Rotary Riverfront Park, Titusville Fishing

Rotary Riverfront Park in south Titusville puts a straight fishing pier out over the northern Indian River Lagoon, in a county park with views across the river toward the Kennedy Space Center.

• A free county fishing pier with a shaded platform at its end
• Spotted seatrout, redfish and black drum over the shallow lagoon
• Restrooms, a playground, pavilions and an observation deck
• A popular place to watch launches as well as fish

The park is at 4141 S. Washington Avenue (US 1) in Titusville, on the river side of the highway south of downtown.

• Getting there: follow US 1 south from downtown Titusville; the park is on the east side of the road
• Parking: the county lists free parking in the park's own lot
• Hours: the county lists the park as open from dawn to dusk
• The walk: a short stroll from the parking to the start of the pier, then a few minutes' walk out over the water
• Kennedy Point Park, with its boat ramp and shoreline walkway, is a little farther south on the same road

The fishing here follows the seasons of the northern Indian River Lagoon.

• Spring (Mar-May): seatrout and redfish on the grass edges, black drum, the last of the sheepshead
• Summer (Jun-Aug): seatrout at dawn and dusk, jacks and ladyfish chasing bait, mangrove snapper around the pier, catfish on cut bait
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the mullet run brings redfish, jacks and the occasional snook within casting range; flounder along the bottom
• Winter (Dec-Feb): black drum and sheepshead around the pilings, seatrout in the slightly deeper water toward the end of the pier

A 7-foot medium-light spinning rod with 10-15 lb braid and a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader suits most of it.

• Seatrout: live shrimp under a popping cork, or a paddle-tail soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jig head worked over grass and sand
• Redfish and black drum: shrimp, crab or cut mullet on a Carolina rig
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp on a short leader, dropped straight down beside the pilings
• Jacks and ladyfish: small spoons, jigs and topwater plugs when bait is flipping
• Snook: live mullet or a swimbait at first light in summer and fall
• A drop net helps with bigger fish from the deck

Titusville is a long way from any inlet, so the lagoon here has almost no lunar tide; the wind moves the water.

• Fish the day after a wind shift, when water and bait are flowing back across the flats
• A light breeze that ripples the surface helps; a flat calm with bright sun can make trout shy
• Clear, calm mornings are best for spotting fish over the grass
• Strong winter north winds lower the water and push fish toward the end of the pier
• Heavy summer rain freshens and clouds the lagoon, and the bite slows

The pier is an easier place to fish than the soft, muddy lagoon banks.

• Leave the pier at the first thunder; summer afternoon storms build fast over the lagoon
• Shade is limited to the shelter at the end of the pier; bring water, a hat and sunscreen
• Manatees and dolphins pass through; move your bait away from a manatee and never snag one
• Keep the walkway clear for others and watch children near the edge
• The pier is long, so allow time to walk back ahead of a storm

Brevard County lists a good set of family facilities.

• Restrooms and free parking
• A fishing pier with a shade shelter at its end, and an observation deck
• Playground and benches
• Several pavilions and small picnic shelters, which can be rented
• The county keeps the park and its restrooms open when a rocket launch is scheduled after normal hours
• No bait shop in the park; bring bait with you or buy it in Titusville
• Lights on the pier are not confirmed; bring a headlamp for dawn and dusk

• Walk out toward the end of the pier; the extra depth usually holds more trout and drum than the shallows near shore
• A popping cork with live shrimp is the local go-to for seatrout
• Launch days fill the park; plan a fishing trip for another day
• Winter sheepshead hang tight to the pilings, so fish straight down rather than casting away
• Watch for birds diving and mullet pushing wakes to find where the fish are working

Rotary Riverfront Park is run by Brevard County Parks and Recreation; follow posted park rules and hours.

• 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 are managed by region, and the lagoon region has release rules for redfish; check FWC before keeping any fish
• Shore-based shark fishing, including from a pier, needs the free FWC permit
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything