Val M. Steele Park Fishing

Val M. Steele Park, the county beach park formerly named Coconut Point Park, is a big, natural stretch of south Brevard surf that the county lists as popular for fishing.

• Pompano and whiting spread along a long, natural beach in the cooler months
• Bluefish, Spanish mackerel and summer snook
• Room to spread out on an unguarded beach
• Restrooms, showers and an accessible crossover

The park is at 3535 South Highway A1A, south of the town of Melbourne Beach on Brevard County's barrier island.

• Hours: the county lists the park as open from dawn to dusk except for scheduled use
• Parking: a lot at the park entrance on A1A; no fee is listed
• Access: two dune crossovers lead to the beach, and one of them is wheelchair accessible
• No lifeguards are listed, so there is no guarded zone to work around, but you are on your own
• The county's Juan Ponce de Leon Landing, another beach park, is just to the south

A long, natural stretch of south Brevard beach where fish spread out along the troughs rather than stacking up in one place.

• Winter (Dec-Feb): pompano moving along the beach in small schools, whiting, bluefish in the rough spells
• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and whiting, blacktip sharks close to the bar, Spanish mackerel heading north
• Summer (Jun-Aug): snook cruising the edge of the first trough, whiting and croaker on shrimp
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the mullet run, with tarpon, snook, crevalle jacks and redfish chasing bait in the wash

Travel light and keep moving until you find fish; a big natural beach rewards the angler who covers ground.

• Pompano: a small pompano jig or a sand flea on a single-hook rig, cast to each trough you pass
• Whiting: a size 2 hook with fresh shrimp, fished just behind the breaking waves
• Snook: a topwater plug or a soft swimbait worked along the trough edge at dawn
• Mullet run: a live finger mullet on a circle hook, drifted into the bait schools
• Surfers use this beach, so fish the gaps between the breaks they ride

The ocean tide here rises and falls twice a day.

• The flooding tide pushes fish into the first trough, within easy casting range
• Walk the beach at low water to map the troughs and cuts you will fish later
• Days with good waves for surfers mean stirred-up water, when bait outfishes lures
• Calm, clear summer mornings are the snook window
• Strong onshore winds push weed onto the beach; lures fish better than bait then

An unguarded natural beach, so fish with care.

• Rip currents form along this coast; never wade out far in rough surf
• Leave the beach at the first thunder; summer storms build quickly
• Stingrays rest in the shallow wash; step with a shuffle
• The park is a sea turtle nesting site; stay off the dunes, keep clear of nests and fill in any holes
• Bring shade and water; the open beach has no shade
• One of the two crossovers is wheelchair accessible

The county keeps this park close to its natural state, so the facilities are the basics for a day at the beach.

• Restrooms
• Outdoor showers
• A picnic shelter with a table
• Two dune crossovers, one wheelchair accessible
• Parking on site
• No bait for sale on site; pick some up in Melbourne Beach on the way south

• Walk south from the crossovers toward the county's Juan Ponce de Leon Landing to find more room
• A light rod and a pouch of jigs lets you fish your way along the beach
• In the fall run, cast behind the mullet schools as they pass close to shore
• Fill any holes you dig; this is an active sea turtle nesting beach
• The wheelchair-accessible crossover is the easier of the two with a cart

Val M. Steele Park is a Brevard County park; follow posted park rules.

• The park is a sea turtle nesting site; do not disturb nests or turtles
• 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
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything