Ambersands Beach Access Fishing

Ambersands Beach Access is a quiet county access inside the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, where a boardwalk leads from a sand lot to an unguarded beach a few miles south of Sebastian Inlet.

• Summer snook in the surf, a short run from Sebastian Inlet, whose state park the state calls a favorite with anglers for snook
• The fall mullet run, with tarpon, jacks and redfish in pursuit
• Pompano, whiting and bluefish from late fall into spring
• No lifeguards and no buildings: pack in everything you need

The access is at 12566 North Highway A1A, Vero Beach, on the barrier island between Treasure Shores Park and Sebastian Inlet.

• Parking: an unpaved lot; no fee is listed
• Hours: 7 a.m. to sunset, the county's beach park hours
• Access: a boardwalk crosses the dunes to the beach
• No lifeguards are on duty
• The beach lies inside the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, which covers 20.5 miles of coast between Melbourne Beach and Wabasso Beach

This close to Sebastian Inlet, the surf gets inlet fish as well as the seasonal beach runs.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and whiting on sand fleas, bluefish and Spanish mackerel passing north, the first snook of the year in the troughs
• Summer (Jun-Aug): snook cruising the first trough at first light, with whiting, croaker and ladyfish
• Fall (Sep-Nov): mullet schools move south along the beach with tarpon, crevalle jacks, snook and big redfish behind them
• Winter (Dec-Feb): pompano and whiting on the calmer days, bluefish and black drum when it roughens up

Carry two rods: a 10 to 12 ft surf rod for bait and a 7 to 8 ft spinning rod for working lures along the first trough.

• Snook: a 1 to 2 oz white bucktail, a soft swimbait or a lipless plug worked parallel to the beach at dawn, on a 30 to 40 lb fluorocarbon leader
• Mullet run: a live finger mullet on a 5/0 to 7/0 circle hook, or a big topwater thrown into the bait
• Pompano: a pompano rig with small floats and 1/0 circle hooks, baited with sand fleas raked from the wash
• Bluefish: a metal spoon on a short wire or heavy mono bite leader
• Travel light; the rod you carry while walking catches more than the one in the sand spike

The Atlantic rises and falls twice a day on this coast.

• The two hours either side of high tide fill the first trough, where snook and pompano feed
• Rolling surf after a front can push pompano in close
• Glassy, clear summer mornings are the time to sight-cast to snook
• Big onshore seas make the beach unfishable; give it a day to settle
• Diving birds and flipping bait show where the mullet run is passing

By county standards Ambersands is remote: no lifeguards, no restrooms and no shade.

• Rip currents form along this beach; stay out of the water when the surf is up
• Lightning builds fast on summer afternoons, and the open beach offers no cover
• This is protected sea turtle nesting beach; stay off the dunes and fill any holes you dig
• Stingrays lie in the wash; shuffle when you wade
• Carry water and sun protection; Treasure Shores Park to the south has restrooms and showers
• The county does not list an ADA crossover here

The county lists only a beach crossover at Ambersands, so treat it as a wild beach and plan the day around that.

• An unpaved parking lot
• A boardwalk over the dunes to the beach
• No restrooms, showers or drinking water are listed
• No lifeguards
• Bait, ice and food are in Sebastian and Vero Beach, so stock up before you drive out

• Arrive at the 7 a.m. opening in summer; the first hour of light is prime time for snook in the trough
• In September and October, watch for long, dark mullet schools and fish right behind them
• A light spinning rod and a pouch of bucktails lets you walk the beach and cover water
• On rough winter days, fish the first trough for pompano rather than casting over it
• Sebastian Inlet State Park is a short drive north if you want to try the jetties the same day

Ambersands is an Indian River County beach access inside the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.

• The county allows fishing during park hours, 7 a.m. to sunset
• County parks allow no pets, no alcohol, no fires, no camping and no overnight parking
• A county ordinance protects the dunes; stay off them
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you qualify for an exemption
• Keeping a snook also requires a snook permit, and shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit; chumming from the beach is prohibited
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything