Leslie Porter Park and Old Bailey Bridge Fishing

Leslie Porter Park and Old Bailey Bridge give Lynn Haven a half-mile fishing bridge over North Bay, right beside a family beach park.

• The old D.J. Bailey Bridge, replaced for traffic by a four-lane bridge in 1999, is now the city's walking and fishing bridge
• Speckled trout, redfish, sheepshead, black drum and flounder around the pilings
• Boat ramps, a swimming beach, showers, pavilions, grills and bathrooms
• A city park with no entry fee listed

The park is at 301 Michigan Avenue in Lynn Haven, at the Lynn Haven end of the Bailey Bridge, which crosses North Bay toward Southport.

• Getting there: follow Michigan Avenue to the waterfront beside the bridge approach
• Parking: at the park
• Entry: a city park; no entry fee is listed
• The old bridge runs about half a mile out over North Bay beside the modern highway bridge
• The walk: the bridge is an elevated walkway, so there is no scrambling, but the far end is a long walk; pack light or bring a cart

North Bay is part of the St. Andrew Bay system, salty near the bridge and fresher toward the head of the bay after heavy rain.

• Spring (Mar-May): sheepshead on the pilings, speckled trout and redfish as the water warms, the first Spanish mackerel late in spring
• Summer (Jun-Aug): mangrove snapper around the pilings, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and jacks on bait, trout at dawn and dusk, flounder on the bottom
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish, trout and flounder at their best, with bull reds and big black drum on cut bait
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum on the pilings, white trout and croaker on the bottom, trout on calm afternoons

A 7 foot medium spinning rod with 15 to 20 lb braid covers most fishing from the bridge; step up for big drum and bull reds.

• Trout and redfish: live shrimp on a 1/4 oz jig head or under a popping cork, worked along the pilings and shadow lines
• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs, shrimp or cut crab on a short leader with a 1/0 to 2/0 hook, dropped straight down beside the pilings
• Mangrove snapper: small live baits or shrimp on a light fluorocarbon leader near the pilings in summer
• Spanish mackerel and ladyfish: small spoons and gotcha plugs when bait is breaking
• Flounder: mud minnows or finger mullet on a Carolina rig near the base of the pilings
• A bridge net or drop net is essential for landing fish from the deck

Tides in the St. Andrew Bay system are small and usually come once a day, so moving water and wind matter more than the height of the tide.

• Fish the hours when the tide is running; slack water is slow around the pilings
• A light wind is ideal; a strong north wind makes the long, open deck hard work
• After heavy rain the upper bay freshens and colors up, and the bite slows
• Dawn and dusk are the prime times in summer
• Sheepshead fishing peaks from late winter into spring as the water starts to warm

The old bridge is an elevated walkway, long and exposed to the weather.

• There is no shade on the deck: bring water, a hat and sun protection
• Leave the bridge at the first thunder; it is a long walk back to shelter
• Walkers share the bridge, so keep rods, hooks and bait buckets tidy
• Do not swim near the bridge; the park has its own designated swimming area
• Watch your footing on a deck wet with bait and fish slime
• The full length is a long push for a chair or cart; check the approach suits you first

Leslie Porter Park is well equipped for a family day by the bay.

• Bathrooms and outdoor showers
• Covered picnic pavilions and grills
• Two playgrounds, pergola swings and a sandy beach with a designated swimming area
• Boat ramps for launching onto North Bay
• An ice machine at the park
• No bait shop is listed, so bring live shrimp and crabs with you

• Bring a bridge net or drop net; lifting a big red or drum up to the deck without one loses fish
• Work the shadow lines of the pilings; trout and snapper hold in the shade
• Late winter and spring are sheepshead time, and fiddler crabs beat shrimp
• The city holds events such as Food Truck Fridays and Music by the Bay here, so expect crowds on those days
• Fill a cooler from the park's ice machine for the walk back with your catch

Leslie Porter Park and the old bridge are run by the City of Lynn Haven, and posted park rules apply.

• The city prohibits smoking and alcohol in all of its parks
• Keep clear of the swimming area and away from swimmers when casting
• Keep the boat ramps clear for launching
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless an exemption applies
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything