Ramp Road Park, Cocoa Beach Fishing

Ramp Road Park is Cocoa Beach's gateway to the Banana River, a city park with launch ramps and a seawalled shoreline looking out over the mangrove islets of the Thousand Islands.

• Fishing listed by the City of Cocoa Beach, from a seawalled shoreline
• Reopened in June 2026 after several months of improvements
• Redfish, black drum and seatrout; snook and jacks in the warm months
• Restrooms, picnic tables and a playground, with kayak launching for the Thousand Islands

The park is at 401 Ramp Road, at the west end of the road on the Banana River side of Cocoa Beach.

• Getting there: from A1A in Cocoa Beach, follow Ramp Road west past the city recreation center to the river
• Parking: managed through the City of Cocoa Beach parking program; holders of a city parking permit use it at no extra cost, and everyone else should read the posted parking rules
• Hours: the city's current listing gives none; check the posted signs
• The walk: a few steps from the parking to the seawall along the channel
• The Thousand Islands Conservation Area is right beside the park

The Banana River is a shallow, grassy lagoon, and the fish follow the water temperature.

• Spring (Mar-May): redfish and black drum on the flats, seatrout along the grass edges, sheepshead finishing along the seawall
• Summer (Jun-Aug): snook along the mangrove edges at dawn and dusk, mangrove snapper along the seawall and mangroves, jacks and ladyfish on bait
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the mullet run brings snook, redfish, jacks and ladyfish close in; flounder on sandy bottom
• Winter (Dec-Feb): black drum and sheepshead along the seawall, seatrout in the deeper holes on warm afternoons

Light spinning tackle with 10-15 lb braid and a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader suits the clear, shallow water.

• Redfish and black drum: live shrimp or a piece of blue crab on a light Carolina rig, or a scented soft plastic crawled along the bottom
• Seatrout: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a paddle-tail on a 1/8-1/4 oz jig head over grass
• Snook: live mullet or pinfish, or a weedless swimbait, along the mangrove edges early and late
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp dropped tight to the seawall in winter
• Jacks and ladyfish: small spoons and jigs when bait is flipping
• Use weedless rigs near the mangroves and keep casts short and quiet

The Banana River has almost no lunar tide; the wind raises and lowers it and moves the bait around.

• Calm, sunny mornings are best for sight-fishing redfish and drum in the clear shallows
• A westerly wind blows straight onto this shore and piles bait against it
• A wind shift often starts a feeding spell as the water moves back
• Winter cold fronts push fish into deeper holes; fish the warmest part of the day
• Heavy rain and algae blooms can cloud the lagoon; check water conditions before you go

The park is compact, with parking a few steps from the water, so it is an easy place to fish.

• Stay clear of the boat and kayak ramps while people are launching and loading
• Leave at the first thunder; afternoon storms build fast over the river in summer
• Manatees are common in the Banana River; never snag, feed or touch one
• Shuffle your feet if you step into the shallows; stingrays lie on the bottom
• Bring sun protection and water; shade is limited near the water

The City of Cocoa Beach lists a full set of facilities.

• Restrooms
• Motorized boat ramp and a separate kayak launching ramp
• Picnic tables, a playground and horseshoe pits
• Tennis and pickleball courts
• Parking through the city's parking program
• No bait shop in the park; bring bait with you

• Early mornings are the quietest time, before the ramp gets busy
• Bring a kayak to reach the Thousand Islands, where the best redfish and snook water is
• Polarized sunglasses make a huge difference in the clear river water
• A west wind is a good day to fish this shoreline; an east wind flattens it for sight-fishing
• Watch for mullet schools and birds to find where the fish are feeding

Ramp Road Park is run by the City of Cocoa Beach; follow the posted park rules, hours and parking rules.

• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you qualify for an exemption
• Keeping a snook needs a snook permit as well as the license
• Redfish and seatrout in the Indian River Lagoon system, which includes the Banana River, are managed by region, and the lagoon region has release rules for redfish; check FWC before keeping any fish
• Watch for posted manatee protection and boat speed zones on the river
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything