Lake Worth Pier was made unusable by hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, but has now been reopened. The Gulf Stream comes closest to the east coast here, so a 1 mile paddle offshore gets you into 90+ feet deep water to go after kingfish, amberjack, dolphin and even sailfish from a kayak. Going this far offshore is not for novices- there may be breaking surf, there will be motorboats and it gets deep fast. There is usually a current of about 1 mph to the north, but sometimes it goes south. Bring all required safety equipment- PFD, whistle, mirror and know how to rescue yourself.
When the weather is not so nice you can launch in the intracoastal at Bryant Park. Just north of the Lake Worth Ave bridge on the west side of the intracoastal is a series of islands created for habitat restoration, called the Snook Islands.They are already home to many wading birds and sometimes even snook. A little farther to the north there are more islands on the east side with restored (technically "created from scratch in the first place") habitat. On a historical note, Lake Worth was originally a freshwater lake until about 120 years ago when they started creating inlets. Now it's all saltwater.
Directions: The exits from I-95 are 10th Ave to the north (exit 64) and 6th Ave to the south (exit 63). Take N. Dixie or N. Federal highway to Lake Worth Ave and head east across the bridge. Cross A1A and you are in Barton Park, so turn right. You need to park south of the pier as close to the south end as you can get. The ramp at Bryant Park is 1 full block south of Lake Worth Ave.
Entrance fee/parking: metered parking at Barton Park, $1 and $5 bills accepted. At Bryant Park, there is free parking at the park just north of the boat ramp.
Facilities: There is still a working restaurant at the ppier and you can use the restrooms. Fresh water rinseing showers.
Put-in/Take-out: Launch from the beach. If you get there before the lifeguards, you can go straight out. After about 9AM you have to drag the kayak about 40 yards south to the adjacent condo (i.e. off the public beach) to launch and land. This is why it's important to park at the south end of the lot. There is a cement boat ramp at Bryant Park, no fee.
Route: From the beach head east, then southwest after drifting. From Bryant Park head north and go island hopping all the way to Southern Blvd.
Maps from Yahoo Maps
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