About Palm Beach
Palm Beach, FL offshore fishing starts at Lake Worth Inlet, where NOAA’s Coast Pilot 4 places Gulf Stream water about 2 miles offshore. The inlet, also called Palm Beach Inlet, runs between Singer Island and Palm Beach Shores to the north and Palm Beach to the south. Lake Worth Lagoon and the Intracoastal Waterway lie inside, with marinas on Singer Island, in Palm Beach Shores and in Riviera Beach. The same cut serves the Port of Palm Beach, which becomes relevant as soon as you start the run out.
The fishing runs year-round, and winter sailfish are the best-known target. Anglers also take mahi-mahi, wahoo, blackfin tuna, bonito, kingfish, grouper and snapper. For how the port fits the wider Gulf Stream fishery, see our guide to Atlantic Southeast offshore fishing. Size, bag and season rules are on our Florida fishing rules page. Check the FWC recreational saltwater regulations before you fish.
Access and navigation
Public ramps and marinas around the inlet:
- Phil Foster Memorial Park – county ramp inside the inlet by Peanut Island.
- Jim Barry Light Harbor Park – county ramp.
- Sailfish Marina Resort – closest marina to the inlet, fuel and transient slips.
- Riviera Beach Marina Village – fuel.
- Safe Harbor New Port Cove – fuel.
The entrance channel lines up on a 271°30′ lighted range, so the mouth opens to the east. NOAA’s Coast Pilot gives currents in the inlet of about 2.4 knots on the flood and 3.6 knots on the ebb. An outgoing tide running against an easterly or north swell can stand the seas up at the mouth. The north quarter of the channel tends to shoal along the north jetty, and because shoaling moves, the chart can lag the bottom.
Port of Palm Beach ships use the same channel and have priority. The Coast Pilot notes that large vessels come in at slack water, which is also when you are most likely to meet one. Anchoring in the channel or turning basin is prohibited except in emergencies. Pilot boats work near sea buoy LW at 26 46.4 N, 80 00.6 W. Once outside, expect a northward Gulf Stream current, which the Coast Pilot reports almost all year.
Boynton Inlet sits at the south end of Lake Worth Lagoon and can be reached down the Intracoastal Waterway. Look at the water when you arrive at the inlet, and read the NWS Jupiter to Deerfield forecast. If conditions look bigger than you want to take on, use the other approach.
Fishing conditions
Most Palm Beach, FL offshore fishing happens along the Gulf Stream edge, at The Step and across Sailfish Alley. Before the run, check OBS SST and Chart Contours in Breakpoint along the Stream edge. Chart layers are not for navigation.
Winter
Sailfish are the main draw, and kite fishing with live bait tends to be the method most tied to the winter bite. Our sailfish fishing guide covers the species in detail. For the regional pattern, see sailfish along the Atlantic Southeast. A north swell can matter at the inlet mouth, so read the forecast before you commit.
Spring
Mahi-mahi, wahoo, blackfin tuna and sailfish all show up, and mahi tend to hold on weed lines and floating debris. Our blackfin tuna fishing guide covers the tunas. For the regional picture, see blackfin tuna in the Atlantic Southeast.
Summer
Mahi-mahi, wahoo, blackfin tuna, bonito and kingfish fill the box, and weed lines still tend to hold mahi. Our wahoo fishing guide covers that species. For the region, see wahoo off the Atlantic Southeast. Kingfish work the reef edges, and the king mackerel fishing guide has the detail.
Autumn
Grouper and snapper on the reef lead the list. Kingfish can still be worth a look, and kingfish in the Atlantic Southeast shows how the bite runs along the coast. Tarpon and snook give inshore options. For reef fish seasons and closures, check FWC.
