Usina Boat Ramp Fishing

Usina Boat Ramp is a county launch on the Intracoastal north of St. Augustine that also gives shore anglers a fishing pier with a cleaning table, a few miles up the Tolomato River from the inlet.

• A county fishing pier on the Tolomato River, with a gangway down to a floating dock
• Redfish, black drum, flounder and seatrout on moving water
• Winter sheepshead and summer mangrove snapper
• Restrooms, showers and parking
• Sunsets across the river, and planes from the nearby Northeast Florida Regional Airport

The ramp is on Euclid Avenue at the north end of Vilano Beach, on the east bank of the Intracoastal Waterway.

• Parking: a county lot shared with boat trailers
• Entry: St. Johns County lists all of its boat ramps as free
• Hours: dawn to dusk
• The walk: short and level from the parking to the fishing pier
• Surface: a gravel lot and ramp, then pier decking
• Weekends and holidays bring the most boat traffic: park in the right spaces and keep the ramp lanes and floating docks clear for boaters

The Tolomato River here is close enough to the St. Augustine Inlet to get ocean fish as well as the backcountry regulars.

• Spring (Mar-May): black drum and redfish, sheepshead finishing up, seatrout on the grass edges, bluefish passing
• Summer (Jun-Aug): mangrove snapper on structure, flounder, jacks and ladyfish chasing bait
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the mullet run brings redfish, flounder and jacks, the best season of the year
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum on structure, redfish and seatrout on mild days

Medium spinning tackle with 15 to 20 lb braid and a fluorocarbon leader; step up the weight when the current runs hard.

• Redfish and black drum: shrimp, crab or cut mullet on a Carolina rig with enough lead to hold, often 1 to 3 oz
• Flounder: mud minnows or finger mullet dragged slowly along the bottom near the pier
• Seatrout: live shrimp under a popping cork on the edges
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp on a small, strong hook near pilings
• Mangrove snapper: small live baits or cut shrimp on light fluorocarbon at dusk in summer
• Clean your catch at the pier's cleaning table

Tides here come in through the St. Augustine Inlet, two highs and two lows a day, and the current can run hard in the river.

• The first half of the outgoing and the last of the incoming usually fish best
• Around the top and bottom of the tide the current eases, which makes it easier to hold bottom
• Clear water on the incoming suits seatrout and sheepshead
• Strong wind against the tide makes the river choppy
• Summer mornings and evenings beat the midday heat

A practical spot with boat traffic to respect.

• Keep clear of boats launching and loading, and never cast across the ramp lanes
• Boat wakes and strong current: watch your footing near the water and keep children close
• Summer afternoon lightning; leave the pier when storms build
• Mosquitoes and no-see-ums at dawn and dusk
• The lot is level and the pier is a short walk away, though the gangway down to the floating dock gets steeper as the tide falls

St. Johns County lists full facilities for a ramp.

• A fishing pier with a cleaning table
• A double boat ramp and a dock with a floating dock
• An observation platform
• Restrooms and showers
• Parking
• No bait shop is listed at the ramp, so bring bait, ice and drinks with you
• The county notes it is a popular place to watch sunsets and aircraft at the nearby airport

• Weekday mornings avoid the busiest launch traffic
• Use enough lead to hold bottom in the current, and ease off to lighter rigs as the tide slows
• Fish the last of the incoming for clearer water and seatrout
• Winter sheepshead come to any pilings; fiddler crabs are the bait
• Clean fish at the table and take scraps home rather than leaving them on the pier
• Stay for sunset across the river

The Usina Boat Ramp is run by St. Johns County Parks and Recreation.

• Open from dawn to dusk; follow the posted rules and keep the ramp and floating docks clear
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you qualify for an exemption
• Obey any posted manatee and no-wake zones on the river
• Take old line home or use a monofilament recycling bin
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything