Dames Point Park Fishing

Dames Point Park is a city park and memorial under the Dames Point Bridge, with a fishing pier on a busy stretch of the lower St. Johns River. Large ships use the channel here, and the tidal current carries redfish, drum and croaker along the bank.

• Most catches are croaker, redfish and black drum
• Sheepshead around the pilings in the cooler months
• Restrooms, drinking water and picnic shelters
• The El Faro Memorial honors the crew of a Jacksonville cargo ship lost in 2015

The park is in north Jacksonville on the north bank of the St. Johns River, directly under the north approach of the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge, better known as the Dames Point Bridge. The city lists the address as 9101 Dames Point Road.

• Access: JAXPORT land surrounds the park, and a two-lane road built by the port authority in 2001 links it with Dames Point Drive
• Parking: the city lists car parking; no entry fee is listed
• Hours: the city lists none for this park; Jacksonville's parks normally open from sunrise to sunset unless signs say otherwise
• The fishing pier is a railed walkway with an L-shaped end, running out from the park's shore just east of the bridge
• It is a small park, so nothing is a long walk from the car

This is brackish tidal water in the port area of the lower river, and what bites follows the salinity and the season.

• Spring (Mar-May): black drum and redfish, the last of the sheepshead, croaker arriving
• Summer (Jun-Aug): croaker and catfish on the bottom, redfish on the moving tide, jacks chasing bait
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish, flounder and seatrout as the mullet run moves through the river
• Winter (Dec-Feb): black drum and sheepshead around structure, seatrout on milder days

Heavier bottom rigs handle the current off this pier.

• Redfish and drum: a sliding sinker of 2 to 4 oz above a swivel, then a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook on 30 to 40 lb leader, with mullet, crab or shrimp for bait
• Croaker: a high-low rig with small hooks and bits of shrimp or squid
• Sheepshead: a fiddler crab on a small, strong hook, held still beside the pilings
• Flounder: a live mud minnow on a fish-finder rig, crawled across the bottom
• Seatrout: a shrimp under a cork when the tide slows
• Bring a long-handled net for the bigger fish

Two tides a day reach Dames Point from the Atlantic, a little behind the times at Mayport, and the current in the shipping channel runs hard.

• Fish the last of the incoming, the turn and the first of the outgoing
• Slack water makes it easier to hold bottom
• A dry spell pushes saltier water and more saltwater fish up the river
• After heavy rain the river runs darker and fresher
• Big ship wakes can surge along the bank without warning

The city lists the park as wheelchair accessible, and the pier deck is railed.

• Strong current: never wade or swim here
• Ship wakes: keep children and gear back from the edge when a ship passes
• Summer lightning: leave the pier at the first thunder
• The memorial: treat it and any visitors paying respects with care
• Bring water and sun protection for a long session

For a small park the city lists a good set of facilities.

• Public restrooms and a drinking fountain
• Covered picnic shelters with tables, plus benches
• Security lighting and trash barrels
• Car parking
• Wheelchair accessible, according to the city
• No bait shop is listed at the park, so bring your bait and ice
• Pack out old line and hooks, which can harm birds and manatees

• Aim for slack water around high and low tide; mid-tide flow drags light sinkers
• Fresh shrimp and cut mullet are the most reliable baits for drum and redfish
• Winter is sheepshead time around the pilings; bring fiddler crabs
• Watch the shipping channel: big wakes follow the ships
• Visit on a weekday for the quietest fishing

The City of Jacksonville runs Dames Point Park and the El Faro Memorial through its parks department.

• No hours are listed for this park; Jacksonville's parks normally open from sunrise to sunset unless posted
• Florida law requires a saltwater fishing license unless you fall under an exemption
• Targeting sharks from shore requires the free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit
• Look up size, bag and season limits on myfwc.com before you keep anything