Fishing in Jacksonville, Florida: Piers, Licenses and Limits

Three land-based fishing spots in the Jacksonville area post set hours and fees: the Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier, the George Crady Bridge over Nassau Sound, and the lake inside Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park.

The ocean option is the Jacksonville Beach Fishing Pier at 503 N 1st Street, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250, phone 904-372-0798. The city describes it as nearly a quarter of a mile long and open 6:00 AM to 10:30 PM seven days a week, with a bait shop, fishing pole rentals, restrooms and picnic tables (City of Jacksonville Beach). A day of fishing costs $5.50 for non-locals and $4.50 for locals, and the city says no license is needed to fish the pier because it is covered in the entry fee. The pier closes when the weather turns dangerous.

The Nassau Sound option is seven miles north of Little Talbot Island State Park on State Road A1A. George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier State Park is a mile-long, pedestrian-only fishing bridge over Nassau Sound, open 8 a.m. to sunset 365 days a year for $2 per person (Florida State Parks). Anglers there catch whiting, jack, drum and tarpon. Night fishing is not permitted, and access is through Amelia Island State Park.

The freshwater option is Hanna Park at 500 Wonderwood Drive, where a 60-acre lake is open to fishing, kayaks, pedal boats and canoes (City of Jacksonville). Swimming, powerboats, castnets and night fishing are prohibited in the lake. Entry is $5 per car for up to six people, or $3 per pedestrian and bicyclist.

Most adults fishing Jacksonville waters need a Florida license from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, though the Jacksonville Beach pier fee already covers it.

A saltwater license costs $17.00 for a Florida resident for one year and $79.00 for five years; non-residents pay $47.00 a year, $17.00 for 3 days or $30.00 for 7 days (FWC saltwater licenses). The freshwater license, needed for a freshwater lake such as the one in Hanna Park, carries the same price list (FWC freshwater licenses), and a resident annual saltwater and freshwater combination costs $32.50.

Florida residents in Jacksonville who only fish from shore have a cheaper route. The resident annual saltwater shoreline license is no-cost, but it is not valid when fishing from a vessel or from a shoreline reached by vessel (FWC). It covers fishing from the shoreline or a structure affixed to shore, but not from a boat.

Some Jacksonville anglers need no license at all. FWC exempts youth under 16 and resident seniors age 65 or older with proof of age or residency, and it exempts anyone saltwater fishing from a pier with a valid saltwater pier license (FWC license exemptions). One add-on applies even to the exempt: anyone 16 or older fishing for sharks from shore, including jetties, bridges and piers, needs the no-cost shore-based shark fishing permit, with no exemptions.

Inside the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, the National Park Service also requires a valid Florida fishing license for saltwater or freshwater fishing and applies state regulations in their entirety (National Park Service). Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.

Jacksonville falls in the FWC Northeast Region, where redfish must measure 18 to 27 inches with one per angler a day, and seatrout 15 to 19 inches with three a day.

For red drum, the Northeast Region runs from the Florida-Georgia border south to Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach, a stretch of coast that includes Jacksonville (FWC red drum rules). The season is open year-round. The slot is not less than 18 inches and no more than 27 inches total length, with 1 fish per person per day and a 4 fish per vessel limit. Bag limits also apply in areas adjacent to fishing sites such as docks and parking lots, and a 4 fish per person transport limit applies in a vehicle on land away from a fishing site.

Spotted seatrout follow a separate Northeast Region rule that includes all waters of the St. Johns River and its tributaries (FWC spotted seatrout rules). Here the season is open year-round, the slot is 15 to 19 inches total length, and the bag limit is three fish per person per day. No trout longer than 19 inches may be kept.

These limits were read from the FWC red drum and spotted seatrout pages on October 15, 2026.

The City of Jacksonville lists 30 public boat ramps for motorized and non-motorized vessels, including Mayport, Joe Carlucci and Sisters Creek.

The city lists Mayport (Michael B. Scanlon) at 4870 Ocean St., Joe Carlucci at 8414 Heritage River Road and Sisters Creek/Jim King Park at 8203 Heckscher Drive (City of Jacksonville waterways list). Alimacani at 11080 Heckscher Drive and Palms Fish Camp at 6359 Heckscher Drive are also on the list. Cedar Point (NPS) at 9023 Cedar Point Road is listed too.

For the north end, Big Talbot Island State Park has a boat ramp open 24 hours a day, even though the park itself keeps 8 a.m. to sunset hours and charges $3 per vehicle (Florida State Parks). Florida State Parks suggests launching from the north end of the island to fish and tour the salt marsh.

One city ramp is in a planned closure. The St. Johns Marina ramp at 901 Museum Circle has a planned closure from August 1, 2026, to Summer 2028 during construction of the adjacent South Bank Residences, and the city points boaters to the Arlington Road ramp at 5103 Arlington Road and the Arlington Lions Club ramp at 4322 Richard D. Gatlin Road (City of Jacksonville). Under the city's marina and floating dock rule, docking is allowed up to 72 hours anywhere not marked with specific signage.

Fishing is permitted in the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in accordance with state law, except at several docks, banks and a pond where the National Park Service restricts it.

In the Theodore Roosevelt Area, fishing is prohibited everywhere except the saltwater marsh and tidal creeks marked on the park map (National Park Service fishing rules). At Kingsley Plantation, fishing is banned from the dock, from boats tied to the dock and from the retaining wall in front of the main house. The Cedar Point dock is closed to fishing, and so are the banks in the Thomas Creek unit unless a research permit is held.

Fort Caroline National Memorial is closed to fishing entirely, including its dock, boats secured to the dock, and Spanish Pond. The service lists these limits under 36 CFR 7.61 and refers anglers to the Superintendent's Compendium for further details. The City of Jacksonville lists a boat ramp at Cedar Point (NPS), 9023 Cedar Point Road, while the dock there is closed to fishing.

The practical Jacksonville checks are which pier pass to buy, which gate opens first, and which ramp is closed.

The Jacksonville Beach pier sells two different passes, and they are easy to confuse on the city page: a walking day pass costs $2.50 for non-locals and $1.50 for locals, while a fishing day pass costs $5.50 or $4.50 (City of Jacksonville Beach). A $300 annual pass and a $60 bundle of 20 fishing entries suit regulars, and rod rentals are $15 plus tax for the day. Surfboards, bicycles and pets other than service animals are not allowed on the pier.

Gate hours shape the day at the state parks. George Crady Bridge does not open until 8 a.m. and allows no after-hours access, so fishing there starts at 8 a.m. (Florida State Parks). Hanna Park, by contrast, admits early bird and annual pass holders from 6 am to 8 am with prior purchase (City of Jacksonville).

For a beach day that mixes surf casting with other plans, Little Talbot Island State Park at 12157 Heckscher Drive lists fishing alongside surfing, beachcombing and a kayak route on Myrtle Creek, with more than 5 miles of beaches for $5 per vehicle (Florida State Parks).