White Street Pier Fishing

White Street Pier is Key West's main public fishing pier: a wide concrete walkway reaching out over the shallow grass and sand flats of the Atlantic side. It is free, open from morning until 11 p.m., and has room for a crowd.

• A relaxed, easy spot for families and visiting anglers with light tackle
• Steady action on snapper, grunts, jacks and bait fish most days
• Evening sessions bring sharks, barracuda and the occasional tarpon
• The Overseas Heritage Trail ends here, and Higgs Beach is next door, so it is a pleasant place to spend an evening even when the fish are slow

The pier runs south from the junction of White Street and Atlantic Boulevard on the Atlantic shore of Key West, at the east end of Higgs Beach. It is a short bike ride from Old Town.

• Parking: street parking along Atlantic Boulevard near the foot of the pier; read the posted signs before a late session
• Walk: flat and short from car to deck; the concrete deck is wide and smooth
• Hours: Key West's code lists the pier as a city park, and city parks are closed from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
• Entry: free
• Parking fills on busy evenings, so many visitors cycle

Clear, warm Atlantic water means something is usually feeding here, though the biggest fish are hit and miss.

• Spring (Mar–May): Spanish mackerel, blue runners and jacks on the move; tarpon start to show in the evening; barracuda on the flats
• Summer (Jun–Aug): mangrove and lane snapper, grunts and yellowtail around the pier structure; nurse sharks and bonnetheads in the evening
• Fall (Sep–Nov): snapper stay strong; jacks and barracuda chase bait schools; the odd permit or pompano along the sand edges
• Winter (Dec–Feb): cooler fronts push mackerel and jacks through; snapper bite slows but grunts and small reef fish keep coming

Light to medium spinning tackle covers almost everything here.

• Bottom fishing: a small knocker or Carolina rig with a 1/2 to 1 oz egg sinker, 20 lb fluorocarbon leader and a 1/0 circle hook, baited with shrimp, squid or cut ballyhoo, for snapper and grunts
• Chumming: a little frozen chum or crushed bread in a mesh bag brings yellowtail and mangroves up the water column
• Lures: 1/4 to 1/2 oz jigs, small spoons and Gotcha plugs for Spanish mackerel, jacks and runners
• Barracuda: a long, fast-retrieved tube lure on wire
• Sharks: heavier gear and wire leader in the evening; bring a pier net or drop net because the deck sits well above the water

Key West sees small tides, usually two highs and two lows a day of unequal size, with a range of only a couple of feet.

• Fish the moving water: the first couple of hours of a rising tide and the middle of a falling tide are best
• The late afternoon and the first hours of darkness, before the 11 p.m. closing, are prime, and a moving tide after sunset is the best time for sharks and tarpon
• A light southeast breeze is ideal; a strong southerly makes the end of the pier choppy and stirs up the water
• After a winter cold front the water clears and cools, so slow down and fish smaller baits

This is one of the most accessible fishing spots in the Keys: flat, wide and paved from the street to the end.

• Listed as wheelchair accessible in the state's 2010 angling survey
• No shade: carry water, a hat and sunscreen, and leave early if afternoon storms build, since lightning strikes open piers
• Watch for cyclists, walkers and dogs on the walkway, and keep hooks and cast nets clear of them
• Handle sharks and barracuda with care and cut the leader rather than hauling a big fish up the rail
• It is quiet late in the evening; fish with a friend, keep valuables out of sight and be off the pier by 11 p.m.

Facilities on the pier itself are minimal, so come prepared.

• Restrooms: none on the pier; Higgs Beach next door has public restrooms, which city code closes from sunset to 7 a.m.
• Bait and tackle: nothing on site; buy bait and tackle in town before you come
• No water fountain or fish cleaning station on the pier
• Bring a headlamp if you stay after dark
• Food and drink: restaurants and shops are a short walk or ride away along Atlantic Boulevard and in Old Town

• Set up near the far end on a moving tide; the water there is deeper and draws the most fish
• A chum bag hung on a rope just under the surface is the fastest way to raise yellowtail and mangroves
• Carry a sabiki rig to catch live pilchards or small runners, then send them out for barracuda and jacks
• Keep lines out of the buoyed swim and snorkel areas along Higgs Beach, west of the pier; they belong to the Key West Marine Park, a no-take zone
• Tarpon rolling in the evening are best left to heavy tackle; a light snapper rod will not stop them
• Take your trash and old line with you; birds tangle in discarded line here

The pier is owned and managed by the City of Key West, which lists it among its public parks; parks are closed from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and the city's park rules are posted at the entrances. There is no entry fee.

• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt; the pier does not provide one
• Shore-based shark fishing requires a free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit
• The Keys lie inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; check sanctuary rules as well as state rules
• Tarpon and goliath grouper have strict release rules; check FWC before you handle one
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything