Fernandina Beach, FL Fishing: Exciting Fishing Opportunities on the Isle of Eight Flags

On the northernmost part of Florida’s Atlantic Coast on Amelia Island lies the beautiful city of Fernandina Beach. It is considered one of the pioneering tourist destinations in the Sunshine State, as well as one of its first major cities. The area on which the city now stands was originally inhabited by the Timucuan tribe. At least eight different national flags have been flown over the city and the island, earning it the nickname “Isle of 8 Flags”. Through the course of its history, the English, Spanish, and French have all vied for control over the city, though it was the Spaniards who eventually established the city we know today. They named the city Fernandina in honor of King Ferdinand VII of Spain.

One of the city’s biggest claims to fame is that it’s the birthplace of modern shrimping. To this day, the locals celebrate this distinction annually through the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, which began as a shrimp boat race and has now turned into a festival celebrating not just shrimp, but arts and entertainment. It brings in more than 100,000 people yearly to the city.

And while most people come to Fernandina Beach for that festival, many of them discover several reasons to prolong their stay. Fernandina Beach is a beautiful and quaint beach town. It is perhaps a far cry from its historic heyday, but with its lovely beaches, its charming historic district filled with restored buildings from its glory days, and its glorious fishing opportunities, Fernandina Beach remains a destination worth a spot on your bucket list.

Fernandina Beach Fishing

Sitting on the south bank of St. Mary’s River and the north side of Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach is a wondrous Florida fishing destination that offers diverse opportunities for the curious angler. As it is a Sunshine State destination, it is only right to expect year-round fishing, with each season yielding diverse catch.

If you’re at a loss about where to begin, start on the shore. Surf fishing in Fernandina Beach can be quite productive if you know where to cast your line. One of the best destinations for surf fishing in the city is Fort Clinch State Park. Fish along the Atlantic shoreline and St. Marys Inlet, or on the jetties accessible via the east and west inlet parking spaces. Use dead or live shrimp, mud minnows, finger mullet, and squid as your bait and catch redfish, black drum, whiting, flounder, mullet, sheepshead, and sea trout. 

Fernandina Beach also has beach parks with great fishing piers. One such park is Goffinsville Park. Flounder, trout, and redfish are the most popular fish caught here, while some reportedly have caught tripletail. Egans Creek Park also has a fishing pier, as well as a kayak launching dock. The north side of the park has plenty of redfish and trout, while the south side is great for pinfish and baitfish. 

But the most popular fishing pier in the city has to be the George Crady Beach Fishing Pier State Park. The old highway bridge is where you should head as it has become a great fishing spot, attracting plenty of fish. It spans the Nassau River and Nassau Sound. The Florida state record for flounder was caught here in 1983 and has yet to be matched. Some of the most popular catch here include whiting, jack crevalle, sea trout, redfish, and tarpon. Go to the south end of the bridge where you will find grass flats that attract fish.

Fernandina Beach has plenty of marinas where you can launch a boat or book a fishing charter to take you offshore. What’s great about offshore fishing in Fernandina Beach is that you’re only minutes away from the Atlantic Ocean should you be brave enough to try. Just five miles off St. Marys or Nassau Inlet, you can find red snapper, triggerfish, sea bass, gag grouper, and even cobia while bottom fishing. You can also troll with live or dead bait during the warmer periods of spring and summer and target king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, bonito, or sailfish, and common dolphinfish. Head further out where the waters go as deep as 1,000 feet and you can find sailfish, marlin, common dolphinfish, and wahoo. You can also bottom fish here for some mutton snapper and gag grouper.

Freshwater fishing is also fantastic in the rest of Amelia Island, which you can easily access from Fernandina Beach. Two such bass fishing wonderlands are well within reach in the city: the St. Marys River and Nassau River systems. Lofton and Boggy Creeks are two feeders of the Nassau River system where you can target trophy largemouth bass, as well as sea trout, redfish, flounder, and striped bass in the brackish water spots of the creeks. 

Fishing is a way of life here in Fernandina Beach, and so are fishing tournaments. There’s the annual Fernandina Beach Fishing Rodeo which happens at the height of summer. It is known for its kingfish division, but also has inshore and offshore divisions for redfish, wahoo, common dolphinfish, sea trout, flounder, cobia, sheepshead, and bass. Then there’s the Kingbuster Kingfish Tournament for the heaviest kingfish. 

Top 10 Fish Species in Fernandina Beach, FL

The top 10 fish species to catch in Fernandina Beach are gag grouper, sea trout, summer flounder, wahoo, tarpon, king mackerel, largemouth bass, redfish, jack crevalle, and whiting.

Seasonal Fishing

Fernandina Beach is a year-round fishing destination, as is most of Florida. Every season, there are plenty of diverse fish to catch inshore and offshore. Spring and summer, of course, are prime-time fishing seasons, yielding species such as redfish, whiting, sheepshead, seatrout, black drum, bluefish, tarpon, and even cobia and sharks. Amberjack, dolphinfish, wahoo, and flounder are also in the mix. Trophy size tarpon are particularly plentiful in the inlets during warmer months, while wahoo tend to be even more active during the colder months of November until March. If you’re seeking to catch your first kingfish, the months of July until October are your best bet. 

Bask in the Beauty of Fernandina Beach

Fernandina Beach has attracted people from all over the world since time immemorial. And once you set foot in this fantastic city, you’ll easily see why. However, the city doesn’t coast on its natural beauty - it has plenty to offer travelers of all interests and ages.

1. Book a Fishing Charter

Fernandina Beach is a fishing city with plenty of marinas where you can find a local guide to steer you in the right direction. Many of the fishing charter guides here are locals who’ve spent years gaining knowledge about the waters surrounding the beach and the fish that inhabit them.

2. Join Fernandina Beach’s Biggest Annual Party

The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival happens every first weekend of May. During this time, Fernandina Beach is transformed into a huge party central, attracting 100,000 visitors from all over Florida and the rest of the country. It features an art show, live music, fireworks displays, and of course, plenty of shrimp cooked in various ways.

3. Skydive over Amelia Island

If you’re an adrenaline junkie, skydiving must be on your bucket list. There’s no better place to cross it off your list than at Amelia Island with the Skydive Amelia Island group. A package with them will take you on a 15-minute plane ride over the coastline of the island and the Atlantic Ocean before launching you into a 120-mile/per hour free-fall with an experienced US Parachute Association-qualified instructor, of course.

4. Immerse in the rich History of Fernandina Beach

Visit the Fort Clinch State Park to see the preserved 19th-century fort used during the Civil and Spanish-American Wars. Costumed reenactors roam around the park to complete the eerie atmosphere. And then head on over to The Amelia Island Museum of History, where you can get to know the city more deeply. The museum has displays detailing the history and the diverse culture of the city and the island, from its years as a Timucuan tribe settlement all the way to its years as a French and Spanish colony.