Since February 19, the Juno Beach Pier has closed at sunset. Loggerhead Marinelife Center has run it on sunrise-to-sunset hours since then because sea turtles started nesting early this year. That changes in ten days. Starting November 1, the posted schedule keeps the pier open until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Those hours run through February 28. When it does, repair crews will still be working on the deck.
The turtles set the pier's clock, and they hand back the hours after dark during the months local reports have named as the best time for the night bite. The four months of late hours line up with the strongest stretch of the fishing year.
The Turtles Set the Clock, and November 1 Resets It
The 990-foot pier at 14775 U.S. Highway 1 has been managed by Loggerhead Marinelife Center since 2014. Its hours follow the nesting calendar.
| Season | Posted pier hours |
|---|---|
| March 1 to October 31 | Sunrise to sunset, seven days a week |
| November 1 to February 28, Sunday to Thursday | 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| November 1 to February 28, Friday and Saturday | 6 a.m. to midnight |
November 1 falls on a Sunday this year, so the first late night runs until 10 p.m. The first midnight closing is Friday, November 6.
The pier's page still shows the February 19 note about early nesting above the seasonal schedule. Before your first evening trip, call the pier line at 561-855-6185 to confirm the gate time.
Fees are the same in every season. A spectator pass costs $2 a day and is free for veterans. A fishing pass costs $5 a day, $3 for kids 12 and under, and $3 for veterans. The pier holds its own fishing license, so you don't need a separate one to fish from it.
What the Construction Fence Means for an Evening Trip
The refurbishment started June 1, 2026. Routine inspections found the need for upgrades. In its September 29 update, LMC said crews had been building panels offsite and would return to the pier on Monday, October 5. That phase covers the stretch between the pier house and the first shade structure.
LMC says the work is phased so the whole pier doesn't have to close, and active zones are fenced off for safety. The current estimate is about six months in total. Counting from the June 1 start, that puts the finish around December, so crews are likely to share the deck with night anglers for the first weeks of the late-hours season. On any given night, part of the deck may be closed. LMC posts weekly updates on which sections the crew will work on next.
How the pier is laid out matters here. Florida Sportsman's 2024 guide to the pier says anglers in the first trough fish for pompano and whiting. Mid-pier is where people target Spanish mackerel and bluefish. The T-head at the end can produce kingfish, cobia, big jacks, and the occasional sailfish or tarpon. The current work zone near the pier house sits where you'd fish the first trough, which is where you'd look for pompano. If crews move farther out in a later phase, the mid-pier spots could close instead.
What Last Winter's Night Bite Looked Like
Juno Bait, the tackle shop up the road, posts weekly fishing reports. Its reports from last season show the pattern. On November 20, 2025, the shop said pompano were thin at the pier, with "only a few" around. Bluefish were there "in decent numbers," and Spanish mackerel "have been moving in and out." Bluefish were also hitting sardine and mullet chunks after dark.
Two weeks later, in its December 4 report, the shop had bluefish biting at the pier
"especially at night"
and croaker and whiting biting well.
In late January, the shop reported bluefish, Spanish mackerel and jacks moving past the pier, with blacktip sharks nearby. The shop was hoping a cold front would bring pompano. They showed up. By February 5, Juno Bait had pompano at the pier along with "solid numbers" of bluefish. A week later, it called the Juno Pier pompano bite "some of the best" of the year.
Put those reports together and you get the season's pattern. Bluefish and the after-dark bite carry November and December, and pompano peak at the end of February, right before the pier goes back to sunset closings on March 1.
This season is already setting up. Juno Bait's October 1, 2026 report describes the fall mullet push. Snook, tarpon, ladyfish and jacks are following the bait inshore, and the pier is giving up pompano, Spanish mackerel, early bluefish and some snook. The shop says the mullet schools and the fish chasing them are most active very early in the morning, late in the afternoon, and at night. Until November 1, the pier closes before the last of those three windows.
The Rules That Change Before the Pier Does
Snook come with a date to watch. Juno Beach is in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Southeast snook region. FWC's snook page lists the slot as 28 to 32 inches total length, with one fish per person per day. Harvest closes December 15 through January 31. FWC's August 31 release confirms harvest is open through December 14. That leaves about six weeks of late hours with snook harvest still open.
The winter species have no closed season. FWC lists Florida pompano as open year-round with an 11-inch fork-length minimum and a six-fish daily bag. Spanish mackerel are open year-round with a 12-inch fork-length minimum and a 15-fish bag. On the Atlantic coast, bluefish have a 12-inch fork-length minimum and a three-fish daily limit, with no seasonal closure listed. That three-fish limit may come up first on a strong night bluefish run.
This is general information, not legal advice. FWC sets and updates these limits, so check its pages before you keep a fish.
If a Turtle Takes the Bait
The turtles that set the pier's clock still swim around it in winter. LMC's Responsible Pier Initiative runs workshops for pier staff and first responders and installs rescue nets and signs at participating piers. LMC's hooked-turtle instructions work just as well after dark:
- Call LMC's 24-hour rescue line at 561-603-0211, or FWC.
- Keep the turtle at the surface. Don't lift it by the line.
- Leave the hook and line in place.
- If you need to trim extra line, leave 1 to 2 feet attached.
- If a pier net is on hand, use it to hold the turtle at the surface.
The RPI page also lists FWC's injured-turtle number, 888-404-3922.
The Season That Bought These Hours
LMC's 2026 season count lists 13,870 loggerhead nests, 3,882 green turtle nests, 310 leatherback nests, and one rare-species nest. Those nests are the reason the pier has closed at sunset since February.
The center also had a first this fall. WPTV reported that on September 29, LMC released Jurassic, a 215-pound adult male green turtle. He is the first adult male green turtle the facility has fitted with a satellite tag. LMC holds its Go Blue Awards on October 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
Evenings on Land Fill In Too
The pier isn't the only after-dark plan the town has this fall. Here's what's on the Town of Juno Beach calendar:
- Oktoberfest, today, October 22, 4 to 7 p.m., Town Center Courtyard
- JBPD Lights and Frights, October 30, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Veterans Day Celebration, November 11, 8 to 9 a.m., Town Center Courtyard
- Art Show, November 13, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
- Christmas by the Lake, December 4, 5 to 7 p.m., Town Center Backyard Area, free
- Hanukkah Celebration, December 10, 5 to 7 p.m., Town Center Courtyard
Christmas by the Lake on December 4 wraps up by 7 p.m. That date is a Friday, when the pier stays open until midnight. December 4 is also the date of last season's Juno Bait report with bluefish biting "especially at night."
If you want to talk about homes close to the Juno Beach Pier, or which streets put you within an easy walk of a midnight Friday on the T-head, Tyler Cameron knows this stretch of coast from the build side and the listing side. Schedule a Consultation with Tyler.
