Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier is the first “international’ fishing pier I’ve seen in Florida (or anywhere). What does it mean? Nobody knows. Of course every pier is international if you’re talking about visitors to the pier. Airports can be international. But piers?
That said, the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier is one of the best in Florida! If you’re close to Miami or even Fort Myers or Naples on the other side of the state, you can easily reach this pier.
Imagine fishing at Naples Fishing Pier on the Gulf side in the morning and then driving over to the Deerfield Fishing Pier at night. It’s doable, and only a 2 hour drive!
Fishing Hours?
The fishing pier in Deerfield Beach is open from 6 am. to 11 pm. at this time of year (summer).
What Fish Can You Catch?
The Atlantic coast of Florida has different fish entirely and some that are more common or absent than the west coast. In general, the top gamefish can be found on both coasts with few exceptions.
Fish Commonly Caught at the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier
- mutton snapper
- bonito
- blue runners
- mangrove snapper
- kings (kingfish, a mackerel)
- blues (bluefish)
- lookdown & moonfish
- snook
- redfish (red drum)
- sheepshead
- pompano
- Spanish mackerel
- pinfish (for bait)
- Crevalle Jack (Jacks)
How Big is the Deerfield Beach Pier’s Fishing Area?
The pier is 747 feet long over water and 20 feet wide for the length of the pier. At the end is a rectangular fishing section that adds another 111 feet of rail space. So (747 feet x 2) + 111 feet will give you the total fishing space of 1605 feet.
It’s tiring to drag a lot of fishing gear down a long pier. A cart can help a lot. Invest in a wagon or cart of some type and it will make your life easier. Here’s one on Amazon that I liked. Collapsible. Affordable. Looks tough and many good ratings.
Fees
Fees are moderate and cheap for any activity you want to do at the pier. Rod rental (see below) is a little steep, but I guess most of us would bring our own rod and reel and other gear.
Local (Florida residents) pedestrians walking the pier are charged just $1 per day. It’s $2 for non-residents. Free admission for active first responders, active duty military, and veterans (need card).
Fishing for the day is just $4.
Is a Fishing License Included in the Fee?
Yes, you can fish from the pier all day for $4. This includes residents and non-residents. This does not include stepping off the pier to fish on the beach. You’ll need a license for that.
If you want to buy a fishing license before coming, you can get one online from the state website or just stop by your closest Walmart and go back to the sports / fishing section.
If you’re going to fish more than a couple of times in Florida and want to have the option to fish from a boat, shore, or anywhere else, it probably makes sense to buy a Florida saltwater fishing license.
Restrooms?
Yes, there are restrooms at the beginning of the pier near the restaurants and other shops.
Shade on the Pier?
Yes, toward the end of the pier is a 40′ x 20′ covered roof where you can stand to get some relief from the sometimes scorching Florida sun or a downpour of rain.
Does the Pier Have a Bait Shop?
Yes, they do. Frozen shrimp, squid, and a lot of different gear you may need for fishing the pier is available. The prices are expensive as they are at all fishing piers. Better to bring your own for sure.
When you go into the bait shop you can see on the wall they have the current water, weather, and tide conditions posted as well as the species that are biting most often at this time on the pier. Very helpful information.
Frozen Bait Available
- squid & shrimp
- finger mullet
- sardines
- ballyhoo
- chum block
Is Rental Gear (Rod and Reel) Available?
Yes. For $18 for the rental package and a $25 deposit, you can rent a rod and reel for the day. You also get other tackle, bait, a bucket, a knife for cutting bait, and parking if available.
They require cash and take a photo of your ID, or maybe take your ID and hold it until you return the gear. It’s less money if you just want to rent a fishing rod/reel.
Restaurants?
There are a number of restaurants very close to the pier all along the beach. You’ll have many seafood restaurants to choose from when you’re ready to leave the fishing pier.
Pier Restrictions
There are always lots of restrictions at fishing piers in Florida because in part, it isn’t just for fishing. Pedestrians walking along the pier are common and people taking photos all day and just after sunset can make a pier feel crowded.
That’s the reason for most of the laws regarding what you can and can’t do.
Don’t forget, if you want to play music, grill, sleep in a tent or sleep in your car on a pier, just visit the north or south Sunshine Skyway Pier in St. Petersburg north of here on highway route 275. This is one pier worth the trip and you can make a weekend fishing road trip out of it! Sleep there on the pier!
To be perfectly honest, the Sunshine Skyway is still (and always was) my favorite pier to fish from because I can pull my car up there and not have to worry about where to sleep in a safe and clean place when I get tired while fishing into the late hours.
Prohibited on the Deerfield Fishing Pier
- Castnetting (throwing nets for fish or baitfish)
- Tents
- Fires, grill
- glass bottles
- Alcohol – OK at the small restaurant on the pier (beer and wine)
- Pets
- Music
- Smoking
- Beach Umbrellas
- Swimming, snorkeling, and diving are prohibited 150 feet around the pier.
- Section 50-112(f) of the City Code prohibits swimming, paddling, kayaking, surfing, or kiteboarding within 50 yards or 150 feet of the City fishing pier.
Any Live Web Cam on the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier?
3 Live cameras and you’re going to want to see all of them!
- Camera 1 – the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier live cam. See how many are fishing the end of the pier.
- Camera 2 – the underwater cam at the Fishing Pier. See fish day or night swimming around at the pier! I’m watching it at midnight and it’s easy to see a lot of fish swimming around by the pier. Some I can identify by body shape, others no. I swear I’m seeing tripletail. There is no color at night so you can’t see much of the pattern or anything else to help you identify the fish. Fun trying to guess though!
- Camera 3 – the Pier live cam. See how crowded the pier is in general.
Where is the Pier Located?
The Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier is located on the Atlantic side of Florida just south of Fort Lauderdale and north of Miami. Deerfield is a nice little city with great restaurants and high-end homes.
See the map above, or plugin the following address or GPS numbers to see the pier location in your favorite map application.
The address is: 200 NE 21st Ave, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. The GPS coordinates of the building at the end of the pier are [26.31647207016453 N, -80.07271988190374 W]
Where’s Parking?
The parking here isn’t easy. There are just 26 spaces near the Deerfield Beach Cafe at the start of the pier. Around 150 yards away is a bigger parking lot that double-parks some cars, so I guess they keep your keys to move your car around to let people in and out.
Not exactly ideal if you don’t want someone driving your car.
The pier is ADA compliant and there are handicapped parking spots available and ramps to get up onto the pier.
Cautions
Birds like pelicans and seagulls will take your bait or your caught fish when you aren’t looking. Also be careful that you don’t cast overhead, they are waiting for that because it provides a great opportunity to catch your bait (and get hooked) in the air.
Be very careful about this. Keep lids on your bait and coolers to help prevent birds from getting in on the action. Don’t feed the birds either, please!
If you’re planning on swimming or wading around in the water near the pier be careful of stingrays hidden just under the sand where they are nearly invisible. While fishing in Clearwater just north of here, I stepped on a stingray barb in the tail and it made for a horrible ending to a day of fishing!
Short Video of the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier Experience
Pier Social Media
- Call them at this phone number: +1 954-480-4407
- Their website is here.
- Their Facebook page is here. Not many followers, the page is in need of a better one.
- An Instagram search turns up nearly 8,000 photos. This pier could be considered the centerpiece of Deerfield Beach. There are lots of people around during daylight hours and the restaurants get good ratings.
Where’s the Closest Fishing Pier to Me?
If you live in Florida there is probably a fishing pier close to you. The best pier may not be the one closest, so browse through these and see which one is right for you. We have huge fishing guides for all the major piers in Florida and all the top gamefish.
Another Pier Close to Deerfield Beach
[Image credits: Images not marked with credits taken from their official website, unsplash, and FB pages. Featured image at top from maps.google.com.]