Oceanfront Park, Marathon Fishing

Oceanfront Park, Marathon is a free, easygoing city park where Marathon welcomes anglers to fish from its Atlantic shoreline. It suits a quick session before or after work, a family picnic with a rod, or a paddle out from the kayak launch.

• Free entry and ample parking
• The city lists fishing among the park's uses
• Snapper, barracuda and jacks within easy casting range
• A kayak launch with floating docks on the canal

The park sits behind Marathon City Hall, between 98th and 99th Streets on the ocean side of US 1, and is run by the City of Marathon Parks and Recreation department.

• Entry: free
• Hours: 8 a.m. to dusk, Monday through Sunday
• Parking: ample, including a paved accessible parking pad
• Walk: across the open field to the shoreline on the ocean side
• The kayak launch is on the westerly canal: two covered tiki huts, a boardwalk and a ramp down to floating docks with two kayak slips

The water off the park is shallow Atlantic grass flat and channel edge, so this is typical Middle Keys inshore fishing.

• Spring (Mar-May): barracuda and jacks on the flats; snook start to move along the canal mouths
• Summer (Jun-Aug): mangrove and lane snapper on the channel edge in low light; the odd small tarpon around the canals
• Fall (Sep-Nov): jacks and snapper chasing bait along the channel edge as the water cools
• Winter (Dec-Feb): barracuda on sunny afternoons; a slower bite after cold fronts

Keep it light and mobile.

• Snapper: a knocker rig or split shot with live shrimp or cut pilchard on a 1/0 circle hook, cast to the channel edge
• Barracuda and jacks: a tube lure, small spoon or topwater plug on a short wire leader
• Snook and tarpon: a live shrimp or pilchard on 30 lb fluorocarbon, drifted along the canal mouth in low light
• A sabiki rig catches pinfish and pilchards for bait

Tides on this Atlantic side of the Keys come twice a day, and moving water is what switches the fish on here.

• The falling tide pulls bait out of the canals and past the park
• A rising tide pushes fish up onto the flats in front of the shoreline
• Early morning and the last hour before dusk beat the midday sun
• Clear, calm water shows fish on the flats; a strong wind off the ocean puts chop straight onto this shore
• After a cold front, give the water a day or two to warm before expecting much

The park is flat and easy to walk, but boats use the channel and canals beside it.

• Watch for boats and paddlers coming and going, and never cast across the channel when a boat is passing
• Check your footing at the water's edge before you settle in
• Shuffle your feet for stingrays if you step into the water
• There is little shade near the water; carry water and leave when thunderstorms build
• Accessibility: a paved accessible parking pad and flat, open ground to the shoreline

The park is simple, so bring what you need.

• Free parking, including an accessible pad
• An events tiki and an open field for picnics
• A kayak launch with floating docks and two kayak slips, linked to the Overseas Heritage Paddling Trail
• Workout stations and a dog park; the city asks that dogs are leashed and cleaned up after
• Restrooms and bait: none listed by the city, so plan ahead and buy bait in Marathon

• Time a visit for the falling tide, when bait washes out of the canals
• Watch for barracuda sitting off the channel edge and cast a tube lure well past them
• Launch a kayak from the canal docks to reach the flats beyond casting range
• Keep an eye on dog-park traffic when you walk rods and hooks across the field
• Take old line and hooks home rather than leaving them on the shore

The park belongs to the City of Marathon and is managed by its Parks and Recreation department; it is open from 8 a.m. to dusk, with no charge.

• Follow any posted park rules, and keep dogs leashed
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless an exemption applies
• Shore-based shark fishing needs a free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit
• Tarpon and goliath grouper have release rules: check FWC
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything