Cherie Down Park Fishing

Cherie Down Park puts a dune boardwalk and two crossovers between a free parking lot and the Cape Canaveral surf, a short drive south of Port Canaveral.

• The county names surfing and surf fishing as the park's main uses
• Free parking, restrooms, a drinking fountain and outdoor showers
• A 320-foot dune boardwalk with a sheltered picnic spot at each end
• Rocket launches visible from the beach

The park is at 8330 Ridgewood Avenue in Cape Canaveral, on the ocean side of the road, a little over a mile south of Jetty Park.

• Getting there: leave A1A in Cape Canaveral for Ridgewood Avenue, the road nearest the beach, and follow it to the park
• Parking: free, in the park's lot off Ridgewood Avenue
• Hours: the county lists the park as open from dawn to dusk
• The walk: from the lot, the boardwalk runs behind the dunes to the two crossovers
• The beach: open Atlantic sand whose trough and bar rearrange themselves after every storm

Cape Canaveral's surf runs on the usual Space Coast calendar, with the nearby port inlet adding to the bait traffic.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano feeding in the trough, bluefish and Spanish mackerel heading north, blacktip sharks off the bar
• Summer (Jun-Aug): steady whiting and croaker, snook cruising the wash early and late, ladyfish and jacks busting bait
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the mullet run brings snook, jacks, bluefish, redfish and sharks right to the sand; pompano return late in the season
• Winter (Dec-Feb): pompano and whiting in the calm spells between fronts, bluefish in waves, black drum on clam

A 10-12 foot surf rod with 20-30 lb line and 3-6 oz pyramid or sputnik sinkers holds bottom here most days.

• Pompano and whiting: a double-dropper rig with small circle hooks and floats, baited with sand fleas, clam or shrimp, or a scented synthetic
• Bluefish and Spanish mackerel: silver spoons or jigs thrown into the bait, on a short wire or heavy leader
• Snook and jacks: live finger mullet, swimbaits or topwater plugs along the trough at first light
• Redfish and black drum: cut mullet, crab or clam on a fish-finder rig
• Bring a sand spike and a rake for digging sand fleas

The Atlantic here has two high and two low tides a day, and the tide decides where fish can feed.

• Rising water usually fishes best, as the trough fills and fish move in to feed
• Walk the beach at low tide to find cuts and holes, then fish them on the flood
• Clean, green water with a light breeze is ideal for pompano
• Big onshore winds bring heavy surf, weed and dirty water; pick a calmer day
• Early morning and evening beat the midday heat and the crowds in summer

The boardwalk and one accessible crossover make the beach easier to reach than many, but the surf itself is open ocean.

• County lifeguards have staffed a seasonal tower here in early summer; fish well away from any guarded swimming area
• Rip currents are common; never wade deep to cast, and watch the warning flags
• Leave the beach at the first thunder; summer afternoon storms build fast
• Keep well clear of swimmers and surfers, and never cast across them
• Shuffle your feet in the wash for stingrays, and give marked sea turtle nests a wide berth

Brevard County lists a good set of beach facilities for a small park.

• Restrooms and a drinking fountain
• Outdoor showers
• A family picnic pavilion with grills, plus two sheltered picnic areas at the ends of the boardwalk
• A 320-foot dune boardwalk with two beach crossovers, one wheelchair accessible
• Free parking
• No bait shop in the park; bring bait with you

• Look over the beach from the boardwalk at low tide to pick out the troughs and cuts before you carry gear down
• Fresh sand fleas dug in the swash beat frozen bait for pompano
• When the fall mullet run is on, bring a casting rod as well as your bait rods
• On launch days the beach fills with spectators; fish early or pick another day
• Keep a second rod rigged with a spoon for passing bluefish and Spanish mackerel
• Use a red light at dawn and dusk in turtle season

Cherie Down Park is run by Brevard County Parks and Recreation inside the City of Cape Canaveral; follow the posted park and beach rules.

• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you qualify for an exemption
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit, and some sharks must be released at once
• Keeping a snook needs a snook permit as well as the license
• Do not disturb nesting sea turtles or their nests
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything