Anastasia State Park Fishing

Anastasia State Park is the most complete shore fishing spot around St. Augustine: open surf, an inlet corner and a calm tidal lagoon, all inside one state park with good parking and facilities.

• Miles of Atlantic beach for whiting, pompano and bluefish
• The St. Augustine Inlet at the north tip for redfish, black drum and flounder
• Salt Run, a sheltered tidal creek, for seatrout, reds and flounder on light tackle
• A fishing area on Salt Run with a fish-cleaning station and monofilament bin

The park is on Anastasia Island, just across the Bridge of Lions and along A1A from downtown St. Augustine, with the entrance off A1A on the island.

• Entry: Florida State Parks charges a per-vehicle entrance fee, with a smaller fee for pedestrians and cyclists
• Parking: paved lots near the beach boardwalks and at the Salt Run day-use area
• Surf: boardwalks cross the dunes to the beach; the inlet end is a long walk north on soft sand
• Salt Run: a short walk from parking to the grassy, oyster-lined east bank
• Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset, every day of the year

Surf, inlet and lagoon each have their own season, so there is usually something biting.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and whiting in the surf, bluefish runs, redfish and seatrout waking up in Salt Run
• Summer (Jun-Aug): whiting and croaker in the surf troughs, flounder and redfish on the inlet side
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the best season, with the mullet run bringing bull redfish, bluefish, jacks and flounder to the inlet
• Winter (Dec-Feb): pompano and whiting on calm days, black drum and sheepshead at the inlet, seatrout in the deeper holes of Salt Run

Carry a surf rod and a light spinning rod and pick your water by the tide.

• Surf: a double-drop rig with 2/0 circle hooks, a pyramid sinker and sand fleas, shrimp or Fishbites
• Pompano: small bright floats on the dropper and sand fleas from the park concession
• Inlet redfish and black drum: a fish-finder rig with cut mullet, crab or a live finger mullet
• Salt Run: a popping cork with live shrimp or a soft plastic on a 1/4 oz jig head for seatrout and reds
• Flounder: a mud minnow or finger mullet dragged slowly along the drop-offs

The Atlantic here has two tides a day with a range of several feet, and moving water matters more than anything.

• Salt Run and the inlet corner fish best on the last two hours of the incoming and the first of the outgoing
• The surf fishes well on a rising tide into the troughs, especially early in the day
• A light west or offshore wind flattens the surf and clears the water for pompano
• A strong northeast blow makes the surf unfishable and the inlet dangerous; switch to Salt Run
• Fall northeasters push bait and big redfish into the inlet

The park is easy to reach, but the water can be dangerous.

• Rip currents form along the beach and very strong current runs at the inlet; never wade deep near the inlet
• Oyster beds in Salt Run cut feet; wear wading shoes
• Shuffle your feet when wading to avoid stingrays
• Summer afternoon thunderstorms bring lightning; leave the beach early
• Boardwalks give good access to the beach; the inlet end and Salt Run banks are soft sand and mud

Anastasia is a well-equipped state park.

• Restrooms in the beach and day-use areas; check the park map for locations
• A concession, Anastasia Watersports, sells frozen bait such as sand fleas, finger mullet, shrimp and squid
• A fish-cleaning station and monofilament recycling bin at the Salt Run fishing area
• Picnic areas and a campground inside the park
• No lights for night fishing; the park closes at sunset

• Buy sand fleas at the park concession; digging your own is not allowed in a state park
• The inlet end is worth the walk in October when mullet pour out of the inlet
• Salt Run clears up on an incoming tide; that is the time for sight-casting to reds
• Get in early on summer weekends, when the beach lots fill
• Bring a cart or wagon for the long soft-sand walk north
• Watch for diving birds just outside the breakers for bluefish and jacks

Anastasia State Park is managed by the Florida Park Service; park rules are posted at the entrance.

• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you qualify for an exemption
• The park asks that all fishing follow state size, number, method and season rules
• State park rules forbid collecting or harming any animal other than edible or game fish, so do not dig sand fleas or gather other bait animals
• St. Johns County's beach code bans fishing for sharks, chumming and bloodbaiting on its beaches and within 600 feet of shore, so do not target sharks here
• Stay out of posted shorebird and sea turtle nesting areas
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything