Palm Beach County benefits from one of the most favorable geographic positions on the East Coast — the Gulf Stream’s warm waters run extremely close to the Palm Beach shoreline, placing sailfish, mahi, and wahoo within easy reach of the inlet. The Lake Worth Lagoon provides an extensive inshore habitat for tarpon, snook, and redfish, while the beach itself produces excellent pompano surf fishing throughout the winter and spring.
Top Species
Inshore/Lagoon: Tarpon (Lake Worth Lagoon holds large fish year-round, with peak June–August), snook, redfish, seatrout, flounder, pompano (surf), and cobia (spring).
Nearshore/Offshore: Sailfish (peak November–April, extremely accessible from the Palm Beach Inlet), mahi, wahoo, and blackfin tuna year-round in the Gulf Stream.
Top Fishing Spots
- Lake Worth Inlet / Palm Beach Inlet: The inlet produces excellent snook, tarpon, and jack crevalle around the jetty rocks and channel edges on all tides.
- Lake Worth Lagoon: The Riviera Beach area, Peanut Island, and the upper lagoon all hold large tarpon. Night fishing under bridge lights is particularly effective in summer.
- Juno Beach / Jupiter Beach surf: Some of the best pompano surf fishing on the East Coast December–April. Fishbites and sand fleas in the trough.
- The Gulf Stream (2–5 miles offshore): Palm Beach is one of the closest ports to the Gulf Stream on the Atlantic coast — sailfish are accessible on short runs in winter.
Seasonal Calendar
Winter: Peak sailfish season. Pompano surf fishing excellent. Tarpon in the lagoon year-round.
Spring: Mahi arrive on weedlines. Cobia at the nearshore reef. Snook pre-spawn.
Summer: Tarpon in the lagoon peaks. Snook spawning at the inlet. Offshore mahi and wahoo.
Fall: Wahoo builds. Sailfish season begins in November. Excellent snook and tarpon inshore.