Walter Boardman Lane Bridge, Bulow Creek Fishing

The Walter Boardman Lane Bridge over Bulow Creek is a quiet, wooded crossing inside Bulow Creek State Park, where the creek runs brackish with the tide. It is a place for patient light-tackle fishing among oaks and marsh, not a developed pier.

• Small 1988 road bridge, about 85 feet long, over a tidal creek
• Redfish, black drum, seatrout and sheepshead on the moving tide
• Kayak landing and a park trail crossing close by
• Bank fishing at the kayak landing is reported by paddlers, but the park does not confirm fishing at the bridge

Walter Boardman Lane runs through Bulow Creek State Park north of Ormond Beach and crosses Bulow Creek about a mile east of Old Dixie Highway.

• A state park kayak landing near the bridge has about six parking spaces, free to use
• The trail parking area on the same road is another place to leave a car
• Never park on the road shoulder or the bridge deck
• Surface: a paved country road and a short bank walk, uneven in places
• The pin is on the bridge, from a bridge database; the bank position is not mapped

Bulow Creek is a brackish tidal creek, so the catch shifts with rain, tide and season.

• Spring (Mar-May): seatrout and redfish along the creek edges, jacks in the warm spells
• Summer (Jun-Aug): redfish and mangrove snapper in the shade near the bridge, catfish after dark
• Fall (Sep-Nov): black drum and redfish moving with the mullet
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum on structure, slow on cold fronts

Light spinning gear and quiet approaches suit a narrow creek.

• Redfish: cut crab, shrimp or finger mullet on a light bottom rig
• Seatrout: live shrimp under a cork, or a soft plastic on a jig head
• Sheepshead and black drum: fiddler crabs or shrimp dropped beside the bridge supports
• Flounder: a bucktail or soft plastic with a slow drag along the bottom
• A long-handled net helps land fish from the bank and bridge

The creek follows the Halifax River's tide, twice a day, with a swing smaller than at the coast.

• Outgoing and incoming tides both fish; slack water is slow
• Dawn and dusk give the best light and the least traffic
• Heavy rain brings tannin and fresh water, which can push the saltwater fish downstream
• Wind can pile water in the creek, so check the forecast before driving out

This is a wild setting with a live road.

• Cars cross the bridge at speed, so stay on the bank and off the travel lane
• Bugs in warm months: bring repellent
• Alligators are possible in the creek; keep back from the edge and do not clean fish at the water
• Banks can be muddy and steep
• No fencing or railings beyond the bridge deck

Facilities are minimal.

• A kayak landing and a small parking area nearby
• Park trails on both sides of the road
• No restrooms or bait confirmed at the bridge; bring bait, water and supplies
• No lighting; plan to leave while it is light

• Check the park signs at the landing before you set up
• Arrive early to get one of the few parking spaces
• Bring bug spray, especially in summer
• Use a net rather than lifting fish up the bank
• Expect quiet weekdays and busier weekends with paddlers using the landing

The creek and road lie in Bulow Creek State Park, so the park and the county share the setting. The managing bodies do not list fishing at this bridge, and we found no page that confirms fishing from this bridge, only paddlers' reports of anglers on the bank near the landing.

• Read the posted signs and follow them; state parks usually restrict fishing to designated areas
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Do not dig bait in the park; buy or bring bait
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything