Fishing From Dry Land: Florida Piers, Passes and Inshore Guides

October 15, 2026 · 5 min read · My FL Guide

A lot of the fishing that happens in Florida on any given morning happens from something that does not move: a pier, a seawall, a park bulkhead, a bridge. The rest happens from somebody else's boat, on a trip you pay for by the day. Both are ways to fish without owning anything, and both are in our listings. Here is what the state asks of you first, then the piers and the inshore guides worth knowing.

What Florida asks of you first

Florida requires a saltwater fishing licence to take or attempt to take saltwater fish, crabs, clams and other saltwater organisms, and FWC says it applies to landing a saltwater species in Florida regardless of where it was caught. On the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's own licence page, read again on 1 November 2026: a resident annual saltwater licence is $17, a non-resident annual is $47, a non-resident 3-day is $17 and a 7-day is $30.

The line that matters most for shore anglers is further down that page. The Saltwater Shoreline-Only licence is listed at no cost for Florida residents, and FWC describes it as valid for saltwater fishing from the shoreline or from a structure affixed to shore, and not valid when fishing from a vessel or from a shoreline you reached by vessel. A pier, a jetty or a seawall sits inside that definition. A boat does not.

Two extras on the same FWC page: a separate snook permit is required in addition to the licence, including for shoreline fishing, and anglers 16 and older who take or attempt to take sharks from shore, jetties, bridges and piers need the shore-based shark fishing permit, which is listed at no cost and comes with an online educational course. Rules and prices do change, so read the current page before you buy anything.

The piers in our listings

• Jacksonville Beach Pier, 503 1st St N, Jacksonville Beach. An 850-foot pier that our listing calls the coast's busiest, with tackle sold at the bait shop. The listing says no licence is needed to fish from it, and FWC lists recreational pier licences among its licence types, which is how a pier can cover the anglers on its boards. Whiting and Spanish mackerel are the catches it names, and it notes a pier fee, so check the pier's own page before you go.
• Green Cove Springs Public Pier, 106 St Johns Ave, Green Cove Springs. A free public pier on the St. Johns River inside the riverfront park, listed for catfish, bream and the occasional drum. The historic spring pool is a short walk away, which makes it an easy half day with people who would rather not fish at all.
• Tarpon Street Pier, 715 Tarpon St, Fort Myers. A City of Fort Myers public pier on the Caloosahatchee River, on the list for shoreline fishing and river views rather than any particular trophy.
• Pete's Pier Marina, 1 SW 1st Pl, Crystal River. Less a tackle pier than a working marina at the mouth of Kings Bay, with boat rentals, fishing charters, fuel and a bait shop. It is also the dock a lot of the manatee snorkelling trips leave from, so the morning is busy.
• One honesty note: our guide also carries Palafox Pier Yacht Harbor Marina at 895 S Palafox St in Pensacola, and it is a downtown yacht harbour with more than 300 slips and a boardwalk, not a bucket-and-cooler pier. Go for the boats and the bay.

Inshore guides, on your side of the state

If you would rather be on the water than beside it, a guided inshore trip is the cheaper version of boat ownership: you turn up, and the person driving already knows where the fish are. These are the guided trips in our listings.

• First Coast Fishing Charters, Atlantic Beach. An inshore guide service on the Matanzas and St. Johns rivers. A small operation, so the listing sends you to the phone number or the website to set up a trip.
• Fish Hunter Charters, St. Augustine. Inshore light-tackle trips on the First Coast for redfish, trout and flounder, with half-day options.
• Fishardy Charters, St. Augustine. Inshore and offshore trips out of the St. Augustine area docks, listed for redfish, trout and flounder.
• Fish Tomoka Inshore Fishing Charter Guide Service, Ormond Beach. Guided trips on the Tomoka and Halifax rivers for redfish, trout and snook, run as small-group outings with tackle, bait and licences included in the listing. Reach it at the number in our listing.
• AJ's Bass Guides, Kissimmee. Freshwater instead of saltwater: full-day and half-day guided bass trips on Lake Tohopekaliga and the Kissimmee Chain, aimed at topwater and flipping for largemouth, with all gear and licences included.
• Anchors Away Charters, Placida and Boca Grande. Tarpon and backcountry trips out of the Boca Grande marina, with the listing putting tarpon in Gasparilla Pass from May through July and snook and redfish in the bays year-round. The operator's own site is live and describes inshore trips plus federally permitted offshore ones.

Before you pay a deposit

• Is that a seat price or a boat price, and what is the minimum party size?
• What is included and what is extra: tackle, bait, licences, cleaning the catch, gratuity?
• When a guide says licences are included, ask whether that covers everyone in your party or only the licence holder. FWC counts only the people who are actively fishing and properly licensed toward bag limits.
• How long is the run out, and how much of the booked time is actually spent fishing?

Sort the Activities tab by distance on the day, and the pier or the guide nearest to wherever you are staying will be at the top of the list.