Lori Wilson Park Fishing

Lori Wilson Park is the roomiest of Cocoa Beach's county beach parks, with two parking areas, a shady hammock and six ways over the dunes, so it is easy to find a stretch of surf to yourself.

• Surf fishing listed by Brevard County among the park's attractions
• Free parking, restrooms and outdoor showers on both sides of the hammock
• Four of the six crossovers are wheelchair accessible
• A lifeguard tower staffed daily in the middle of the park; anglers fish away from it

The park is at 1500 N. Atlantic Avenue (A1A), on the ocean side of the road in north Cocoa Beach.

• Getting there: follow A1A through Cocoa Beach; the park has a lot north of the hammock and another south of it
• Parking: free, according to both the county and the city
• Hours: the county lists the park as open from dawn to dusk, and the city says it closes at dusk
• The walk: paths and the nature boardwalk lead through the hammock to the crossovers; those toward either end of the park put you away from the guarded central beach

The fish here follow sea temperature and the big bait movements along the Space Coast.

• Spring (Mar-May): the best pompano weeks of the year, with bluefish and Spanish mackerel heading north and blacktips running outside the bar
• Summer (Jun-Aug): whiting and croaker in the trough, snook patrolling the wash at dawn, ladyfish and jacks under bait
• Fall (Sep-Nov): mullet schools draw snook, jacks, bluefish, redfish and sharks close in, and pompano return as the water cools
• Winter (Dec-Feb): whiting, pompano and black drum on settled days between fronts, plus bluefish runs

Regulars here often carry two rods: a long bait rod for the trough and a lighter one for lures.

• Bait rod: 10-12 ft with 20-30 lb line and a 3-6 oz pyramid or sputnik sinker to hold in the wash
• Pompano and whiting: a two-hook drop rig with small circle hooks and floats, baited with sand fleas, clam, shrimp or scented strips
• Snook and jacks: a 7-8 ft spinning rod with a swimbait, spoon or live finger mullet worked along the trough early
• Bluefish and Spanish mackerel: spoons on a short wire or heavy leader when bait sprays
• Redfish and black drum: cut mullet, crab or clam on a fish-finder rig in the deeper cuts

Like the rest of the Atlantic coast, Cocoa Beach gets two high and two low tides a day.

• The last hours of the rising tide usually fish best, as fish follow the water into the trough
• Look over the beach at low water from a crossover to spot cuts and holes, then fish them on the flood
• Pompano like clean, green water and a light breeze
• A hard onshore blow brings weed and churned water; give it a day to settle
• In summer, fish early and late to beat both the heat and the swimmers

The crossovers make this one of the easier surf beaches in the county to reach, but the ocean still sets the rules.

• The central tower is staffed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; fish well away from the guarded area and from anyone in the water
• Rip currents are common along Cocoa Beach; wade no deeper than your knees and heed the beach flags
• Leave the beach at the first thunder
• Shuffle your feet in the wash for stingrays, and expect jellyfish after onshore winds
• Four crossovers are accessible, but the sand below them is soft going for carts and wheelchairs

Brevard County runs the park and lists a full set of beach amenities.

• Restrooms, outdoor showers and parking on both the north and south sides of the hammock
• Six dune crossovers, four of them wheelchair accessible
• A 3,155-foot nature boardwalk through the maritime hammock
• Pavilions, grills and a playground on the north side
• A fenced off-leash dog park on the south side; dogs are not allowed on the beach
• No bait shop is listed; bring bait with you

• Start from a crossover near one end of the park rather than the central one, where the tower and most swimmers are
• Dig sand fleas in the swash as each wave drains back; they outfish frozen ones
• The first calm, clean day after a blow is prime time for pompano
• In the fall mullet run, keep a plug or spoon rigged for passing snook and jacks
• On summer weekends the lots fill early, so dawn is the time to fish

Lori Wilson Park is run by Brevard County Parks and Recreation inside the City of Cocoa Beach, and the city's beach guidelines apply on the sand.

• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you qualify for an exemption
• The city welcomes surf fishing and asks anglers to keep fishing areas safe for swimmers
• Beach fires need a city permit, and the city says none are available at present
• Sea turtles nest from March 1 to October 31; leave nests alone and keep lights low at night
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit, and keeping a snook needs a snook permit
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything