How it matches right now
- Tide
- outgoing / incoming
- incoming ✓
- Wind dir
- W, SW, S
- E ✗
- Wind speed
- ≤10 mph ideal
- 5 mph ✓
- Wave height
- 1–4 ft
- 2.3 ft ✓
- Water temp
- 65–82°F
- 79.9°F ✓
- Light
- Any
- Daytime ✓
✓ ideal ~ close ✗ outside range
Sebastian — Inlet
90
90 — GO
Sebastian Inlet
Sebastian
Florida's most famous snook inlet — Sebastian Inlet State Park funnels Indian River Lagoon water into the Atlantic through a narrow, high-current rock cut. Monster snook, explosive jack crevalle blitzes, and year-round diversity from shore.
This spot targets species that are in their active season right now. incoming tide lines up with this spot.
Location
Tides & Moon
Tide data unavailable
🌖
Waning Gibbous58% illuminated
Between phases — focus on tide timing over lunar influence
Major feeding5:06 AM – 7:06 AM5:06 PM – 7:06 PM
Minor feeding11:06 PM – 12:06 AM11:06 AM – 12:06 PM
Live Conditions
Water79.9°F
Wave2.3 ft
WindE 5 mph
Tideincoming
Air76°F
Rain6%
Conditions Match
Personal logbook
Log this trip with conditions auto-captured from the live feed.
Current Read
Why it scores 90 right now
- This spot targets species that are in their active season right now.
- incoming tide lines up with this spot.
- E wind usually hurts this setup.
- Light breeze keeps the presentation manageable.
- Water temperature is in this spot's active band.
- Wave height is in the range this spot wants.
Tactics
Hooks, baits, and lanes for Sebastian Inlet
Snook — night jetty
6–8 inch white or chartreuse paddletail on a 3/4 oz jighead, 40 lb fluoro leader on 30 lb braid. Cast upcurrent and let the bait swing through the shadow line created by the catwalk lights. The hit will feel like you snagged the bottom — then the bottom will start running. Keep the drag set at 25% of line strength.
Pompano — south beach
Work the sandy beach just south of the south jetty with a double-drop rig during fall (Oct-Nov) and spring (March-April) migration. Sand fleas and Fishbites. The pompano stage where the inlet current meets the longshore drift.
Spanish mackerel — inlet mouth
When you see bait spraying on the surface at the inlet mouth, throw a 1 oz Gotcha plug or silver spoon on 12–15 lb braid. Burn the retrieve. Mackerel won't hit a slow-moving bait. Wire leader optional — they'll cut 20 lb fluoro occasionally.
Flounder — rock transitions
Bounce a 3/8 oz white bucktail tipped with a strip of fresh-cut mullet belly along the sand-rock transitions at the base of the jetty. Flounder lie flat waiting for bait to come to them. The bite feels like a heavy weight — wait 3 seconds before setting.
Jack crevalle — topwater chaos
When the jacks are busting bait on the surface, any topwater or fast-retrieve spoon will work. Use 30 lb braid minimum — jacks fight above their weight class. The first run will burn 40 yards of line before you can think.
Target Species
Snook
East coast harvest is seasonal and permit-based; on April 17, 2026 the east coast harvest window is open.Fish edges, current seams, and low-light bait movement instead of blind fan casting.
Redfish
Indian River Lagoon redfish are catch-and-release only, so this is a confidence signal more than a cooler plan.Treat the channel edges as ambush lanes and fish moving current, not dead water.
Florida Pompano
FWC recreational rule set: 11" fork minimum, 6 per harvester, open year-round.Keep casts in the troughs first; only bomb it long if the first cut is dead.
Spanish Mackerel
FWC: 12" fork minimum, 15 per harvester. Open year-round.Cast ahead of surface schools parallel to the beach. Speed kills — if you're not moving the lure fast, you're doing it wrong.
Jack Crevalle
No minimum size, no bag limit in Florida recreational waters.Watch for bait blowups on the surface. Cast into the mayhem, strip fast. Jacks are reaction feeders, not ambush fish.
Flounder
FWC: 14" total length minimum, 5 per harvester. Sept. closed season on Atlantic coast.Drag baits across sand-mud transitions and channel drop-offs. Flounder ambush — they don't chase. Slow down.
Access
- Sebastian Inlet State Park — $8 per vehicle entry fee. Open 24 hours for fishing.
- Jetty fishing is open 24/7 — bring headlamps and glow sticks for the night bite.
- North jetty (Brevard side) and south jetty (Indian River County side) both fishable from shore.
- Catwalks along both jetties provide access to deeper water without climbing rocks.
- Bait shop and fish-cleaning station available inside the park.
- Florida saltwater fishing license required unless fishing from the catwalks (check current pier exemption status).
- Campground reservations available through ReserveAmerica — book early for winter snook season.
Hazards
- Extremely strong current on outgoing tide — this is not a light tackle spot. Minimum 30 lb braid, 40 lb fluoro leader for snook.
- Rocks are slippery with algae, especially on the ocean side. Korkers or studded wading boots are not optional, they're mandatory.
- Waves wash over the jetty during strong E/NE swells. People have been swept off. Check the surf forecast.
- Crowds are heavy on weekends and during snook season. Night fishing (weeknights) is the local move for space.
- Sharks patrol the inlet mouth — land your fish fast and don't leave stringers in the water.
Highlights
- Florida's #1 land-based snook spot — fish over 40 inches are caught from the rocks regularly.
- Current funnels baitfish creating explosive topwater blitzes of jacks, blues, and mackerel.
- Both jetties fishable from shore — north jetty for ocean side, south jetty for the calmer lagoon edge.
- Flounder hold in the sand-rock transition zones at the base of both jetties during fall migration.
- Night bite under the catwalk lights is legendary — snook, snapper, and big jacks stack in the shadow lines.
- One of the few inlets where you can sight-fish tarpon from the rocks during late spring and summer.