Southwest Florida provides anglers some of best inshore fishing you will find in the entire state of Florida. You can do well nearshore and offshore here as well, but the inshore fishing really stands out. The warm winters attract a lot of visitors and large numbers of fish move into the shallower inshore waters throughout this region during the same time. There are many different species of fish to target, but snook, redfish, tarpon and sea trout are the preferred target for most inshore anglers. To go along with the excellent fishing, this area is also home to some beautiful beaches, a variety of restaurants and lodging.
Featured Destinations – Quick Links
| Charlotte Harbor, FL | Naples, FL |
| Chokoloskee / Everglades City, FL | Pine Island, FL |
| Fort Myers Beach, FL | Sanibel & Captiva Islands, FL |
| Marco Island, FL | Venice, FL |
Take a look below to learn more about the featured fishing destinations in this area.
Charlotte Harbor, FL
The harbor is a beautiful area and it offers some excellent boating, fishing, sailing, uncrowded beaches, unique shopping and dining. The towns that help make up this area are Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Boca Grande and Bokeelia.
Charlotte Harbor is arguably the most popular tarpon fishing destination in the world. During the peak of the tarpon run every summer, you can see hundreds of boats gathered almost on top of each other as they are fighting fish that sometimes weigh well over 100 pounds.
Visit our Charlotte Harbor, FL Fishing Home Page.
Chokoloskee / Everglades City, FL
Everglades, Florida and the 10,000 islands provide one of the most unique fishing experiences in the country. We ranked this destination fairly low considering how amazing the fishing is in this area. The problem with this area is that you don’t have nearly as many options when it comes to businesses serving this area. Once you are out here fishing, it can be one of the more amazing fishing vacations you will ever take, however, there are several precautions you should take before venturing out in this area.
The islands offer some spectacular inshore fishing for snook, tarpon, redfish, trout and many other species of fish. Offshore, anglers target snapper, grouper, cobia, permit, amberjack, king mackerel, goliath grouper and others. This area is very remote, so we definitely recommend hiring a fishing charter for first time visitors.
Visit our Chokoloskee / Everglades City, FL Fishing Home Page.
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Fort Myers Beach is located on Estero Island in Southwest Florida. With Sanibel Island and Pine Island nearby, Fort Myers Beach helps make up one of Florida’s best vacation areas for boating, fishing, beaches and more. In Fort Myers Beach, you will find miles of white sand beaches, numerous hotels and resorts, beach shops and a pier that offers a restaurant, fishing and other entertainment.
This area has very good fishing year-round for a variety of inshore and offshore species. Most anglers have heard about this area because of its excellent tarpon run each year during the months of April, May and June. The inshore fishing is very good with Estero Bay, many other smaller bays, several passes, bridges and mangroves where you can target snook, redfish, sea trout and many other species of fish. You are also close to some outstanding fishing around the islands of Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island.
Visit our Fort Myers Beach, FL Fishing Home Page.
Marco Island, FL
Marco Island is the largest of Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands. This island is a very popular tourist attraction. There are miles of uninhabited islands, tons of wildlife and excellent fishing to go along with the white beaches and beautiful sunsets. Marco Island is not very large, but it is easily one of the top vacation destinations in all of Florida.
For the people who like to fish, Marco Island is one of those places that you have to visit at least once. The fishing is excellent inshore and offshore. The backwaters of some of the 10,000 islands will seem endless and you can catch snook, redfish, tarpon, trout and many other species of fish in the calm, protected waters.
Visit our Marco Island, FL Fishing Home Page.
Naples, FL
Naples is a beautiful town with many homes lining the Gulf of Mexico beaches. With miles of white sand beaches, fine dining, shopping, beachside resorts and hotels, and plenty of outdoor activities.
Naples is known for its excellent backcountry fishing for tarpon, snook and redfish, however, there is also some very good surf fishing to go along with offshore fishing in the Gulf for grouper, snapper and many other types of fish. The Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park is popular among shore anglers and boaters use the pass to access the Gulf of Mexico.
Visit our Naples, FL Fishing Home Page.
Pine Island Florida
Pine Island is a unique vacation destination. The island is the largest island on the west coast of Florida and it is just 15 to 20 minutes from Cape Coral, a half hour from Fort Myers and an hour from Southwest Florida International Airport. The towns that make up this island are Matalacha, St. James City and Bokeelia. You can also access the islands of Sanibel and Captiva within minutes depending on what type of boat and where you are actually staying on Pine Island. You won’t find miles of beaches on Pine Island. You’ll have to go to nearby Captiva, Sanibel or even Fort Myers Beach to find the beaches in this area. Pine Island is lined with mangroves, canals and vacation homes. You can get a taste of what old Florida used to be like on a visit to Pine Island.
The fishing is very good in this area. Anglers target redfish, trout, snook, tarpon, grouper, snapper and many other species of fish, inshore, offshore and nearshore here.
Visit our Pine Island, FL Fishing Home Page.
Sanibel & Captiva Islands
The islands of Captiva & Sanibel provide one of the best fishing vacation destinations in the country. This area may be a little pricey, but you have everything you can possibly want in a beach vacation destination of Florida.
This area has great weather year-round, numerous fishing charters, outstanding inshore fishing, very good offshore fishing, good surf fishing, plenty of places to fish in windy weather and the list goes on and on. Snook, redfish, sea trout, Spanish mackerel, grouper and snapper are available here year-round and some of the other fish that migrate through this area are tarpon, pompano, cobia and permit.
Visit our Sanibel & Captiva Islands, FL Fishing Home Page.
Venice, FL
This is one of the few cities on Florida’s west coast without a barrier island. The white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico form the western boundary of Venice. There are 14 miles of beautiful beaches from Casey Key to Manasota Key that offer many recreational opportunities such as swimming, sunbathing, boating and fishing.
Many different species of fish pass through the Venice area throughout the year. Species such as kingfish, Spanish mackerel, cobia, grouper, barracuda, mangrove snapper, amberjack and other species make Venice their home throughout the different seasons. Inshore, snook are the prime target, but there are many other fish you can also catch. Head just north of Venice and you will have lots of protected water to fish behind Casey Key. You can also fish in the bays near Venice or in the many canals that offer some of the best night fishing action for snook in the state.
Visit our Venice, FL Fishing Home Page.
