Fishing Piers — Sebastian, Florida

Pier fishing around Sebastian happens in three places. On the mainland, the City of Sebastian maintains three riverfront structures on the Indian River Lagoon: the twin piers at Riverview Park, the fishing pier at the Main Street boat ramp and the fishing pier at the Yacht Club boat ramp on Indian River Drive. On the barrier island, the north and south jetties at Sebastian Inlet State Park serve as the area's ocean fishing platforms. Farther south, Indian River County runs fishing piers at Round Island Riverside Park and Gifford Dock Park.

The structures differ in scale and setting. The Sebastian riverfront piers are platforms over the lagoon in the Riverfront District, while the north jetty at Sebastian Inlet runs 1,000 feet toward the Atlantic. For a city of 25,759 residents according to the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023, the riverfront piers are reached from U.S. Highway 1 and Indian River Drive, and the inlet jetties from State Road A1A.

Riverview Park is described by the City of Sebastian as its primary event and gathering point. The City of Sebastian places it at 600 U.S. Highway 1, on the corner of U.S. Highway 1 and C.R. 512/Sebastian Boulevard, along the shores of the Indian River. Among its amenities the city lists the twin piers for observation of the river or fishing, alongside the Splash Pad, the Veteran's War Memorial and picnic pavilions. Riverview Park is also the starting point for walkways that follow the shore of the Riverfront District, and it hosts events such as the Clam Bake Festival, Shrimpfest and the 4th of July Freedom Festival.

The Main Street Park and Boat Ramp sits at the intersection of Main Street and Indian River Drive, just east of U.S. Highway 1, at the center of the Sebastian Waterfront District. The city states that for those not venturing out on the water, the Main Street Docks and boat ramp also have a fishing pier. Across the street from the Sebastian Chamber of Commerce, the small Heritage Circle park offers views of the Indian River and information on Sebastian history and the Hardee Oak.

The third riverfront pier is at the Yacht Club boat ramp, 820 Indian River Drive, just north of Riverview Park. The City of Sebastian describes the Yacht Club as one of two city boat ramp facilities, a dual concrete ramp into the Indian River (Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway) with a fishing pier, boat dock areas and a restroom. The city notes the ramp gives quick access across the waterway to Sebastian Inlet and the Atlantic.

The ocean fishing platforms near Sebastian are the jetties at Sebastian Inlet State Park. Florida State Parks states that impressive catches are often made from the two jetties extending into the Atlantic Ocean and that both jetties are ADA accessible. The park also lists fishing piers, a fish cleaning station and boat ramps among its accessible amenities. Salt Water Cowboys bait and tackle in the park is listed as open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Wednesdays. Spearfishing is prohibited in the park, and the park lists an $8 per vehicle entry fee.

The jetties are maintained by the Sebastian Inlet District, the special district created in 1919 by the Florida Legislature to keep the channel open. According to the District, after construction completed in 2003 the north jetty was extended to 1,000 feet in length with an elevated concrete cap, handrails and a grate system, and the south jetty is 575 feet. The District notes that park access, fishing piers and catwalks are directed by the Florida Park Service, under the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The Sebastian Inlet jetties have been rebuilt several times. The District's inlet history records that when the inlet was opened at its current location in June 1923, small jetties were completed using coquina rock carried on barges. In 1968 and 1969 the north jetty received a complete overhaul and 500-foot extension by Cleary Brothers Construction Co., followed by an extension and concrete cap for the south jetty, with work extending into 1970.

Storms and repairs have shaped access to the Sebastian Inlet jetties since 2022. The Sebastian Inlet District reports that Hurricane Nicole impacted the north jetty in November 2022 and that within six weeks the District began emergency repairs to the jetty's headwalls, walkway and splash apron. A separate $1.1 million shoreline project funded by ad valorem taxes included repairs to the catwalk under the State Road A1A bridge west to the T-Dock, and was completed on October 21, 2022.

In November 2024 the Sebastian Inlet District launched the North Jetty Revetment Improvements Project, Phase 1, rehabilitating approximately 210 linear feet of revetment with four-foot diameter granite and building a steel sheet pile seawall with a concrete sidewalk deck along storm-damaged portions of the north jetty. The District records that the $2.5 million project reopened on June 30, 2025, ahead of schedule, with new seawalls, granite boulders and a new walkway.

The next change at Sebastian Inlet is the bridge. The District states that the Florida Department of Transportation will begin replacing the Sebastian Inlet bridge in 2026, and Florida State Parks notes that construction was scheduled to begin in May 2026 and that access to the beach from the south side is unavailable due to the construction.

Indian River County operates several waterfront parks around Sebastian with fishing access. Wabasso Causeway Park, a 13.4 acre park on County Road 510, has no pier but offers plenty of shoreline for fishing along four lobes of the causeway, open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset. Dale Wimbrow Park, at 11805 Roseland Road on the Saint Sebastian River, lists fishing access along with a boat launch.

The nearest county-built fishing piers are south of Sebastian in the Vero Beach area. At Round Island Riverside Park, 2200 South Highway A1A, Indian River County describes a footbridge to a small island with trails leading to an observation tower and a fishing pier; the 82.8 acre park is open 24 hours. Gifford Dock Park, also known as the 45th Street Dock, is open 24 hours with a fishing pier on the Indian River Lagoon, and the county lists snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, sheepshead and mangrove snapper among the inshore species caught there.

Licensing rules apply on every Sebastian-area pier and jetty. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission exempts individuals saltwater fishing from a pier with a valid saltwater pier license. Sebastian Inlet State Park notes that a fishing license may be required and that saltwater licenses are sold at county tax collector offices, online or by calling 888-FISH-FLORIDA. Since July 1, 2019, the FWC has also required a shore-based shark fishing permit for anglers 16 and older taking sharks from shore, including jetties, bridges and piers.