Florida Waypoints: Quick Trip to Little Manatee River State Park

Salt or fresh: Catch reds, snook, bass and a whole more in west central Florida.

November 12, 2025 By David McGrath

Little Manatee River State Park, in Hillsborough County, is nestled along 4.5 miles of the namesake river. The river is designated as an Outstanding Florida Water, and flows another 20 miles west into Tampa Bay.

When I first set eyes on the river, barely 50 feet wide as it curls through a forest of sand pine and oak scrub, my fresh-or-brackish-water question was answered when a bank fisherman told me he had just caught and released his first ever snook, a 22-incher. He showed me the 4-inch crankbait he used, with which he usually catches bass and muskie in his home state of North Carolina.

More common catches in the Little Manatee this far inland are bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish. Snook, redfish and jack crevalle prevail downstream toward the I-75 bridge.

The angler and his wife were in their second day of a four-day stay in their RV at one of the 30 water/electric sites at the park’s central campground, which was full on a Monday night. I, however, had been able to access the Florida State Parks online reservation website and snag one of the nine available spaces in the equestrian campground. Four of those have water and electric and a pair of horse stalls each, while I opted to pitch my 9 x 12 Coleman tent in a drive-in site with no electricity or water.

Unplugging these days is less of a hardship with long-lasting LED lights and a car charger slightly bigger than a candy bar, which powers my cell phone and laptop.

Patti Tindall from Batavia, Illinois, went one better: Staying in her custom pickup camper at the adjacent campsite with her chocolate Lab mix Tilly, she showed off her silent Jackery solar generator, no bigger than a boom box, that ran her lights, coffee maker and portable fridge.

River and hiking trail at Little Manatee River State Park. — A scenic river bend and hiking trail at Little Manatee River State Park.

Although I looked forward to sleeping near horses, like the cowboys in Lonesome Dove, there were no animals in the stable that week. I was treated, however, to the distant call of a great horned owl some time after midnight, a haunting, hypnotic sound, making me feel there was no place else I’d rather be.

What Little Manatee SP is most renowned for are its 15 miles of hiking and riding trails, including two that afford astonishing views of the river, as well as irresistible pools and honey holes, including “The Point,” where Cypress Creek feeds into it.

After my two morning cups of coffee by the campfire, I hiked a quarter mile sandy path to Dude Lake, a 5-acre, manmade pond variously covered by water lilies. I sat still for 15 minutes on the bank, watching the placid surface for a telltale bulge from a Florida bass.

Volunteer Park Ranger Nancy Stege told me later that with no access or stocking program, Dude Lake is seldom fished, and any species taken are usually small. Which poses, of course, a delicious challenge for any self-respecting basser, and next time I’ll bring my gear.

IF YOU GO

Little Manatee River State Park

215 Lightfoot Road, Wimauma, FL 33598, 813-671-5005 (Cell phone service is very good throughout the park.)
Open: 365 days, 8 a.m. until sundown (almost fully recovered following flood damage from Hurricane Debby).
Daily Fee: $5 per vehicle
Camping Fee: $22 per night
Activities: Fishing (freshwater and saltwater license required for river), bicycling, hiking, camping, birding, paddling (canoe launch but no rentals), picnicking, horseback riding (horse trailer parking lot, equestrian camping, stalls and stable), wildlife viewing (deer, red and gray fox, bobcat, raccoon, opossum, gopher tortoises, turtles, alligators, manatees, butterflies.)
Amenities: Restrooms, playground, picnic pavillion, pets okay.

Ruskin Bait and Tackle: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (5 a.m. on weekends)