Welcome to our Captiva & Sanibel Island, FL Fishing Home Page

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.



The Fish of Captiva & Sanibel Island


Learn more about the different fish and how to catch them on our Fish of Captiva & Sanibel Island page.


Captiva & Sanibel Island Fishing Calendar


Take a look at our Captiva & Sanibel Island Fishing Calendar to see the average temperatures by month and what species are throughout the different fishing seasons.


Captiva & Sanibel Island Boat Launches


Take a look at our Captiva & Sanibel Island Boat Launches page to find a place to get your boat on the water.


Captiva & Sanibel Island Inshore Fishing


The inshore fishing in the waters around Captiva & Sanibel Islands offers anglers some of the best inshore fishing opportunities in the entire state of Florida. Some of the popular fish to catch inshore are snook, redfish, sea trout and tarpon, however there are so many more fish that you can catch here.  The Pine Island Sound is located between Pine Island and the islands of Captiva & Sanibel.  This area is protected from the Gulf, so you can experience some awesome fishing in relatively calm water.  The Pine Island Sound has numerous grass flats and islands to fish.  Mangrove-lined shorelines are available near Pine Island.

Close to the islands of Captiva & Sanibel, you have the Sanibel Causeway and a number of passes that also offer some awesome fishing. Some of the other fish you may catch inshore are sheepshead, ladyfish, pompano, goliath grouper and jack crevalle, but these are just some of the species of fish that you can catch inshore here.  The tides play a huge role in whether or not you will catch fish inshore. Moving water is key for most species of fish and the slack tide usually provides the worst fishing conditions for most fish.

Learn more on our Captiva & Sanibel Island Inshore Fishing page.


Captiva & Sanibel Island Nearshore Fishing


For those of you that want to run a little bit offshore, but not actually fish too far from land, you can definitely catch plenty of fish nearshore in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico just off Captiva and Sanibel Island. When the tarpon make their run through this area during the spring, there are plenty of anglers that will be chasing these fish up and down the beaches. Other fish you may catch nearshore are snapper, grouper, Spanish mackerel and other species of fish.


Captiva & Sanibel Island Deep Sea / Offshore Fishing


The Islands of Sanibel and Captiva are known for their excellent inshore and surf fishing, but the deep sea fishing is also very good in this area. There are several deep sea fishing charters that operate out of this area. Some of the popular fish to target are grouper, snapper, cobia, king mackerel, permit, amberjack and goliath grouper. Some other fish that are targeted offshore are barracuda, bonito, sharks and others.

Learn more on our Captiva & Sanibel Island Deep Sea Fishing page.


Captiva & Sanibel Island Shore Fishing


Sanibel Island does have a fishing pier, but the surf fishing is a lot more popular here. Fort Myers Beach is close to Sanibel and there is a much larger fishing pier to fish that attracts many anglers. Surf fishing is very popular on Sanibel and Captiva Island.  Some of the popular places to fish are the passes and near the Sanibel Causeway, but you can catch fish all along the beaches of Captiva and Sanibel Island. Snook are the most popular fish to target from the surf, but you may also catch whiting, pompano, redfish, Spanish mackerel, sharks and several other species of fish.

Learn about the best spots to fish here from shore.


Captiva & Sanibel Island Small Boat Fishing


If you are coming here to fish in a smaller watercraft such as a canoe, kayak or inflatable, check out our Captiva & Sanibel Island Small Boat Fishing page to see the best spots to get your watercraft on the water.