Summer is a superlative time to go fishing in and around St. Augustine, Florida. The region is home to a plethora of fishing boats that can be chartered for the day. If you prefer to fish from a pier, as I often do, there are an ample number of those available as well. Here’s a brief rundown on a few of them:

Ocean Pier in St. Johns County
The St. Johns County Ocean Pier is located off A1A in St. Augustine Beach. It is such a great fishing spot, that I don’t mind forking over the $1.50 daily pass fee. You can grab extra bait and tackle onsite as well as sundries. Parking is free and public restrooms are available onsite. It usually opens daily from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sometimes the stairs leading to the pier gets closed due to beach erosion, so you may want to verify that it is open before you head out.

Vilano Fishing Pier
The Vilano Fishing Pier is located on Vilano Road in St. Augustine. One of the best things about the pier is that there is no admission fee. It also tends to open daily. The fishing pier is over 600 feet long and public restrooms are onsite.

Vaill Point Park Fishing Pier
Vaill Point Park is located on Vaill Point Road in St. Augustine. It provides access to both the Intracoastal Waterway and Moultrie Creek. In addition to the fishing pier, the park affords anglers the shade of a covered pavilion as well as public restrooms and barbecue grills.

St. Augustine Lighthouse Park Fishing Pier
The St. Augustine Lighthouse Park is located on Ocean Vista Avenue in St. Augustine. It is over 100 feet long, affords access to Salt Run and features a boat ramp that is a popular launch site for kayakers. Anglers interested in checking out the tidal information for the area around the fishing pier should look for Station 8720576 on the NOAA website. The pier typically opens daily.

Shands Fishing Pier
The Shands Fishing Pier is located off State Road 13 in St. Augustine. It is over 1,000 feet long, free to access and is well maintained. The pier is just north of the Shands Bridge and the fishing action near the pilings at tide change is hard to beat. There are ample benches to park your keester. Anglers looking to check the water quality around the pier will find a host of data available through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s website. The pier generally opens each day.

Killeen Gonzalez enjoys summer sports and recreation with her family. She has also traveled extensively.