Fishing the First Coast: the water, and the homes on it.
This coast fishes twelve months a year: reds in the Intracoastal marshes, whiting off the sand, kings past the pier, bass in the St. Johns, shrimp in the river in late summer. What’s in season, the limits, the licenses and the piers, and which of these waters you can live on.
By Krista Fracke — Broker Associate, Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years in Northeast Florida · 500+ closings · client reviews
Seven ways to fish here
I’m Krista Fracke, and if fishing is why you want to live on the water, start with which water. These are the seven fisheries within about forty minutes of each other, north to south and ocean to river.
Surf
Whiting all year, pompano spring through fall, reds in the trough in fall and winter, bluefish in winter. Every public beach access is a place to cast, away from swimmers and the lifeguard flags.
Piers and bridges
The Jacksonville Beach Pier (admission covers the license), Vilano’s pier on the Intracoastal, the St. Johns River piers at Shands Bridge and Alpine Groves, and the state park pier at Nassau Sound. The St. Johns County Ocean Pier in St. Augustine Beach is closed for repairs.
The Intracoastal and its marshes
Redfish, trout, flounder and sheepshead on the Tolomato, the Guana and the creeks behind the beach towns. The Guana Dam at the GTM Research Reserve is a public shore spot.
Inlets and jetties
St. Marys, Nassau Sound, Fort George, the St. Johns at Mayport, St. Augustine and Matanzas. The current is the point and the danger. At Fort Matanzas, no fishing from the boardwalks or docks.
Nearshore and offshore
Kings, cobia, Spanish mackerel and tarpon nearshore; snapper, grouper and mahi offshore over natural bottom and the counties’ artificial reefs. A private boat targeting reef fish needs the free State Reef Fish Angler designation.
The St. Johns River
Freshwater upriver: bass, crappie, catfish, and striped and sunshine bass at the bridge pilings from mid-October. The shad run is in winter, mostly well upriver of Jacksonville. Freshwater needs its own license.
Shrimp, crabs and oysters
Cast-net shrimp in the river and creeks outside the April–May closure, blue crabs from a dock, and oysters only from areas the state classifies as open that day.
Where to put in: every public boat ramp and every kayak launch, mapped.
What bites when
| Fish | Best season | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Whiting | Year-round | Surf |
| Red drum (redfish) | Fall through late winter | Surf, inlets, Intracoastal flats |
| Black drum | Fall through spring | Inlets, jetties, docks |
| Florida pompano | Spring through fall | Surf |
| Bluefish | Winter | Surf, inlets |
| Spanish mackerel | Fall through spring | Nearshore, piers |
| Flounder | Fall and spring | Inlets, creek mouths |
| Tarpon | Summer | Inlets, beaches |
| Cobia | Winter through spring | Nearshore, offshore |
| King mackerel | Late spring through early fall | Nearshore, pier ends |
| Dolphin (mahi) | Late spring to early summer | Offshore |
Seasons from FWC’s where-to-fish guide for the northeast coast.
Size and bag limits for the common fish
| Fish | Size | Daily bag | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red drumOpen year-round | 18–27 in. total length (slot) | 1 per person, 4 per vessel | Open year-round |
| Spotted seatroutOpen year-round | 15–19 in. total length (slot) | 3 | Open year-round |
| FlounderClosed Oct. 15 – Nov. 30 | 14 in. total length | 5 | Closed Oct. 15 – Nov. 30 |
| SheepsheadOpen year-round | 12 in. total length | 8 | Open year-round |
| Black drumOpen year-round | 14–24 in. (one over 24 allowed) | 5 | Open year-round |
| Florida pompanoOpen year-round | 11 in. fork length | 6 | Open year-round |
| BluefishOpen year-round | 12 in. fork length | 3 | Open year-round |
| King mackerelOpen year-round | 24 in. fork length | 2 | Open year-round |
| CobiaCheck FWC | 36 in. fork length | 1 per person, 2 per vessel | Check FWC |
| Red snapper (Atlantic)Short fall season set each year; 2026 ran Oct. 9–22 in Florida | None | 1 | Short fall season set each year; 2026 ran Oct. 9–22 in Florida |
From FWC’s species pages (red drum, red snapper and the rest), Northeast region, read October 17, 2026. Limits change during the year; FWC is the record before you keep a fish.
Licenses, and the dock truth
A Florida resident fishing saltwater from the shore, or from a structure attached to it, needs the free resident shoreline license. From a boat, or from a shore you reached by boat, you need the regular saltwater license: $17 a year for residents. Non-residents pay $47 a year, $17 for three days or $30 for seven. Piers with their own license, like Jacksonville Beach’s, cover you while you’re on them, and anglers 16 and older fishing for reef fish from a private boat also need the free State Reef Fish Angler designation. FWC’s license finder covers the exemptions.
For a homeowner, the free shoreline license covers casting from your own dock, one of Florida’s quietly great deals. From the boat tied to that same dock, it doesn’t. The dock, the license and the fishery are three different questions wearing one view.
The piers
- Jacksonville Beach Pier: nearly a quarter mile into the ocean, 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., fishing $5.50 a day ($4.50 locals), license included (city page).
- St. Johns County Ocean Pier, St. Augustine Beach: closed for repairs until further notice; no swimming or surfing within 400 feet of it (county page).
- Vilano pier on the Intracoastal at the St. Augustine Inlet, and the county’s St. Johns River piers at Shands Bridge and Alpine Groves.
- George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier State Park at Nassau Sound, a former bridge turned into a state park pier.
- Fort Matanzas: shore fishing is allowed, but not from the boardwalks or docks.
Shrimp, crabs and oysters
Shrimp. The limit is 5 gallons heads-on per person or per boat, with cast nets up to 14 feet stretched, dip nets up to 96 inches around the opening, or a push net while wading. The inside waters of Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Putnam and Flagler counties close April 1 through May 31, and a list of Nassau County rivers and creeks is closed outright.
Blue crabs. Up to five traps per person, registered free each year if you’re 16 or older, and 10 gallons a day; egg-bearing females go back. In even years like 2026 the St. Johns River system closes to traps January 16–25 and the coast from Georgia through Volusia closes August 20–29.
Oysters and clams. Only from shellfish areas the state classifies for harvest, and those open and close with rainfall. Check FDACS’s status page the day you go.
Offshore: reefs and red snapper
FWC’s artificial reef data shows 167 deployments off Nassau, Duval and St. Johns counties, nearly all in federal waters. Atlantic red snapper opens for a short season each fall: in 2026 it ran October 9–22 in Florida, one fish per person, with each trip declared to FWC before leaving the dock and circle hooks required north of 28° N. Boats fishing reef fish in federal waters carry a rigged descending device.
The part nobody tells you: waterfront and fishable are not the same purchase
Dock rights are the hinge. A canal-front lot without a dockable shoreline is a view; a modest house with a permitted dock on navigable water is a fishery you own. Existing docks usually transfer, but the right to build one runs through state submerged-lands rules, an Army Corps permit and sometimes an HOA, and none of that shows in the listing photos.
Over a thousand listings here sit on retention ponds and neighborhood lakes, and many of those ponds hold bass. They are left out of the fishable-water listings on purpose: a pond behind the fence and a dock on the Tolomato are different purchases at different prices.
Homes on fishable water in Nassau County
Ocean, river, Intracoastal, canal and creek.
Homes on fishable water in Duval County
Ocean, river, Intracoastal, canal and creek.
Homes on fishable water in St. Johns County
Ocean, river, Intracoastal, canal and creek.
This is the work I do every week. Shopping with a rod in the truck? Tell me what you fish, reds on the flats, bass on the river, surf on Saturdays, and I'll match the water first, then the house on it, dock permits checked before you offer.
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Broker Associate · Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years · 500+ closings
Common questions
Do I need a fishing license to fish from shore in Florida?
Florida residents fishing saltwater from the shore, or a structure attached to it such as their own dock, need the free resident shoreline license. It does not cover fishing from a boat or from a shore you reached by boat. An annual resident saltwater license is $17; non-residents pay $47 a year, $17 for three days or $30 for seven. Freshwater is a separate license.
Do I need a license to fish the Jacksonville Beach Pier?
No. The pier’s fishing admission covers the license: $5.50 a day, or $4.50 for locals, and the pier is open 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. It runs nearly a quarter mile into the ocean.
When is shrimp season in Northeast Florida?
The inside waters of Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Putnam and Flagler counties are closed to recreational shrimping from April 1 through May 31; some tributaries in Nassau County are closed outright. The limit is 5 gallons heads-on per person or per boat, cast nets up to 14 feet. Shrimp move into the St. Johns River in mid to late summer.
What is the redfish limit in Northeast Florida?
In FWC’s Northeast region, one red drum per person between 18 and 27 inches total length, and no more than four per boat. Limits change; FWC’s red drum page is the record.
Can I keep blue crabs from my dock?
Yes, with up to five traps per person, registered free each year with FWC if you are 16 or older, and up to 10 gallons a day. Egg-bearing females go back. In 2026 the St. Johns River system was closed to traps January 16–25 and the Atlantic coast August 20–29.
Homes on fishable water →
The whole MLS, filtered to water you can fish.
Every public boat ramp →
Lanes, trailer parking and fees, mapped.
The best boating neighborhoods →
Where the water is part of the address.
Homes with a dock →
Every listing with its own dock, lift or slip.
Palm Valley: canals, no HOA →
Boats behind the houses.
Living on the St. Johns River →
Frontage, access and the flood line.
Want the water matched before the house?
Your fishery, the neighborhoods on it, and dock permits checked before you fall for a view.