Best Times & Seasons to Fish in Boca Grande, FL (A Guide)

Boca Grande is one of the best fishing locations in Florida due to its abundant coastline and rich fish populations. Knowing the best times to come fish these rich waterways will make a huge difference.

The best time to fish near Boca Grande is between May and September for cobia, permit, sharks, tarpon, sea trout, and jack crevalle. Winter and early spring is great for redfish and grouper in Boca Grande waters.

Fish Species	Best Times to Fish in Boca Grande, Florida
Grouper	November through March is the best season to fish.
Snapper	October through March is the hottest snapper fishing time.
Cobia	April through October is the best time to catch cobia in Boca Grande.
Sharks	May through August is the best shark fishing window of the year.
Tarpon	Year-round availability. May through August is the best timeframe.
Redfish	Year-round availability. August through December is the best timeframe.
Sea Trout	May through July is the best time.

Boca Grande is on the beautiful Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida, located just north of Fort Myers. The island separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Gasparilla Sound. The area is home to tons of fishing opportunities and can keep you occupied for your whole trip.

Best Time to Fish Boca Grande

The best time to fish Boca Grande somewhat depends on what species you will be targeting, but the best overall time is in the summer. This is because of how many species are available both in and offshore. During the summer, you can expect to catch plenty of grouper, barracuda, snapper, tarpon, and a few other species.

The rest of the year still has good fishing, but less variety in species. The weather will also be very nice in the summer but may get too hot for some. If that’s the case for you, fishing in the spring is still a great option that will have cooler weather.

Recommended Fishing Charters in Boca Grande

These Boca Grande-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.

Recommended Fishing Charters	Type of Fishing Offered
Barnhill Charters	Backcountry & Inshore
Family Traditions Charter Co.	Reef, Nearshore, Flats & Inshore
Florida Inshore – Boca Grande	Nearshore, Backcountry, Flats & Inshore
Offshore Boca Grande, LLC	Reef, Nearshore, Wreck & Offshore
MM Charters	Nearshore, Flats & Inshore
Fast Cast Fishing – Boca Grande	Offshore, Nearshore, Wreck, Backcountry, Flats & Inshore
Florida Reels Fishing Charters – Tarpon	Nearshore
Shallow Water Experience LLC	Backcountry, Flats & Inshore
Short Drift Charters	Offshore, Nearshore, Wreck, Backcountry, Flats & Inshore

Species of Boca Grande (Best Times to Fish)

Jack Crevalle

Jack Crevalle have a relatively long peak season, which runs from April through November. They are still in the area during the rest of the year as well. They will usually stay in shallower water until the water cools down, then they will move into deeper water and become less active. As for the time of day, you can’t go wrong with fishing for them in the morning.

Jack Crevalle mainly feed on baitfish. Live baitfish attached to either a jig or a live bait rig will be your best options, but cut bait can be effective as well.

Jack Crevalle are mainly an inshore fish but can be found offshore as well. If you’re looking for them inshore, try to target areas with plenty of structure. Jacks will usually be in cover for most of the day, with the exception of the morning and evening. During the afternoon, they will either be under cover, or out in deeper water feeding.

Snook

Snook are in the area year-round. Their peak season is in the late spring and summer, but the fishing for snook is good year-round. As for the best time of day, fishing for snook in the morning will be most effective. 

Snook usually like to feed on baitfish such as pinfish and pogies. Using live bait works well, you’ll want to have some weight, but it’s okay if your bait is off the bottom. Artificial bait will also work well, and can sometimes be easier to use if you’re fishing around docks or other kinds of tight areas. Another option is to use a jighead or live bait rig with a shrimp, but live bait is the best option.

Snook like to be around cover, generally around docks, grassy areas, or even just trees in the water. One of the toughest things about snook fishing is keeping your line out of the structure, so casting right next to the structure is a good way to avoid that and draw the fish out of hiding.

Tarpon

Tarpon can most commonly be found during the summer, their peak season runs from May through August, and not many can be found outside of their peak season.

This is because tarpon migrate in schools a lot, and when one group moves out of the area, most of the rest will as well. As for the time of day, tarpon will be most active during the cooler hours of the day. So, in the morning and evening are your best options for tarpon.

Tarpon generally like to feed on shrimp and baitfish but will also occasionally feed on crabs too. Any imitation, including flies, will work for tarpon, but live bait hooked on a jig is a popular way to catch them as well.

Tarpon are almost exclusively found on the flats. They will usually be on sandy flats but can also be found in grassy flats too. They will generally be in the open water of the flats but will sometimes be near structure or shorelines as well. You should look for small drop-offs and deep holes to find tarpon.

I recommend this Penn Pursuit Spinning Rod & Reel combo (available on Amazon) for inshore and nearshore fishing. It can handle everything from redfish to snapper and king mackerel. The Penn Battalion Series Spinning Rod and the Penn Battle Spinning Reel are fantastic if you want to create your combo.

Best Time of Day to Fish Boca Grande

The best time of day to fish Boca Grande is in the morning. Boca Grande is located out in open water, but it is right next to some great flats. In the morning, fish like to swim up onto the flats while the sun is low to feed.

During the morning, fish will be much more active and less jumpy as compared to when the sun is high. During high sun, fish start to move to either cover or deeper water and scatter. Another great time to fish Boca Grande is in the evening. When the sun starts to go down and the water cools down, fish will move back into the flats and shallower areas, and they will also become much more active.

One of the only downsides is that there will be more people out fishing in the evening compared to other times. On a good day, this probably won’t have a huge impact, but if fishing is tough, traffic on the water will get noticeable.

Tidal Impacts on Boca Grande Fishing

Tides can have a big impact on how your fishing day goes. Tides are controlled by the lunar cycle and either push more water to shallow areas or pull it out deeper. High tide is known as the best tide to fish during because it can bring in food and oxygenated water for the fish.

It also makes areas closer to shore a bit deeper, making it easier for predators to move around in the areas where their prey lives. Peak high tide is usually the best, there is less current and it’s easier to keep your bait in one place, but the times surrounding high tide are good as well.

Affect of Rain & Tropical Storms on Fishing in Boca Grande

As with most places in Florida, Boca Grande has the potential to be heavily affected by tropical storms. The tropical storm season starts in late summer and ends in the fall. With Boca Grande being on a small island in the Gulf of Mexico, there isn’t much you can do if a tropical storm is nearby.

There isn’t much cover to hide behind when one comes through, your best option is to wait it out on the mainland. Tropical storms will also make fish scatter and hide closer to the mainland. They don’t want to be in the middle of all of the rain and wind, so they will either go out to much deeper water or into areas near the mainland with plenty of cover.

Night Fishing in Boca Grande

Night fishing is a somewhat popular way to fish in Boca Grande. Night fishing offers things like less traffic and more fish in certain situations. The main areas where night fishing is available are on the beaches and there are a couple of piers that are well lit at night.

If you’re surf fishing, you will need to bring along some lights and make sure that you have plenty of live bait. If you are out on a boat, make sure that the boat has plenty of lights to make sure that you are being safe while on the water. The best baits to use at night are live baitfish or cut bait, including baitfish and squid.

These work so well because of their smell and the vibrations that live bait send through the water. Fishing near artificial light is also an important thing to do. Fish will gather near artificial light because it gives them just enough light to be able to see their prey. That means that they can feed all night long and will be in shallower water, so they will be easier to reach from a pier or the surf.

Shore & Surf Fishing in Boca Grande

Fishing from shore is a very popular way to fish in Boca Grande. The area has plenty of inlets and channels that are open to the public and areas along the Gulf of Mexico and the Gasparilla sound that are also open to the public. On the Gasparilla Sound side, you can find a few areas with flats, meaning that you can find plenty of tarpon and permit when they are in season.

Fly fishing is a popular way to fish in the area, but live baitfish or shrimp are also popular choices. As for the gulf side, you can expect to find some deeper water fish like cobia and snapper. These are normally caught from the surf or piers on this side.

There is also the option of fishing the channels and inlets on the island, you can expect to get small species of snapper and plenty of snook in these areas. Wherever you decide to fish, you can expect to catch a variety of fish and there are enough spots to be occupied for your entire trip.

Best Fishing Spots in Boca Grande

Surf/Shore Fishing

Boca Grande Fishing Pier

This pier is located on the north side of Gasparilla Island and is in the corner of the island and a spit of land. The pier is low to the water and attaches to two small islands. You can go to the end of the pier and reach the Boca Grande Sandbar, which holds tons of flats fish including tarpon and permit.

The whole pier has great fishing, some of the most common fish caught here are snook and sea trout. The area around the pier is also easy to fish, you have structure from the pier, grassy areas, and deeper spots, making it easy to find the fish and stay occupied all day.

Boca Beach

On the south side of Gasparilla Island, facing out towards the Gulf of Mexico, Boca Beach offers some great surf fishing. The entire west side of the island has beaches with similar fishing as well. There is no pier at this part of the island, but the area has a large drop-off, making it easy to target fish in shallower water, and you’ll still be able to reach deeper water as well.

Inshore

Gasparilla Sound 

Gasparilla Sound is the area between Gasparilla Island and the mainland. There are plenty of species that you can catch in this area, a lot of fish migrate through the sound as the water warms up. There are a few small islands and reefs in the sound, giving some structure for fish to hide around and giving you a good place to start without doing too much looking.

As you move closer to the mainland, you will run into the Cape Haze Aquatic Preserve. Fishing in the area just north of the preserve offers great fishing for different inshore species and flats species as well. You can also choose to fish near the islands or near the Boca Grande Sandbar, both offer great shark, tarpon, trout, and permit fishing.

Cape Haze Aquatic Preserve

Just a few miles away from Boca Grande, Cape Haze offers some of the best flats fishing in the area. The area can be difficult to navigate, it’s a large preserve with lots of small islands and bays, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go on a guided trip at this spot. The main species available here are tarpon, permit, snook, and sea trout.

The water between the islands stays relatively shallow, but as you move into the bays (Bull and Turtle) the water gets deeper and you can find more inshore species. With all of the islands, the preserve is protected from large waves and wind, making it a great spot to spend your day.

Offshore

Offshore fishing in the area is done in the Gulf of Mexico, after Gasparilla Island, the water opens up and becomes much deeper. Out here you can find snapper, barracuda, shark, marlin, and more. If you’re looking to go offshore, you will most likely need a charter. Charters will supply all of the necessary equipment and will know where to go, whether if it’s a reef, wreck, or open water, they will have you covered and make your day as stress-free as possible. 

Best Seasons to Book a Charter

The best season to book a charter also depends on what species you will be targeting. Most charters will only target one or two species at a time or fish for a variety of species using the same bait. You should try to plan your trip as close to your target species’ peak season as possible. If you are not planning to target a specific species and would like to catch as many fish as possible, the summer is a great option.

During the summer, there are plenty of species available, but charters may be busier than usual. A way to get around the busyness of charters in the summer is to plan far in advance. As soon as you know what charter you want to go with and when you want to go, you should book your trip.

An overlooked time to go is in the winter. The weather will still be warm, and there are plenty of species available, and some are only available during the winter. Whichever season you choose, your charter should be capable of putting you on fish and having a great day on the water.

For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish in Cape Coral, please check out this helpful guide. For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish in Fort Myers, please check out this helpful guide. For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish in Naples, please check out this helpful guide. For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish in Punta Gorda, please check out this helpful guide. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Big Pine Key, check out this article.