Tideviews Preserve Fishing

Tideviews Preserve is a wooded city park whose boardwalk crosses the marsh to a platform over a creek that winds through the grass. It suits a quiet hour with a light rod rather than a big-fish trip.

• Redfish and trout in the creek bends
• Flounder in the warm months, sheepshead and drum in winter
• A viewing platform, boardwalk and paddle launch
• Restrooms and picnic tables in the park

The preserve lies on the north side of Atlantic Boulevard in the Atlantic Beach area of Jacksonville. The city's address for it is 1 Begonia Street.

• Hours listed by the city: 7 a.m. to sundown
• The city lists car parking and no entry fee
• The platform is at the far end of the boardwalk, a long walk out over the marsh
• A trail and a riverside walk wind through the wooded part of the park
• The city also lists a launch for canoes and kayaks

The creek is tidal salt marsh water, and its fish come and go with the water level.

• Spring (Mar-May): trout and redfish feed along the grass as the water warms, while the last sheepshead and black drum linger around the wood
• Summer (Jun-Aug): flounder settle on the soft bottom, ladyfish and jacks blitz bait, and small mangrove snapper hang near the supports
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the prime months, as finger mullet and shrimp flush out of the marsh and redfish, trout and flounder feed hard
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum near the boardwalk supports, with trout in the deepest bends on mild afternoons

Short, light rods are easiest to handle on the platform.

• Trout: a live shrimp hung under a small float, or a paddle-tail grub on a light jighead swum slowly
• Redfish: a weedless soft plastic or a chunk of blue crab pitched tight to the grass line
• Flounder: a mud minnow on a sliding-sinker rig, bumped along the bottom
• Sheepshead and drum: a fiddler crab or a piece of shrimp lowered straight down beside the supports
• Line of 8 to 12 lb with a fluorocarbon leader is plenty

Water floods into and drains out of this marsh twice a day on the Atlantic tide cycle.

• The last two hours of the ebb squeeze bait and fish into the creek channel below the platform
• The early flood brings clean water and feeding redfish back onto the edges
• Spring tides around the new and full moon move the most water
• At the top of a big high tide the fish scatter into the grass and the bite slows
• Wind and heavy rain muddy the creek, so calm, dry spells fish best

The hazards here are small but real.

• Stay on the boardwalk: the marsh mud underneath is deep and sticky
• Lightning: a long boardwalk over open marsh is no place to be in a storm, so head in early
• Bugs: no-see-ums and mosquitoes bite hard at dusk, so bring repellent and long sleeves
• Keep children within reach on the platform
• The city does not list the preserve as wheelchair accessible

Everything the city lists here is simple.

• Restrooms and picnic tables
• Benches, the boardwalk, a riverside walk and a scenic overlook
• A trail through the woods
• A launch for canoes and kayaks
• Car parking and trash barrels
• The city lists no bait sales, so buy shrimp before you come
• Carry out your trash and any old fishing line

• Wear polarized sunglasses to spot redfish pushing along the grass edge
• Check the moon: new and full moon tides move the most water through the creek
• Carry live shrimp in a bucket with a battery aerator
• A short rod makes pitching baits from the platform easier
• Opening time is 7 a.m., so check the clock before planning a dawn trip

The City of Jacksonville's Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department runs Tideviews Preserve.

• The city lists hours of 7 a.m. to sundown
• City park rules can post No Fishing signs on walkways and picnic areas, so fish from the platform and follow the signs
• Unless you are exempt, carry a Florida saltwater fishing license
• Anyone targeting sharks from shore must hold the free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit
• Review current FWC size, bag and season limits at myfwc.com before keeping fish