Egmont Key & Passage Key Area
 

Was thinking of hitting Egmont and Passage Key and need a good ramp and Hotel (with a Marina would be a plus) in the area.

Any suggestions on the above or places to eat on the water?

Anyone gonna be out?

Thanks,

Jack

Fort Da Sota probably has the best ramps. Passage has almost disappeared, come in from the west, be careful as it is shallow. The currents are way too strong on the Bay side to swim & just hang out.
Holiday Inn Sun Spree has a Marina.

Also Terra Verde has a hotel with docks. If you'd like a nicer ride and top notch room the Marriott downtown Tampa Bay has awesome docks resturants and rooms.

Passage Key...isn't that Nekkid Island now?

Johno, how it been going? How's the Renegade doing? When are you going back to Rattlefish for some food?

Ft Desoto has the best ramps in the state. For lodging, I pick Tierra Verde Resort, or the Holiday Inn Sunspree at the foot of the Sunshine Skyway. The Sunspree was needing spruced up the last time I stayed there, but it probably has been redone since then.

I had a great time out there Mem wknd! I actually went down to Sarasota for the foodage! I put in at DeSoto ramp as well and had no issues. I did run out in the bay on the way to Egmont but almost made a big boo boo coming back. It was so rough, I couldn't read my GPS and I didn't plot ahead. I almost ran over Passage key, but noticed breaking waves and steered clear. Double check your charts/GPS and plan your route. Easy to get into trouble over there. Also, the water is very clear. You'll think it's shallower than it really is at the Key.

I was in Tierra Verde a couple of weeks ago. I think the hotel at the Tierra Verde Resort Marina is closed down. The marina part looked open but not the hotel. Tierra Verde High High and Dry is still booming, don't think they have a hotel though.

Without question, Ft DeSoto is the best place to put in.
As Johno said, Passage key is a mess to get to these days.

We've stayed at the Holiday Inn about 4 times in the last year or so. Nice place to stay. If you go, tell them you want to be by the tennis courts. There's plenty of room to park there and there's a hose at the little "tennis house" so you can flush and wash the boat when you pull out.

Maximo park is across the street (1/2 mile max. :))for you to put in.

Rooms are generally around $100.00 a night.

I'd be leary about leaving my truck and trailer at Maximo. It's not the best of parks, if you know what I mean. You use to be able to leave a trailer at O'Neil's Skyway Basin for a small fee. O'Neils also has a boat launch, and fuel.

Thanks for the input guys. I will call around and see what available down there.

Any other spots to check out while we are down there?

Tons of them. That's the only thing I miss about living in Pinellas. In my opinion, the Tampa Bay area is the best boating in the state. Dozens of places to go, and dozens of different ways to get there. How long are you staying there?

Will probrably go down Friday afternoon and stay till Sunday afternoon. If we enjoy it may go back down a couple more times this summer. Its close enough...

It's fun to make the run across the bay and go up the Hillsboro River into Tampa. Our boat club stayed at the Radisson on the river one night. We had a ball! We took a van over to Harborside for dinner at, then we took the trolley into Ybor for a night at the Apmpitheater where we had a private area, with our own bouncer, and a door that led to a balcony overlooking 7th Ave.

No anything about the Bahia Beach Resort. That and the Sunspree are on my list right now.

We had a poker run lunch stop at Bahia one time. It was a nice place, but Ruskin's in the middle of nowhere.

Sounds perfect!!!! LOL

Recommended lunch stops? Anywhere down the coast or in the bay would be cool.

Thanks..

If you want to go up the bay you have to go to Rattlefish. It is like Bonefish on the water with excellent floating docks and plenty of space.

Mar Vista on Longboat Key is a must-do for lunch. It's south, and you can get there by intercoastal from Eggmont if need be. If it's smooth, it's a nice cruise out in the gulf to get there. It's on the north end of longboat key, just south of the pass.
http://mapserver.maptech.com/homepag...latlontype=DMS

Mar Vista has always been one of my favorites. When we were there last year for the Donzi Hometown Rally, the docks really needed some sprucing up. You have to watch for the big rusty bolts sticking out of it, or beach your boat.

I second the rattle fish idea, nice docks and good food. I think it is last year for it, they are going Condo......

I have never been to Mar Vista, have to check it out. I am in St. Pete with small boat though so the mouth of the bay is not always my friend.

Just wanted to check back in and say thanks for the advice. We ended up spending a day at Ebmont and a day at Shell Island. Ran up into Tampa as well.

Had a blast...

Jack

Great to hear, Jack! Glad you enjoyed the area, it has a lot to offer.
:cool:

Awesome...I have not been out in my boat in over a month...hopefully this weekend. CigDaze, you and the wifey are always invited...keep intouch.

Definitely Mike! Give us a buzz, my motors aren't back in yet and I'm jonesing. :cool-smiley-011:

.........and I was just about to hit you up for a ride this weekend.:D

I'll be over all weekend, to visit my parents, and see my niece's new baby boy.:cool-smiley-011:

Where is Passage Key ??

Just south of Egmont Key, really just a sand bar.

Just south about a 1/2 mile and look for all the nekkid people.:circle:

It's probably less than a half mile of Anna Maria Island. It's almost gone from the storms in 04, and 05. I used to fish around it as far back as 30 years ago. It was known as Bird Key back then.

I think I know where it is. It is underwater at high tide correct ??

You got it & mostly frequented by the it is clothing optional crowd. 100 Years ago it was 30 acres big & had a Ranger station...

I drove by it last month and it seemed to have a lot of the gay pride population. It is now a small spit of sand.

Johno, I did not know it use to be that big with a station and all. WOW...would love to see some old history pix.

Yea, I went there about 3 years ago when i first heard about it being naked island. Average age was about 50 and about 75% male. Yikes. I go to Shell Key when I was the beach the boat ever since. :-)

The crowd can vary & most folks stay to themselves, some weeks mild & others it gets wild. The water out there is probably the nicest for the local area. Shell Isl. is way too full of ....& it's way shallow & congested with boats.
Time will tell if it remains, another storm could detroy it completely or bring more sand in & rebuild it. It,s federally protected area , not much to protect as the Birds have no where to nest.

We used to go there quite a bit, and it was rare to see any evidence of Gay Pride there.