We have created this page to provide information on fishing opportunities for the developmentally delayed and physically challenged .  We hope you find the following information useful.   Also be sure to see our links section below for more information.

Please let us know if you have information that we should add to this page (e-mail).

Good Fishing!

Here is something neat!!!

Wheelchair Wonder  New vehicle climbs curbs, stairs and negotiates tough terrain  

By Robert Preidt 

HealthScout Reporter   

SUNDAY, Nov. 26 (HealthScout) -- 

The developers of the Independence IBOT 3000 don't like to refer to their invention as just a wheelchair. They call it an all-terrain transporter.  The IBOT is a sophisticated vehicle with built-in intelligence and four-wheel drive that rolls over rough surfaces and climbs stairs and curbs -- all while keeping the user level and balanced.  It can operate on four wheels or two, stabilizing the user by automatically adjusting and balancing the chair.  Sensors continuously and automatically adjust the wheelchair to account for movement of the seat and the user's center of gravity. The IBOT has rechargeable batteries and can operate all day, depending upon usage, on a single charge.  

It isn't on the market yet, but it's already receiving praise.  "I think it's positively something that's going to be really, really accepted in the disabilities community," says George B. Kerford, chairman and chief executive officer of the World Association of Persons with disAbilities.  Kerford saw the IBOT about a year ago, and says he and others are excited about what he calls "an empowerment tool."  "It's something that is going to really help a lot of people," and is a good example of the new technologies for people with disabilities, Kerford says. 

About 2 million Americans use wheelchairs.  The IBOT has been in development for about six years and has cost more than $100 million. The project was started by DEKA, an engineering and development company in New Hampshire, and it attracted Johnson & Johnson as a partner.  In June 1999, Johnson & Johnson began clinical trials with people with disabilities, testing the IBOT as a FDA-approved medical device. The company hopes to receive approval for marketing sometime next year.  It will be available by prescription only, and each IBOT will be set to the size, weight and ability of the user. 

It will cost between $20,000 and $25,000. The initial version is designed for adults, but Johnson & Johnson has plans to develop a version for children, as well as one for adults with more unique needs.  The price tag seems hefty, but Kerford says cost may not be an issue. For example, he says the IBOT could remove the need for expensive renovations to make a house wheelchair-accessible.  

"There are a lot of people out there who will buy that chair," he says.  But one expert isn't sure many people with disabilities will be able to afford an IBOT.  "Although some consumers can afford devices at any cost, the more common phenomenon is a link between disability and poverty. How many can afford this is a challenge, and it will likely take a few years or decades of cost declines to make its value and usefulness very widespread," says Brian J. Dudgeon who's with the department of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington.  Dudgeon applauds the innovation behind IBOT, but says it isn't a completely new concept.  "Many power wheelchairs now use a mid-wheel design to reduce turning radius; some offer vertical seat height or stand-up options to raise and lower the user, and a few have tried to create curb and stair climbing capacity. 

Wheelchair innovations are frequent, and some appear to last, although not all of them are technically successful, nor practical in day-to-day use," Dudgeon says.  What To Do  For more information about the IBOT, go to Independence 3000. Also, you might want to check the World Association of People with disAbilities.   

SOURCES: Interviews with George B. Kerford, Ph.D., chairman and chief executive officer, World Association of People with disAbilities, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Brian J. Dudgeon, Ph.D., OTR, division of occupational therapy, department of rehabilitation medicine, University of Washington, Seattle

 

Wheel Chair Accessible Fishing Piers 

Name of site Location/Driving directions Phone Fee 

Sunshine Skyway Pier(s)

  • US 19 to bridge access South of .
  • So. St. Pete. (Tampa Bay) St. Pete. Follow signs.
  • (727) 865-0668 yes
  • Old bridge spans. North pier and South piers have facilities.
  • Without a doubt, the best pier fishing on the mid-west coast of Florida.  

Ft. DeSoto Piers

  • US 19 to end. Rt. to Ft.DeSoto
  • (727)864-9937 yes
  • 1 pier in Gulf of Mexico
  • 1 pier in Tampa Bay. 

“The” St. Pete Pier

US 19 to Central Ave. Turn East (Tampa Bay) St. Pete to end. Follow signs to pier.

 

Redington Long Pier US 19 to Ulmerton West. to end. (727)391-9398 yes

Madiera Bch. (GULF) Left on Gulf Blvd to Pier 

Big Pier 60

US 19 to Gulf to Bay Blvd West to Clearwater (GULF) end. Follow signs to pier.

 

ALL OF THE ABOVE PIERS ARE LOCATED SOUTH OF OUR COVERAGE AREA BUT ALL ARE EXCELLENT FISHING SITES WITH EASY ACCESS.

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Anclote Park Pier

  • US 19 to Tarpon Ave. West to Holiday (Anclote Sound) Alt 19. North to Co. Line Rd.West to Anclote Rd. North --becomes Ballie’s Bluff Rd. about 1/2 mile
  • to Anclote Pier Park.
  • (813)924-4030
  • Excellent winter fishing site. Rest rooms and picnic tables. Wade fishing N of pier.

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Hernando Beach Pier

  • US 19 to Weeki Wachee. W on Cr 50 (Cortez Blvd) about 4 miles. Left on Cr 597 about 6 miles, Rt on Calenta Dr.
  • Pier on left about 200 yds
  • No facilities.

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Jenkins Creek Pier

  • US 19 to Weeki Wachee. W. on Cr 50(Cortez Blvd) about 4 miles. Left on cr 597 about 5 miles. Jenkins Creek Pier on rt.
  • Really nice lighted fishing pier.
  • Rest Rooms.

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Bayport Park Pier

  • US 19 to Weeki Wachee W on Cr 50(Cortez Blvd.) about 6 miles. Left on Cr 550 about 3 miles. Road dead ends at pier.
  • Lots of shade, rest rooms, picnic tables. Nice park.

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Pine Is.

  • US 19 to Weeki Wachee W on Cr 50 (Cortez Blvd) North on 495. Pier in park at the end of the road.
  • Restrooms and picnic tables.
  • (fee to enter)

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John Brown Pier

  • US 19 to Ozello trail. W ~6 miles to John Brown Rd. (left) about 1/2 mile
  • Road dead ends at pier.
  • No facilities.

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Ozello Causeway

  • US 19 to Ozello Trail. W~9 miles to Causeway. (Not a pier but good and easily accessible bank fishing.)
  • No facilities.

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Ft. Is. Trail Park

  • US 19 to Ft. Island Trail. W~5 miles to Ft. Is. Trail Park. On Rt. past Salt River Bridge.
  • Restroom and picnic tables.
  • Lots of shade trees and launch ramp. Super site.

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Ft. Is. Trail Beach Park Pier

  • US 19 to Ft Island Trail. W~8 miles to Gulf Beach Pier.
  • Restroom, picnic tables and beach about 150 yds. east.
  • Launch ramp.

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Yankeetown Launch Pier

  • US 19 to CR 40 at Inglis. W on CR 40 ~6 miles to end.
  • Rest Room and Picnic tables several hundred yards NE at beach park.

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Cedar Key (1)

  • US 19 to Cr 24. W on CR 24 ~20 miles to #4 Bridge Pier.
  • (by Marine Lab) 

(2)

  • US 19 to CR 24. W on CR 24 ~22 miles to down town Cedar Key
  • Main Pier. 

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Keaton Beach Pier

  • US 19 to CR 51 at Tenille. W on 51 to CR 361. N on CR 361 to Keaton Bch. Follow signs to pier.
  • Really nice site with rest room and picnic tables.
  • Shade on pier. 

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Ochlocknee Bay Pier 

  • US 98 to east bank of Ochlocknee River. S on
  • Mashes Sands Rd. Follow signs to pier at the end of the road.
  • Public pier with a $2.00 admission charge. 
  • Good curent across the end of the pier.
  • Trout, Redfish, and Whiting are caught here.
  • Shore fishing access too. 
  • Sandy area makes for a hard roll in a chair. Should be easy enough with a little help.
  • Nice pier. No facilities. 

Panacea dock and ramp. 

  • US 98 to Panacea. S. on Levy Bay Rd to ramp and dock. 
  • Gulf Specimen Lab NOTE--NOT A FISHING SITE but a darn nice place to look at fish in tanks and ponds. 
  • US 98 in Panacea.
  • Very nice place. Well worth a visit. State run .facility. Soon to be handicaped friendly.
  • Lots of construction right now.(Oct 2000) 

Gulf Waters Motel pier 

  • 4 miles E. of Carrabelle on Lanark Beach. 2212 US Hwy. 98
  • Private pier for guests. Good pier, lots of fish.
  • Older motel with less than perfect access but the owners(Jack and Jean DePriest) will bend over backwards to make sure you are comfortable. 

Causeway Site 

  • US 98 Causeway between East Port and Apalachicola. 
  • Good bay beach access.  

St. George Is. Causeway 

  • US 98 to SR300 (St George Is. Causeway)
  • Several accessible shore fishing spots. 

Apalachicola Piers 

  •  W. end of Causeway) St. Vincents Pier Sorry, no driving directions at this writing.
  • Looked like a good place to fish. No facilities. 
  • Good parking 

     

Laffiette Park Pier. 

  • US 98 to 14th in Apalach. South on 14th to end at park. 
  • Shaded fishing pier. 
  • Good parking space. 
  • Good facilities. 
  • Picnic tables. 
  • Nice playground for kids.
  • Prettiest site I have visited so far.  

Indian Pass Ramp 

  • US 98 to C30 B South. Pier at the end of the road at Indian Pass. 
  • Good pass for Redfish.
  • Good beach fishing access and good parking. 


    Sent in via-email from David Lambert. Thanks David!

In the Duval and St. Johns County areas, wheel chair accessible fishing sites are: 

  • 1. The old bridge at Vilano Inlet (Old A1A bridge is now a pier) in St. Augustine. 
  • 2. Old A1A bridge over Nassau Sound between Fernandina/Amelia Island and Jacksonville 
  • 3. Fulton Road Boat Ramp/Park in Ft. Caroline Area of Jacksonville. 
  • 4. The Jacksonville Beach Pier

 

These are all of the sites I have to date (October 23) Please e-mail or post additional information. I did not find a fishing site in Port St. Joe.

 

Some other useful links