Ocean Ridge Hammock Park Fishing

Ocean Ridge Hammock Park is a quiet county beach park with free parking and an unguarded beach just south of the Boynton Inlet. Without a guarded swimming zone to keep clear of, surf anglers get more room to spread out.

• Free parking and an outdoor shower, but no restroom
• Pompano, whiting and bluefish when the weather cools; snook and jacks once the water warms up
• No lifeguards, so your safety is in your own hands
• The Boynton Inlet is close enough to fish both on the same trip

You will find the park at 6620 North Ocean Boulevard (A1A) in Ocean Ridge, south of the Boynton Inlet; it is run by Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation.

• Getting there: drive A1A along the barrier island, a short run south from the inlet
• Cost: nothing to enter or park; of the county's beach parks, only two others charge for parking
• Hours: sunrise to sunset
• The walk: brief, from the parking area down to the beach
• Surface: soft sand, and we could confirm no beach mat or surf wheelchair here
• No restroom is provided, so plan ahead

With the Boynton Inlet so close, this beach gets fish moving in and out of the inlet on top of the usual runs along the sand.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and bluefish wind down their run, Spanish mackerel go through, and snook return to the beach
• Summer (Jun-Aug): dawn snook along the wash, jacks and blue runners chasing bait, whiting in the troughs
• Fall (Sep-Nov): mullet crowd along the sand, drawing snook, tarpon, jacks and bluefish close in
• Winter (Dec-Feb): the troughs hold pompano and whiting, and bluefish and Spanish mackerel show up behind the cold fronts

Ordinary surf gear works here, backed up by a lighter rod for throwing lures.

• Pompano and whiting: tie two drops with 1/0 hooks above a 3 to 5 oz pyramid sinker, bait them with sand fleas, clam or shrimp, and cast to the first trough
• Pompano jigs: hop a small yellow or pink jig through the trough while the tide is rising
• Snook: at dawn and dusk, work the wash with a white bucktail or a paddle-tail swimbait, or put out a live mullet
• Bluefish and Spanish mackerel: a silver spoon or small plug, thrown into any bait spray
• A light cart and a sand spike take the effort out of the walk to the water

The Atlantic brings two highs and two lows a day to Ocean Ridge, and clean water is what this beach needs.

• Pompano and whiting usually bite best as the tide climbs toward high water
• Snook and jacks hunt along the wash around dawn and dusk
• A small swell uncovers sand fleas, but a big one, or water turned brown by a blow, makes for poor fishing
• When the inlet is ebbing it can carry bait and murky lagoon water down this beach; switch to the incoming when that happens
• After a winter cold front, wait a day or two and fish the water as it clears

Nobody is watching this beach from a lifeguard stand, so you are responsible for your own safety.

• Rip currents form along this shore; fish from the sand without wading, and bring a fishing partner when you can
• There is no marked swimming area, but give any swimmers plenty of space anyway
• Pack up as soon as a summer storm brings lightning
• Stingrays hide in the shallows, so bring fish up onto the sand instead of stepping in for them, and look for Portuguese man o' war stranded on the sand after onshore winds
• The beach has no shade and the park has no restroom; carry water
• Access: a short walk ends on soft sand, and we could confirm no beach mat or beach wheelchair

Facilities are minimal, which keeps the park quiet.

• Free parking in the park's lot
• An outdoor shower
• No restroom on site
• We could confirm no bait shop, food or drinking water, so bring everything you need
• No lights, and the park shuts at sunset, so there is no night fishing
• The Boynton Inlet's Ocean Inlet Park, a short drive north, has restrooms

• Come early on warm weekends, when beachgoers arrive
• Walk the beach first and look for a trough close to shore before setting up
• Stop for sand fleas or clams on the way; the beach is county park land, where collecting bait animals is not allowed
• Check the tide at the inlet; the first hours of the incoming usually bring the cleanest water here
• Combine a surf session here with a turn of the tide at the Boynton Inlet

Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation manages Ocean Ridge Hammock Park.

• Hours are sunrise to sunset
• County park code allows swimming and wading only where the county designates it, so fish from the sand here rather than wading
• County beaches are closed to dogs, apart from service animals, and the park bans balloons
• Unless an exemption covers you, you need a Florida saltwater fishing license
• Fishing for sharks from shore requires the free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit, and any shark fishing belongs well away from swimmers
• County park code forbids removing or collecting any animal other than fish caught where fishing is allowed, so bring your sand fleas instead of digging them
• FWC sets separate seasons and release rules for snook and tarpon; read them before keeping a snook
• Sea turtles nest on this coast; leave nests and hatchlings alone
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything