Toronita Avenue Park Fishing

Toronita Avenue Park gives walk-on surf anglers a county lot, restrooms and a signalized crossing to a stretch of Volusia's beach where vehicles are not allowed, south of the Sunglow Pier on the road to Ponce Inlet.

• Surf fishing from a no-driving section of the county beach
• Whiting all year, pompano in the cool months, blues and jacks on the fall run
• Restrooms and showers at the park
• The county's off-beach parking fee applies to visitors
• Surfing is allowed in this water through the summer, so share it

The park is at 4200 South Atlantic Avenue (A1A) in Wilbur-by-the-Sea, about 2 miles south of Dunlawton Boulevard, across the road from the beach.

• Crossing: a signal-controlled crosswalk runs from the park to the Toronita Avenue beach ramp
• Parking: a county-owned off-beach lot; visitors pay $20 a day, registered Volusia County residents park free, and nonresidents can buy a $100 annual off-beach pass
• Hours: no parking in the lot from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.; the county opens the restrooms from about sunrise to about sunset
• Driving: this is a no-driving section, so carry your gear down the ramp on foot
• The walk: a short ramp from the crosswalk onto soft sand

Open Atlantic surf with a bar and troughs that shift after each blow, so what bites follows the water temperature and the bait runs.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and whiting, bluefish heading north, the first Spanish mackerel and blacktip sharks close to the beach
• Summer (Jun-Aug): whiting and croaker around dawn and dusk, Spanish mackerel and jacks slashing through glass minnows, the odd flounder
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the mullet run pushes bluefish, crevalle jacks, redfish and a few tarpon along the bar
• Winter (Dec-Feb): pompano, whiting and black drum on the calmer days, with redfish in the deeper cuts

Bring two rods: one for baits on the bottom and one for throwing lures.

• A 10 to 12 ft surf rod with a two-hook dropper rig, size 1 to 2/0 circle hooks and a 3 to 4 oz pyramid sinker, baited with sand fleas, fresh shrimp or clam strips
• Cast just past the breaking waves into the first trough; whiting often feed in knee-deep water
• For pompano, add a small float or bright bead above each hook and stick with sand fleas
• A 7 to 8 ft spinning rod with 1/2 to 1 oz spoons or jigs for bluefish, jacks and Spanish mackerel when bait sprays at the surface
• A fish-finder rig with cut mullet for redfish and black drum in fall and winter

The ocean here has two high and two low tides a day; NOAA's prediction station at the Sunglow Pier, about a mile and a half north, shows roughly 2 to 5 feet between neaps and springs.

• The last two hours of the flood and the first hour of the ebb usually fish best
• Low water is the time to walk the beach and note where the troughs and cuts lie
• East and northeast winds build the surf and the rips; a light west wind lays the water down
• A few calm days clear the water, which suits pompano and Spanish mackerel
• In summer, early morning and evening beat the middle of the day

An open, unfenced beach, so the ocean and the weather set the risks.

• Rip currents form at gaps in the bar; heed the posted warning flags and do not wade past your knees in a heavy surf
• Afternoon thunderstorms are common from late spring into early fall: leave the beach at the first thunder
• County code allows surfing in Wilbur-by-the-Sea even in the summer season, so keep your casts well clear of surfers
• Shuffle your feet in the wash for stingrays, and watch for jellyfish after onshore winds
• The park is listed as handicapped accessible, but the beach below the ramp is soft sand

Volusia County lists the basics at the park; there is nothing aimed at anglers.

• Restrooms and showers
• An off-beach parking lot across A1A from the ramp
• A signal-controlled crosswalk to the beach
• No bait or tackle on site, so bring bait, ice and water with you
• No lighting is listed for night fishing; keep headlamps pointed away from the dunes during turtle nesting season

• Volusia residents who register their vehicles with the county's ParkVolusia program park here free
• In summer, fish the first hours of daylight before swimmers and surfers fill the water
• On the fall run, watch for mullet schools just behind the breakers and throw a spoon ahead of them
• Rake your own sand fleas in the swash on a falling tide
• Walk the beach to find a deeper trough rather than fishing straight off the ramp
• If a lifeguard or deputy says swimmers are at risk, reel in: the county code makes that an order

Volusia County manages the park and the beach, and its Beach Code applies on the sand.

• Fishing in the ocean after the Beach Patrol or a law enforcement officer warns that swimmers are endangered is unlawful
• Chumming and blood baiting are banned on the beach and within 600 feet of the water's edge
• Alcohol and glass containers are not allowed on the beach, and dogs only in designated areas
• No parking in the lot from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt, and shark fishing from shore also needs the FWC's no-cost Shore-based Shark Fishing permit
• Check current FWC rules (myfwc.com) for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything