The mullet are back at Sebastian Inlet. The Sebastian Inlet District titled its fishing report for the week of September 21 "The mullet are coming," and the report described plenty of finger mullet and larger mullet moving through the inlet and along the beach, with snook, tarpon, Spanish mackerel and bluefish among the catch. What changed is where people can stand to fish it. For anyone driving up A1A from Ambersand Beach, the Indian River County side of the inlet is mostly cut off this fall. The closures behind that are scheduled to last years, well past this season.
The cause is the replacement of the 62-year-old A1A bridge. As Florida Today reported, the new $101.9 million bridge will sit 12 feet higher than the current span, and hundreds of parking spaces at the state park will be off limits for more than five years while it is built. Construction began June 1, 2026.
What Is Closed on the South Side
The changes that matter most to someone coming from the south are on the South Parking Lot side of the inlet. Here is what FDOT and the park have posted:
- South jetty access from the South Parking Lot: closed, per FDOT's notice for the lot, which says sections beneath and to the east and west of the bridge have been partially closed since June 4, 2026, through Spring 2032.
- South-side beach access: the park's project alert reads, "Access to the beach from the south side is unavailable due to the construction."
- Observation decks: the decks under both the north and south ends of the bridge are closed.
- Still open: the park itself, the rest of the South Parking Lot, limited parking west of the bridge inside the park, and the boat ramp, which FDOT says will stay accessible "at all times."
The south jetty itself has not been closed. A Sebastian Inlet District commissioner told Sebastian Daily in June that the jetty "will remain open to the public." The District's October 5 report also describes fish being caught at the south jetty tip. No public walking route to the jetty during construction appears in any of the FDOT, park or District material reviewed for this post. The open jetty and the closed path to it come from separate notices, so check the signs at the gate before planning a morning around the south tip.
On the north side, the south section of the North Parking Lot has also been partially closed around the clock since June 1. One row of parking east of the bridge is still open, along with the lot northeast of the park entrance and limited spaces west of the bridge. The north side has less parking than before, but unlike the south side, people can still get from those spaces to the water.
The Drive North Changes on October 13
Reaching the north side from Ambersand Beach means driving through the work zone. That drive is scheduled to change this week.
- Tuesday, October 13, about 7 a.m.: FDOT plans to shift both directions of A1A, known here as Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, onto temporary pavement, weather permitting. The Town of Melbourne Beach's October 6 update says the shift begins roughly 1,400 feet south of the park entrance in Indian River County. Traffic returns to the existing road to cross the bridge, then follows temporary pavement for about 900 feet on the Brevard side.
- Backup date: FDOT's flyer says that if weather or other problems push the start back, the shift will happen by Thursday, October 22. The shift was first scheduled for September 24 and was moved.
- Through late 2028: the temporary road layout is scheduled to stay in place this long.
- Spring 2032: the parking closures are posted to run through this date. FDOT's main project page gives an expected finish of fall 2031, so the end date varies by about half a year depending on which FDOT page you read.
Single-lane closures with flaggers can still happen during the day. According to Florida Today, FDOT permits them from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. A weekend or late-afternoon trip to the inlet avoids those windows. Park hours also differ by side. The South Ranger Station has kept 8 a.m. to sunset hours since November 12, 2025, and the North Ranger Station is open 24 hours.
Where the Fish Are Being Caught
With the south side cut off, the District's weekly reports now describe two very different shores. The report for the week of October 5 comes from "Snookman" Wayne Landry, the District's fishing guide. Rain over central and south Florida had opened the C-54 Canal spillway, and tannin-dark fresh water was flowing out of the inlet on the late outgoing tide. Even so, he wrote that the water temperature was "still holding in the low 80s" and that mullet and greenies were still throughout the inlet.
His notes on the two surf zones show how the shoreline divides right now:
"The south side is still completely blown out and very muddy, and nobody is fishing that area because of the continued lack of access from the parking lot. On the north side, since the winds have been SSE, the surf has been a bit calmer and less muddy."
That passage is from the Sebastian Inlet District's October 5 report. On the north side, anglers just north of the jetty were catching small whiting and undersized pompano, and a few decent snook came out of the surf on live mullet in the evenings. Spanish mackerel were still the main catch along the ocean side of the North Jetty on both tides, though fewer than in the two weeks before. A few snook were taken at the tip, and Landry saw a couple of redfish caught on live shrimp along the wall near the bait shop. He expected the bite to come back once east-northeast winds push cleaner water into the inlet.
The Rules Stayed the Same
The fishing regulations did not change with the access. FWC's snook rules for the Indian River Lagoon region close the season December 15 through January 31 and June 1 through August 31, with a 28-to-32-inch slot and a one-fish daily bag limit. That leaves the fall harvest window open through December 14, which covers the rest of this mullet run. Red drum in the same region are catch-and-release only under FWC rules. Landry made the same point about the redfish caught by the bait shop.
Work Out of Sight from the Road
The bridge is the most visible project, but two others shape what the inlet looks like this fall. A third is coming to the side where people are fishing now.
Start with the sand. Vero News reported that contractor ATL Diversified Industries finished dredging the channel and the 42-acre sand trap on April 26. That was four days before the latest deadline and only weeks before bridge construction would have stopped the work. More than 271,000 cubic yards of sand went onto the beach south of the inlet, including about 90,000 cubic yards of mined sand trucked in the year before. The final cost was $8,529,239, about $1.28 million over the original contract. The District told the paper it hopes the inlet won't need dredging again until the bridge is done in 2032. That would mean the sand on the Indian River County side came in just before the long closure began.
At Coconut Point, on the park's south side, crews on September 10 installed 22 reef arches along about 200 feet of shoreline. Up to 90 mangroves were to be planted in the following weeks, and ORCA citizen scientists are set to monitor the site for at least three years.
The project still ahead is on the North Jetty, which is carrying most of this season's fishing. The District's North Jetty Improvement Project, Phases 2 and 3, calls for 48 prestressed concrete piles, new concrete beams and decking, and added granite armor stone, after an inspection recommended major structural repairs. Bids were opened September 4, a contract award was expected October 14, and construction is forecast for late 2026 or early 2027. The District has not yet published a schedule showing how that work will affect jetty access. Once it starts, the jetty that took over from the south side may have restrictions of its own.
Off the Water at the Park
Both museums are on their regular hours. The Sebastian Fishing Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. except major holidays, with no charge beyond park entry. The McLarty Treasure Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and charges $2 per person. Salt Water Cowboys bait and tackle is listed as open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., though the same park page says both "everyday" and "Closed Wednesdays," so call ahead midweek. Jojo's Saltwater Café is still listed as "coming soon."
The inlet has always marked the north end of the island for Ambersand Beach. For the next several years, enjoying it from the south side will usually mean crossing the bridge, parking in what's left of the North Parking Lot, and fishing the North Jetty while it stays open.
If you're thinking about how the bridge timeline affects an oceanfront property on the north end of the island, whether you own one or are considering one, Janyne Kenworthy can walk through the details with you. Let's connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
