Alan Shepard Park, Cocoa Beach Fishing

Alan Shepard Park is the classic Cocoa Beach access: a big oceanfront park where SR 520 meets the sea, with the city's own guidelines calling surf fishing a Cocoa Beach tradition.

• Easy surf fishing for whiting and pompano from a large, well-equipped park
• Winter bluefish and black drum, spring and fall Spanish mackerel
• Restrooms, showers, covered pavilions and 300 parking spaces
• A good place to watch launches from Cape Canaveral, according to the city
• Busy with swimmers in the day, so dawn and evening are the angler's hours

The park sits at the east end of the Cocoa Beach Causeway (State Road 520) where it meets A1A, a short drive from the mainland.

• Parking: 300 spaces for cars and RVs, paid by the hour or by the day through the Passport Parking app; the city enforces paid parking daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Hours: the city lists the park itself as open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; city code says park hours do not apply to the ocean beach, but overnight parking is not allowed in city lots
• The walk: several dune crossovers lead from the lots to the sand
• Fishing: city code lets police or lifeguards stop surf fishing close to swimmers, so keep well clear of the guarded area while lifeguards are on duty
• Accessible parking: vehicles with a valid disability placard or plate park free in the designated spaces, the city says

The same beach shifts from winter pompano to summer croaker as the water warms and cools.

• Winter (Dec-Feb): pompano and whiting between fronts, bluefish and black drum in the rougher spells
• Spring (Mar-May): pompano at their best, whiting, Spanish mackerel and bluefish passing north
• Summer (Jun-Aug): whiting and croaker in the near trough, snook along the beach early in the day
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the mullet run brings snook, jacks, bluefish and redfish in close, and pompano return as it cools

A 10 to 12 ft surf rod reaches the outer bar; a lighter rod works the wash for whiting.

• A double-drop pompano rig with sand fleas, clam or shrimp and a pyramid sinker that holds in the surf
• Small pieces of shrimp on size 2 hooks in the first trough for whiting and croaker
• Silver spoons and small jigs cast to birds and splashing bait for mackerel and bluefish
• Cut mullet or crab on a fish-finder rig for black drum and redfish
• Sand fleas are the local pompano bait; bring or buy them, since the city asks beachgoers to leave sea life where they find it

The ocean here rises and falls twice a day by a few feet, and the surf and the swimmers shape the day more than anything.

• A rising tide into high water is the usual time for pompano and whiting
• Early morning before the crowds, and the evening after the lifeguards leave, are the practical sessions
• A little surf after a front often brings pompano and bluefish; very rough water makes holding bottom hard
• Clear, calm days suit spoons for mackerel
• Summer afternoons bring storms; fish the morning

A developed, guarded beach, but the Atlantic surf still needs respect.

• Lifeguards staff the central tower from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day; fish well away from swimmers, as the city asks
• Rip currents are common; wade no deeper than your knees
• Lightning is the summer danger; leave at the first thunder
• Shuffle your feet in the shallows to warn off stingrays
• Keep off the dunes and use the crossovers
• Restrooms, showers and crossovers straight from the lots help, and the state's beach-access inventory lists the park as handicapped-accessible

This is a well-equipped beach park, set up for long days on the sand.

• Restrooms and showers
• Ten large picnic pavilions and covered picnic tables
• A children's playground
• Beach rentals
• Security on site, according to the city
• 300 paid parking spaces
• Shops within easy walking distance of the park, as the city notes; no bait shop is listed in the park

• Arrive early: the lots are quiet and the beach is yours until the swimmers come
• Pay for parking in the app as soon as you park to avoid a ticket
• The city notes the park is a fine place to watch launches from Cape Canaveral, so expect crowds on launch days
• Walk north or south from the busiest crossovers to find room to spread rods
• Rinse your gear under the park showers before the drive home

Alan Shepard Park is a City of Cocoa Beach park; follow the posted rules.

• The city's beach guidelines welcome surf fishing but ask anglers to follow state rules, keep fishing areas safe for swimmers and dispose of line properly
• City code lets police or lifeguards prohibit surf fishing close to swimmers
• No overnight camping on the beach and no overnight parking in city lots
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you qualify for an exemption
• Targeting sharks from shore needs the free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit and course; chumming from the beach is prohibited
• Snook need an FWC permit to keep; Brevard's beaches fall in the FWC's Indian River Lagoon region for redfish, so check its rules and plan to release any redfish
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything