Both visitors and residents alike are spoiled by the abundant fishing spots that the Florida coastline has to offer. From the tip of Key West to the top of Jacksonville, across to Tampa and everywhere in between. It will be a sad day in Florida when you can’t find a decent fishing spot near you.
Here are the best fishing piers in Daytona Beach worth checking out while you are in the area.
Whether you are in Daytona Beach for the iconic NASCAR race, or you are visiting the world’s most famous beach with over 23 miles of Atlantic coastline. You are sure to have enough time to drop a line in at one of the local fishing piers to try and catch your dinner (or just to have a bit of fun!)
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The Best Fishing Piers in Daytona Beach
Below are the top fishing spots to put a line in the water from the banks of Daytona Beach or the nearby waterways. I’ve included some lesser known local spots in this list as well as the more famous fishing piers.
1. Daytona Beach Fishing Pier
Right at the heart of the Daytona Beach downtown district amongst the hotels and amusement rides you will find the most famous pier in Daytona, the Daytona Main Beach Pier. You can’t miss this pier, it runs more than 1,000ft out across the sands of Daytona Beach into in the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. Which is exactly what makes it one of the best fishing piers in Daytona Beach.
The pier is open every day of the year for both walkers and fishers. It’s typically open from dusk to dawn, though the opening hours are extended slightly over the peak summer months. You can fish from the east end of the pier between 7am and 5pm November 1 through March 15, and from 7am to 7pm from March 16 through October 31.
And the best part?
The fishing here is free! You don’t need a fishing license and you don’t need to pay any access fees to fish off the pier. There is plenty of parking nearby as well as easily accessible public amenities. So if you are in the area, try your hand at fishing off the most famous pier in Daytona Beach. A visit to Daytona is not complete without a nice saltwater catch.
2. Sunglow Fishing Pier
About a 15 minute drive south of Daytona Main Beach Pier is the very interesting Sunglow Fishing Pier. Accessing the fishing spot is an experience in itself, as you will need to walk through the restaurant that sits on the pier called Crabby Joe’s Deck & Grill. There’s nothing like the pressure of a restaurant full of diners watching you set out along the pier waiting to see what you catch.
You’ll need to bring your A-game to Sunglow fishing pier in Daytona Beach!
This pier is well set up for fishing and you will find bait available to purchase, rod and reel rentals and fish cleaning areas on the pier. There are toilets in the restaurant that you can use too. You really can spend the whole day on this pier when the fish are biting, it’s a great little spot.
Expect to catch Whiting, Spanish Mackerel, Flounder, Pompanos and Tarpon off this pier (along with a few others, it is the ocean after all!)
3. Sickler Park Fishing Pier
This is one of those lesser known fishing piers in Daytona Beach so you won’t find it full of tourists, but there will be a few locals hanging around. Not much more than a small parking lot a fishing pier of sorts, Sickler Park sits on the mainland side of the Halifax River right between the Oakbridge Boulevard and Seabreeze Boulevard bridges.
It’s a nice relaxing spot to sit down and enjoy the view or the sunset while having a go at the fish in the river. The park is open from 7am to 8pm everyday, but be warned that you won’t find any bathrooms nearby. You may be able to make do by going behind the pilons of the bridge but anything more than that and you are going to have to pack up sticks and move on.
We’re talking river fishing here so you will have success with a wide variety of bait and lures depending on the season. You should find plenty of Trout and Black Drum off the banks of Sickler Park.
4. Ames Park Fishing Pier
Ames Park is another Daytona Fishing Pier that sits on the banks of the Halifax River, about 10 minutes drive north of Sickler Park. The fishing pier here is a bit more substantial than what you have at Sickler, it just out 75 feet into the waters of the Halifax. So there is more room for fishing, but you will find more people here too.
The park itself is a lovely place to bring your kids to if you find yourself not alone on this fishing trip. There is a playground and picnic tables to keep the family entertained, and of course bathroom facilities are available.
This scenic jetty is open from sunrise to sunset and this is a great little place to watch the sun go down of an evening. Expect to pull in Flounder, Black Drum and Trout from this part of the Halifax River.
5. Ponce Inlet Jetty
The Ponce Inlet Jetty is a little bit further afield than the other Daytona Beach Fishing Piers in this list. Expect to drive about 30 minutes south of downtown Daytona Beach to get to Ponce Inlet, a little more if you find yourself in peak summer season.
You will find the fishing to be a little better here than at some of the other piers for two reasons:
- It’s further away so it’s less crowded
- The river meets the sea here, so you get a lot of feed flowing past (and the fish know it)
Besides the good fishing, Ponce Inlet offers one of the best views of the spectacular sunset over the Atlantic Ocean. The Jetty is part of a 52 acre reserve which means you will find yourself right back in nature when you take a fishing trip to Ponce Inlet
The jetty runs out over 1,000 ft into the ocean so you will have plenty of room to cast your lines here without interference from the tourists.
Commonly caught fish include Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper and Sheepshead.
The Last Cast
Between the wild waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the beautiful color of the Halifax River, there are a variety of fishing waters worth checking out in Daytona Beach. Some will take a bit of driving to get to, but expect to be rewarded with productive fishing spots away from the tourists if you make the effort to travel a little further afield. I’ve recommended some of the best fishing piers in Daytona Beach so no matter where you live or find yourself staying, I guarantee there is a fishing pier near you worth visiting today.
Good luck and happy fishing!
Editor’s Picks
