and bass in the upstream freshwater stretches. It’s a great option if you want a quick, low-key session without driving all the way out to the Gulf-front parks.
Best Time to Visit: Year-round, with the best action typically in the cooler months when snook and redfish push further up the river system, and after a stretch of calm, rain-free days when the water isn’t running fast and murky.
Best For: A mixed bag of freshwater and brackish species, an easy in-town option, and paddle-fishing without a long drive.