important trade routes. Shipping at Bayport attracted the attention of the Union Blockade Squadron which intercepted eleven blockade runners near there between 1862 and 1865. Various skirmishes took place at Bayport between Union troops and the Confederate Home Guard during the course of the war. This included at least one raid by Union troops who had marched all the way north from Fort Myers. The Confederate cannon battery site can still be seen on the wooded point just north of the Bayport fishing pier at the mouth of the Weeki Wachee River. After the war Bayport became Hernando County's major outlet for lumber and agricultural products, and continued to serve as its transportation center until railroad service came to Brooksville in 1885. Since that time, Bayport has primarily served as a retreat for area fishermen, and many families from nearby Brooksville have weekend homes and fishing camps in the area. Redfish, trout and snook exist in abundance in Bayport's waters. Tarpon and cobia are seasonal visitors. However, the extremely treacherous, rocky seafloor and shallow marsh creeks can be dangerous for the uninformed angler or pleasure boater. In the spring of 2008, Hernando County and the Southwest Florida Water Management District rebuilt Bayport's marina and park area. References Unincorporated communities in Hernando County, Florida Unincorporated communities in Florida Census-designated places in Hernando County, Florida Census-designated places in Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico Former county seats in Florida