No. 4 Bridge Fishing Pier

The No. 4 Bridge Fishing Pier puts shore anglers over the Number Four Channel, one of the tidal channels that State Road 24 crosses on its way through the Cedar Keys. The channel drains oyster bars and grass flats on every tide, and the fish follow the bait through it.

• A free pier of about 200 feet beside a public boat ramp
• Trout, redfish, sheepshead and black drum all year, with summer mackerel and snapper
• Quieter than the downtown City Pier, a few minutes' drive away
• Wide views of the marsh, the keys and their birdlife

The pier is beside State Road 24 at the Number Four Channel bridge, the approach to the town of Cedar Key in Levy County, beside the No. 4 Bridge public boat ramp.

• Entry: the Florida Birding Trail lists the site as free and open all year, sunrise to sunset; follow any posted hours
• Parking: at the boat ramp, shared with boat trailers, so arrive early at weekends
• The walk: short, from the parking area to the pier
• Levy County lists the No. 4 Bridge boat ramp as open; it sits behind the FWC's Senator George Kirkpatrick Marine Laboratory at the entrance to Cedar Key
• Downtown Cedar Key, with its shops and the City Pier, is a short drive farther along the road

The channel is a highway between the flats and deeper water, so something is usually passing.

• Spring (Mar-May): sheepshead on the pilings early, then trout and redfish on the moving tide; the first Spanish mackerel and ladyfish
• Summer (Jun-Aug): mangrove snapper around the pilings, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and jacks chasing bait, catfish late in the day
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best trout and redfish of the year, flounder moving out through the channel, black drum on the bars
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum on the pilings; trout on warmer afternoons

Bring a light casting rod and a stouter rod for fishing tight to the pilings.

• A 7-foot medium spinning rod with 15 to 20 lb braid and a 20 to 30 lb fluorocarbon leader
• Live shrimp under a popping cork, drifted with the current along the channel edge, for trout and redfish
• Fiddler crabs or shrimp on a 1/0 hook and a short leader, dropped beside the pilings for sheepshead
• A Carolina rig with a 1/2 to 1 oz egg sinker and dead shrimp or cut crab for black drum on the bottom
• Cut mullet on the bottom in the deeper cut for redfish
• Small silver spoons or jigs for Spanish mackerel and ladyfish in summer
• A pier net to lift good fish up to the deck

Tides at Cedar Key are mixed: usually two highs and two lows a day of unequal size, roughly 2.5 to 5 feet from low to high, and the Number Four Channel runs hard because so much water drains through it.

• The falling tide washes bait off the flats into the channel and the cuts, and fish wait for it
• The first of the incoming tide is good for trout and redfish moving back onto the flats
• Slack water is slow; take a break and rig for the next tide
• Winter north winds after a cold front pull the water very low, and fish crowd the deeper channel
• Calm summer mornings give clear water and the best chance of mackerel

The pier is simple and close to the car, but the setting has its own hazards.

• Boats pass under the bridge and use the ramp next door; keep lines clear and never cast across the channel at boats
• Watch for road traffic on the State Road 24 approach when walking with gear
• Summer thunderstorms build fast over the Gulf; leave the pier at the first thunder
• Decking gets slippery with bait and slime, and there is little shade
• The Florida Birding Trail lists the parking and restroom here as not accessible, so wheelchair users should check the site first

Facilities are basic, so bring what you need.

• Parking at the boat ramp
• A restroom has been listed at the site, reported as a portable toilet; do not count on it
• A public boat and kayak launch beside the pier
• No bait, food or water on site; downtown Cedar Key has shops and restaurants
• Lighting on the pier was not confirmed; plan to fish in daylight

• Fish the first two hours of the falling tide, when bait pours out of the flats into the channel
• Bring dead shrimp as well as live: black drum here often prefer it
• In summer, watch for spoonbills and pelicans working the flats: bait is there, and so are the fish
• Sheepshead fishing is best from late winter into spring; set the hook on the lightest tap
• Bring a kayak if you can: Florida State Parks suggests this ramp for paddling into the salt-marsh creeks of Cedar Key Scrub State Reserve
• Combine it with a session on the downtown City Pier when the channel is slow

Levy County lists the No. 4 Bridge boat ramp beside the pier among its public ramps; follow any rules posted at the site.

• The Florida Birding Trail lists the site as open sunrise to sunset
• Leave the ramp and its docks clear for people launching boats
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything