North Jetty, Nokomis Fishing

North Jetty, Nokomis is the go-to structure for shore anglers around Venice: a rock jetty with a walkway at the mouth of Venice Inlet, where the tide pushes bait between the Gulf and Roberts Bay. The park reopened in stages from March 2025 after the 2024 storms.

• The only walkable jetty on Venice Inlet while the South Jetty stays closed.
• Strong summer snook fishing and a steady supply of snapper and sheepshead in the rocks.
• Restrooms, a concession and lifeguards in the park; part of the parking lot is still closed for storm repairs.
• The Gulf beach beside it for surf fishing when the jetty is crowded.

North Jetty Park is at 1000 South Casey Key Road, at the south tip of Casey Key in Nokomis, just across the inlet from Venice.

• Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
• Parking: the park's own lots. Part of the lot has been closed since the 2024 storms, and the county expects the permanent repairs to parking, fencing and other amenities to be finished by 2027, so the lot fills early on busy days.
• The walk: a short stroll from the lot to the jetty; the walkway runs out along the top of the rocks, with rough boulders on either side.
• Across the inlet: Humphris Park and the South Jetty walkway in Venice remain closed; the Army Corps of Engineers, which owns both jetties, is preparing a repair report due in November 2026.

Venice Inlet funnels fish past the rocks all year, and the jetty is at its best in the warm months.

• Spring (Mar–May): Spanish mackerel and pompano on their runs, crevalle jacks, and the first snook moving to the inlet.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook in numbers along the rocks, mangrove snapper, tarpon rolling at the mouth at dawn, and ladyfish on the tide.
• Fall (Sep–Nov): redfish schools, mackerel again, flounder along the sand edge and snook feeding hard on mullet.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead in the rocks, black drum, pompano in the troughs and fewer snook when the water cools.

Rock fishing punishes light line, so step up your leader and keep fish out of the boulders.

• Snook: live whitebait or pinfish on a 2/0–3/0 circle hook, 30–40 lb fluorocarbon, free-lined or under a float along the rocks; bucktails and swimbaits on the evening tide, until the park closes at 10 p.m.
• Snapper and sheepshead: shrimp or fiddler crabs on a knocker rig with a 1/2 oz egg sinker right against the rocks.
• Redfish and black drum: cut ladyfish, crab or shrimp on the sand edge at the base of the jetty.
• Mackerel and pompano: spoons, Gotchas and pompano jigs cast off the end.
• A long-handled net or bridge net helps; you cannot climb down the rocks to land a fish safely.

Tides here are mixed: two uneven highs and lows on most days and a single one on some, with a daily range of only about 2 feet at NOAA's Venice Inlet station. The inlet squeezes that small tide into real current, and the current is the whole game.

• Best: the last two hours of the incoming tide into the first hour of the outgoing, when bait pours through the pass.
• Slack water is slow; use it to re-rig and rebait.
• Clean water on light winds fishes best; a hard west wind stacks up waves on the end of the jetty.
• Dawn and dusk beat midday in summer; the park closes at 10 p.m., so the evening tide is the latest you can fish.
• Red tide can empty the inlet in bad years; check FWC's red tide status before you go.

The walkway is manageable, but the rocks around it are not.

• The boulders are slick with algae at the waterline; wear closed shoes with grip and never climb down in the dark.
• Boat traffic through the inlet is constant, and wakes surge up the rocks on the rising tide.
• The inlet current is dangerous for swimmers and waders.
• Lightning: afternoon summer storms move in fast; get off the jetty at the first thunder.
• Stingrays sit on the sand beside the jetty; shuffle your feet when wading.
• The walkway is not fully wheelchair friendly; the adjoining beach is easier for limited mobility.

North Jetty Park has the basics an angler needs, and in September 2026 the county listed all of its amenities as open, including the concession.

• Restrooms and a concession in the park.
• Lifeguards on the beach, and free beach wheelchairs through the lifeguards.
• Picnic shelters, grills and a playground.
• Parking in the park's lots, with part of the lot closed for storm repairs.
• Bait: bring it with you or buy it in Venice or Nokomis on the way; do not count on buying live bait at the park.
• Nearest supplies: tackle shops, groceries and food in Nokomis and Venice, a few minutes' drive away.

Local know-how for the North Jetty:

• Be on the rocks early; parking and the best spots go first on busy days, and part of the lot is still closed.
• Snook hold tight to the rocks right at the tide change; a live bait drifted along the edge beats casting to open water.
• Throw a cast net for whitebait on the beach side at dawn, then fish it on the jetty.
• In winter, sheepshead stack in the rocks near the root of the jetty; fish them with fiddler crabs on the smallest strong hook you trust.
• Watch the channel side for boat wakes before you lean over to land a fish.
• The beach north of the jetty gives pompano and whiting when the jetty is crowded.

North Jetty Park is managed by Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns the jetties.

• The park is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; follow any posted closures of the jetty walkway or the lot.
• County code bans fishing inside swim areas marked by buoys.
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt.
• Shore-based shark fishing needs a free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit.
• Snook and tarpon have their own seasons and release rules; check FWC before keeping or handling one.
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.