How to Use the Pinellas Reef Map for a St. Pete Fishing Trip

Get the map and numbers from the county

Start with Pinellas County’s Artificial Reef Program page. It links to the county reef map and GPS coordinate list. Open both when you're picking a spot for a trip from St. Pete.

The county describes additions to King's Reef in 2023 in an area parallel to Tierra Verde and Fort De Soto Park. Check the current map if the numbers you've been using came from an old download. Pinellas County reef information.

Choose a few locations that fit your boat and the forecast. You can build on that list after you've had time to fish them.

Check the coordinate format before you enter it

Read the label beside the numbers. A site center and a specific material placement can give you different starting points when you arrive. Save the description with the waypoint.

Check your chartplotter's input format before typing. Degrees and decimal minutes differ from decimal degrees. For a simple example, 27 degrees 30 minutes north equals 27.5 decimal degrees north. Entering 27.30 as decimal degrees puts the point somewhere else.

Those numbers only illustrate the conversion. Use the county's actual entry and your device instructions for the waypoint you're saving. Check north or south and east or west, too.

Once it's entered, look at the point on the chart and compare it with the county map. If it's on land or nowhere near the named area, stop and check the entry before leaving.

Plan the run from your ramp

Include the trip from your dock or ramp to open water, the offshore leg, and the ride back. The distance between a reef and the beach won't tell you how far your boat has to travel.

Use current navigation charts for hazards and passage planning. Read the marine forecast for the water along your route. The county reef map helps you find reef locations, but you'll still need the right navigation information for the trip.

Have another spot in mind if the first one is occupied or too tough to fish. Pick an alternative that fits the day. A longer run can use up the time you meant to spend with bait on the bottom.

Write down how you fished the spot

When you reach the area, use your instruments and observations to find the structure and work out how to fish it. Give boats and divers already there plenty of room.

Save the waypoint reference, the depth you read, your bait or rig, and how you positioned the boat. Note whether you could stay in touch with the bottom or kept losing track of where the bait was going.

That helps you make sense of a slow trip. A few drops that never reached the intended spot don't tell you the same thing as an hour spent fishing it. Put the details in your notes before they turn into “nothing at that reef.”

Know what came up before putting it in the cooler

Check the target species, fishing area, and current harvest and gear rules before leaving. A public reef listing doesn't tell you what you can keep there.

When a grouper comes up, our Tampa Bay and Gulf grouper identification guide can help you compare the fish. The St. Pete gag season article links to the September 2026 planning sources.

After the trip, save what you learned about the spot in your private records. When you post a catch, choose how much location detail you want to share. You'll have the photos and notes ready when it's time to plan another trip.