Bonsteel Park Fishing

Bonsteel Park is a peaceful little county beach park in south Brevard, a few miles north of Sebastian Inlet, that the county describes as popular for surfing and surf fishing.

• Cool-season pompano and whiting in the troughs
• Snook in the summer surf and the fall mullet run on its way to the inlet
• An accessible wooden crossover to an unguarded beach
• A walkway to the county's Barrier Island Sanctuary next door

The park is at 8455 Highway A1A, Melbourne Beach, on the barrier island about three miles north of Sebastian Inlet.

• Hours: the county lists the park as open from dawn to dusk
• Parking: a stabilized parking area; no fee is listed
• Access: an ADA-accessible wooden crossover leads to the beach
• No lifeguards are listed
• A raised wooden walkway runs from the park to the Barrier Island Sanctuary, and hiking trails toward the Indian River start near the park entrance on A1A

North of Sebastian Inlet, this beach sits on the route fish use to and from the inlet.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and whiting, blacktip sharks, Spanish mackerel and bluefish heading north
• Summer (Jun-Aug): snook working the first trough at sunrise, whiting and croaker through the day
• Fall (Sep-Nov): mullet schools moving south toward the inlet, shadowed by tarpon, snook, jacks and bluefish
• Winter (Dec-Feb): pompano and whiting on calmer days, black drum and bluefish when it blows

Carry one rod for walking and one for sitting.

• Snook: a 1 oz bucktail or a paddle-tail swimbait swept along the first trough at first light, on a 40 lb leader
• Mullet run: a live mullet on a circle hook, or a big walk-the-dog plug, tossed at the edge of the bait
• Pompano: sand fleas on a double-drop rig with 3 to 4 oz pyramid sinkers from a sand spike
• Bluefish: a heavy spoon on a short bite leader
• Pack light; everything goes over the crossover by hand

The Atlantic tide turns twice a day off Bonsteel.

• Early morning high water is the prime snook time in summer
• The rising tide floods the troughs for pompano in the cooler months
• Watch for bait pushed tight to the beach by the mullet run in fall
• Big swells that draw surfers usually make lure fishing hard; switch to bait
• Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer

An unguarded beach, so fish with care.

• The same surf that draws surfers builds rip currents; stay shallow when you wade
• Summer afternoon thunderstorms arrive quickly; be off the sand before they hit
• Stingrays settle in the soft sand of the wash; a sliding step warns them off
• Sea turtles nest on this coast in summer; stay off the dunes and fill in any holes
• Surfers use this beach; set up away from the breaks they are riding
• The wooden crossover is ADA accessible

Facilities are simple at this small park, so bring water, shade and everything else you need for the day.

• A pit-style restroom
• A stabilized parking area
• An ADA-accessible wooden beach crossover
• A raised walkway to the Barrier Island Sanctuary next door
• No showers are listed
• No bait shop in the park; buy bait in Melbourne Beach, Melbourne or Sebastian before you come

• Come at first light, ahead of the surfers and the heat
• Walk the beach at low tide to find the deeper troughs
• Take the raised walkway to the Barrier Island Sanctuary on a slow day; it is next door
• In the fall, follow the mullet schools along the beach instead of waiting for them
• If the surf is blown out, Long Point Park on the lagoon is a short drive south

Bonsteel Park is a Brevard County park; follow posted park rules.

• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you qualify for an exemption
• Fishing for sharks from shore requires the free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit, and chumming from the beach is prohibited
• Keeping a snook also requires a snook permit
• This beach is in the FWC's Indian River Lagoon region, which has release rules for redfish; check FWC before you fish
• Stay off the dunes and clear of sea turtle nests
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything