Cast a line.

Address

9700 S A1A, Melbourne Beach

Hours

24/7 shore access · Park $8/vehicle

Phone

(321) 984-4852

One of the top three snook spots in the entire state. Also produces tarpon (May–Aug), Spanish mackerel (Oct–Nov), bluefish, pompano, jack crevalle. Pier and jetty walkable at any tide.

DogsYes, with limits — Florida State Parks allow leashed pets (6 ft max) in the park and on the jetty/pier walkways, but NOT on the swimming beaches, in buildings, or on the campground beach. Hot concrete burns pads; go early or late.

Local tip · Fish the outgoing tide, 2 hours after high, along the north jetty. Live pilchards or big Rapalas. Snook stamp required.

Cast right off the property dock for sea trout, redfish, snook, jack, mangrove snapper, and winter sheepshead around the pilings. Best at first light and last light. Live shrimp under a popping cork wins here 70% of the time.

DogsYes — this is your dog's spot. Leash on the dock (fish hooks, mullet, the occasional gator in the lagoon), fresh water in the shade, and never leave a dog unattended at the water's edge.

Local tip · Sheepshead season is Jan–Mar around the pilings. Bounce a fiddler crab or a piece of shrimp on 15-lb fluoro.

Shallow grass flats north and south of the sandbar hold redfish and trout year-round. Sight-fishing on winter low tides is world-class here on the west side of the lagoon.

DogsYes if you're in your own boat — dogs are common on the sandbar. Bring a life vest, shade and fresh water; salt water makes dogs sick, and oyster edges cut pads.

Local tip · Winter afternoons at low tide. Gold spoon or a weedless soft plastic. Wear polarized amber lenses.

Phone

(772) 480-3320

The most-booked local guide out of Sebastian. Snook, reds, trout, tarpon in season. All-included; 4 anglers max.

DogsCaptain's call — most local inshore guides say no dogs on a 4-angler skiff. Ask when you book; do not assume.

Address

8060 US-1, Micco

Hours

Daily 5a–6p

Phone

(772) 664-2216

The closest full-service bait shop to the house. Live shrimp, chum, tackle, ice, honest daily reports written on a whiteboard behind the counter.

DogsYes — leashed dogs fine in and around a working bait shop. Keep them clear of the live-shrimp tanks and the ice chest doorway.

Local tip · Ask what's biting BEFORE you buy bait. If they say 'reds on the west flats' — go there.

Address

Inside Sebastian Inlet State Park

Hours

Fri–Sun 10a–4p

Phone

(321) 984-4852

Free museum inside the state park. History of the local commercial fishery, old fish houses, wooden nets. A quiet, air-conditioned hour with the kids.

No dogsNo — indoor museum inside the state park, service animals only. Leashed dogs are fine on the park grounds outside.

Local tip · Combine with a beach walk. Bring a $8 park pass and stay all day.

Address

1401 US-1, Sebastian

Hours

Daily 6a–7p

Phone

(772) 388-8862

Rod rentals ($10/day), live shrimp, sabiki rigs, custom leaders. The staff will rig a proper snook leader in 2 minutes if you ask nicely.

DogsYes, leashed, at the counter and outside; short visits only, there's no shade in the parking lot.

Local tip · Ask for the pre-tied fluoro leaders — 15-lb, 20-lb, 30-lb. Saves 20 minutes on the water.

Address

Fellsmere Grade, Fellsmere

Hours

Daylight · FWC license required

Trophy largemouth bass, peacock bass, bluegill, and gar. Ramp at Fellsmere; walk-in fishing along the levee. Winter is best for double-digit bass.

DogsLeashed dogs allowed on the levee and at the ramp, but this is real alligator and snake habitat — keep the dog leashed, away from the bank edge, and never let it swim.

Local tip · Fish the shad kill in late winter — huge bass gorging on stunned baitfish. Rattletrap or a flukey soft plastic.

Address

Corrigan Rd, Fellsmere

Hours

Daylight

10,000-acre reservoir opened 2020, already producing 12+ lb bass. FWC-managed as a trophy bass fishery — 5-fish limit, single 16-inch minimum. Bring a stable boat; the lake can get choppy fast.

DogsLeashed dogs allowed at the ramp and shoreline. Zero shade, heavy gator population — if you fish here with a dog, keep it aboard, vested and under a shade top.

Local tip · Live wild shiners on the outer edges of the pad fields at dawn. Bring a shade top — zero cover on the water.