Greenfield Park Pier, Hobe Sound Fishing

Greenfield Park Pier is a quiet wooden pier on the Intracoastal Waterway in Hobe Sound, away from the busier ramps and beach parks. It suits a short, light-tackle session on the lagoon flats, with a cleaning station for anything you keep.

• A wooden fishing pier with a bench and a rod holder
• Fish cleaning station on the pier
• Intracoastal flats with jacks, ladyfish, sheepshead and seatrout
• Small parking lot; no restrooms or trash cans

The park is at the east end of SE Cabot Street in Hobe Sound, on the western shore of the Intracoastal Waterway across from Jupiter Island. Martin County Parks and Recreation runs it.

• Parking: a small lot by the park; no fee is listed
• Walk: a short flat walk from the lot to the pier
• Beach: a small sandy strip lies beside the pier
• Hours: not confirmed, so read the posted signs
• Mind the address: sources differ on the street number, so navigate to Cabot Street and follow it to the water

The fishing here is typical of the Hobe Sound lagoon flats and the edges of the Intracoastal channel.

• Spring (Mar-May): seatrout and pompano on the flats, with jacks and ladyfish chasing bait
• Summer (Jun-Aug): mangrove snapper and small snook around the pilings and docks, best at dawn, dusk or after dark
• Fall (Sep-Nov): mullet run brings snook, jacks and ladyfish close to shore
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead on the pilings, with seatrout and the odd pompano on the cooler flats

A light spinning rod with 8 to 12 lb line and a 15 to 20 lb fluorocarbon leader covers almost everything here.

• Seatrout and pompano: a quarter-ounce jig with a soft plastic or a shrimp tail, bounced along the bottom
• Snook and snapper: live shrimp on a light hook near the pilings and shadows
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp fished straight down beside the posts, using a small 1/0 hook
• Jacks and ladyfish: small spoons or topwater plugs cast over the flats
• Cast nets: read the posted rules before throwing one from the pier

The Indian River Lagoon here is shallow, but the water near Hobe Sound is moved by tide from the St. Lucie and Jupiter inlets, twice a day.

• Moving water is best; fish the first two hours of the incoming or outgoing tide
• The incoming tide brings cleaner water from the inlet
• Dawn and dusk beat the midday glare over pale flats
• Strong east winds roil the water and blow weed onto the beach
• Heavy rain brings runoff and brackish water, which shifts the catch toward jacks and catfish

The pier is simple and uncrowded, but it is also exposed and unstaffed.

• Leave at the first thunder; summer storms build quickly over the lagoon
• Boat wakes slap the pilings; keep your line out of passing boats
• Shuffle your feet if you wade in the shallows beside the pier because of stingrays
• Carry water and sun protection
• Access: a short flat walk from the lot; no restrooms on site, so use facilities in town beforehand

Facilities are minimal, which is part of the appeal.

• A small parking lot
• A wooden fishing pier with a bench and a rod holder
• A fish cleaning station
• A small gazebo with picnic tables near the pier
• No restrooms or trash cans, so pack out your litter
• Bait and tackle: not confirmed on site; buy bait in Hobe Sound before you go

• Buy bait before you arrive; the park has no bait shop that we could confirm
• Clean fish at the station and carry the scraps out with your trash
• Fish the pilings at night for snook on an outgoing tide, if the signs allow it
• Bring a small landing net, since the deck sits above the water
• Try the sandy edge beside the pier on a falling tide for pompano
• Check the wind forecast; a light westerly keeps the water clear

Greenfield Park is managed by Martin County Parks and Recreation, which does not list fishing rules on the pages we could read, and we did not confirm any posted hours, so read the signs at the park.

• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Snook have their own seasons and rules; check FWC before keeping one
• The FWC's Indian River Lagoon region has release rules for redfish; check FWC
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything