Golden Sands Beach Park Fishing

Golden Sands Beach Park is a roomy county beach park with plenty of parking, pavilions and shade, and fishing allowed outside the guarded swimming area.

• Whiting and croaker for young anglers on light tackle
• Pompano from late fall into spring
• Spanish mackerel and bluefish on their seasonal passes
• Restrooms, showers, six pavilions and an accessible crossover for a long day out

The park is at 10350 Highway A1A, Vero Beach, on the barrier island north of the Wabasso Causeway and near the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.

• Parking: 128 spaces, 8 of them accessible; no fee is listed
• Hours: daily from 7 a.m. to sunset
• Lifeguards: on duty 9:10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. over a 573-foot guarded stretch; fish outside it
• Access: an ADA crossover leads to the beach
• Six pavilions with grills give you somewhere shady to retreat between tides

A wide, sandy family beach where the everyday fish are whiting and croaker and the prize is pompano.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and whiting, with Spanish mackerel and bluefish on the move north
• Summer (Jun-Aug): whiting and croaker in the near trough, snook early in the morning, ladyfish in the wash
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the mullet run brings crevalle jacks, tarpon, snook and bluefish close in
• Winter (Dec-Feb): pompano on the better days, whiting all season, black drum on crab

Two rods cover this beach: a light 7 ft spinning rod for the near trough and a 10 ft surf rod for pompano.

• Whiting and croaker: size 2 hooks on a two-hook bottom rig with a 1 to 2 oz sinker, baited with small bits of fresh shrimp
• Pompano: a longer cast to the outer trough with sand fleas or clam on 1/0 circle hooks and a 3 to 4 oz pyramid sinker
• Spanish mackerel and bluefish: a 1/2 to 1 oz silver spoon retrieved fast, with a short bite leader
• Snook: a white jig or swimbait walked along the edge of the trough at first light
• For children, a light rod with shrimp in the near trough keeps the bites coming

Ocean tides come twice a day, and the beach fishes best when water is moving over the bars.

• The rising tide into high water puts fish in the near trough, within reach of light tackle
• Mornings before the lifeguards arrive and evenings after they leave are the calm times
• Moderate surf keeps pompano feeding; very calm, clear water suits whiting and mackerel lures
• Seaweed after strong onshore winds fouls lines; try again once it clears
• Summer afternoon storms often arrive by mid-afternoon

A guarded, family-oriented beach with good access for everyone.

• Keep lines outside the 573-foot guarded stretch and well away from swimmers
• Rip currents occur along this coast; keep children out of the water while you fish
• Lightning comes in fast in summer; head to the car at the first rumble
• Stingrays like the warm shallows; shuffle rather than step
• Sea turtles nest from March 1 to October 31; stay off the dunes and fill in holes
• The ADA crossover and accessible parking make the beach easy to reach with a cart

Golden Sands is set up for a full family day.

• Restrooms, showers and drinking fountains
• Six pavilions, six grills and eight picnic tables
• A shaded playground
• 128 parking spaces, 8 of them accessible
• An ADA crossover to the beach
• No bait shop in the park; buy shrimp and sand fleas in Vero Beach or Sebastian

• Arrive early on weekends if you want a pavilion as a family base, and fish in shifts
• Keep a spoon rod rigged in spring and fall; mackerel pass quickly and you only get a few casts
• A tiny piece of shrimp on a small hook catches more whiting than a big bait
• Walk a little north or south of the guarded area for your own trough
• After a blow, look for shell and sand piled in the wash; sand fleas gather there and pompano follow

Golden Sands Beach Park is an Indian River County park, and the county's park rules apply.

• The county allows fishing outside the guarded areas during park hours
• County parks allow no pets, no alcohol, no open fires, no camping and no overnight parking
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you qualify for an exemption
• Chumming from the beach is prohibited, and shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit
• Keeping a snook also requires a snook permit
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything