River to Sea Preserve Fishing

River to Sea Preserve is as much a nature walk as a fishing trip, with two kinds of water in one park: the Atlantic surf on one side of A1A and the Matanzas River on the other.

• A quiet ocean beach with coquina rock at the waterline
• A canoe and kayak ramp on the Intracoastal side
• Whiting, pompano, bluefish and redfish in the surf, sheepshead around the rock
• Trails through oak scrub and hardwood hammock, and a stop on the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail
• Owned jointly by Flagler County and the Town of Marineland

Find it on A1A at Marineland in northern Flagler County, where the preserve straddles the highway from the dunes to the river.

• Parking: the main entrance and its lot are on the west side of A1A; St. Johns County's beach guide notes only very limited parking on the ocean side, near Marineland
• Fees: free to enter, according to the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail
• Hours: dawn to 11 p.m., seven days a week
• Ocean side: cross A1A with care, then follow a sand path over the dune; the county also lists a beachside boardwalk
• River side: the paddle-craft ramp lies west of A1A
• Trails through the scrub are unpaved

Matanzas Inlet is a few miles north, and this beach sees the fish that move along the whole Flagler coast, with rock-loving species at the waterline and backcountry fish on the river side.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and whiting working north, bluefish on the move, sheepshead and black drum around the rock
• Summer (Jun-Aug): whiting early, flounder in the cuts, sharks and Spanish mackerel after bait
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish, bluefish and jacks harrying the mullet run, then the pompano return
• Winter (Dec-Feb): whiting, sheepshead and black drum, and redfish on warm afternoons
• In the river, all year: seatrout, redfish and flounder for kayak anglers

Pack for the surf, and bring a light rod as well if you plan to paddle.

• Surf bottom rig: a 3 to 4 oz pyramid sinker under two short dropper loops, baited with shrimp or sand fleas
• Around the rock: a short, stout leader, a small strong hook and a fiddler crab or sand flea for sheepshead and drum
• Fall redfish: a whole finger mullet or a mullet chunk on a fish-finder rig and a circle hook
• Bluefish and jacks: a heavy metal spoon worked fast through the breakers
• Summer sharks: cut bait on wire, and only with the free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit
• In the river: a paddle-tail grub on a jig head, or a live shrimp under a cork, drifted along the marsh edges from a kayak

Both halves of the preserve are tidal, twice a day: the beach from the open ocean, and the river through Matanzas Inlet.

• On the beach, the hours around high water let you fish the first trough close in and put water over the rock
• Low tide is scouting time, when you can see where the bar breaks and where the rock lies
• In the river, the ebb draining the marsh is the time to work the creek mouths from a kayak
• A northeast wind stacks weed and whitewater against this beach
• A light breeze and some wave action usually fish better than a glassy calm

The surf, the rock, the road and the water quality are the things to watch here.

• Coquina rock at the waterline is sharp and slippery; keep off it when waves wash over
• The Florida Department of Health samples this beach; it posted a bacteria advisory in early August 2026 and lifted it after tests on August 10 (the county's park page may still show the old notice), so check for a current advisory before wading
• Rip currents form in the cuts; stay no deeper than your knees
• A1A traffic is fast between the parking and the beach
• Summer storms bring lightning, and the beach has no shelter
• Rays lie in the shallows: shuffle your feet

Flagler County lists these at the preserve.

• Restrooms
• Picnic pavilions you can rent, plus picnic spots and an overlook on the Intracoastal
• A beachside boardwalk
• A canoe and kayak ramp onto the Intracoastal Waterway
• Unpaved trails, bird watching and bicycling
• Pets are allowed
• No bait or food is listed, so arrive with bait, water and everything else you need for the day

• Check the Florida Department of Health's Flagler beach water results before a summer visit
• Walk the beach at low tide to find the rock patches, then fish them as the tide floods
• A kayak lets you fish the river's marsh edges on days when the surf is too rough
• Early fall mornings, with mullet moving down the coast, give the best surf fishing
• Birders share the preserve, so keep hooks and loose line off the trails

Flagler County and the Town of Marineland own the preserve together.

• Open dawn to 11 p.m.; keep to the trails and paths, since county code bars crossing the dunes except at crossovers
• County code also makes it unlawful to take or damage the coquina rock on the beach
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is needed unless you are exempt
• The free FWC permit is required for shore-based shark fishing
• FWC size, bag and season limits change, so look them up at myfwc.com before keeping fish