Best Times & Seasons to Fish Fort Myers (A Complete Guide)

Fort Myers 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 Fort Myers is between May and September for cobia, permit, sharks, tarpon, sea trout, and peacock bass. Winter and early spring is great for redfish and grouper in Fort Myers waters.

Fish Species	Best Times to Fish in Fort Myers, 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 Fort Myers.
Permit	May through August is the best timeframe to fish Fort Myers.
Sharks	May through August is the best shark fishing window of the year.
Tarpon	Year-round availability. March through July is the best timeframe.
Redfish	Year-round availability. August through December is the best timeframe.
Sea Trout	May through July is the best time.
Largemouth Bass	Spring & Fall is the best time to catch largemouth bass in the Fort Myers-area
Peacock Bass	May through September is the best season.

Fort Myers is one of the most popular places to go fishing on the gulf coast of Florida. Located in the southwest part of Florida, Fort Myers is home to some great fishing.

Most of the fishing is done inshore, offshore, or within the Caloosahatchee River. There are a few freshwater spots located inland in Fort Myers that offer largemouth bass, but this will be focusing on saltwater fishing. 

Best Time to Fish Fort Myers

Fort Myers has plenty of species to choose from, sometimes making it hard to pick just one to target. If you’re running into this issue and can’t decide, it may be best to book a charter that focuses on multiple species or whatever species are in season. Doing this will bring more fish into the boat and make your trip more successful.

If you’re looking to do this, the summer months offer the best multi-species fishing. There are countless species available at this time, and the weather will be great.

Whether you are going inshore offshore, or fishing from shore, there will be plenty of species available to catch.

Recommended Fishing Guides/Charters in Fort Myers

These Fort Myers-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a great service. The captains are knowledgeable and professional 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	Location
Capt Charlies Fishing Charters	Fort Myers, FL
Sanibel Saltwater Adventures	Fort Myers, FL
Gulf Coast Charter Service	Fort Myers, FL
SWFL Premier Charters	Fort Myers, FL
Captain Jack’s Fishing Charters	Fort Myers, FL
Indigenous Charters	Fort Myers, FL
Never 2 Nauti Fishing – Punta Rassa	Fort Myers, FL
Maxed Out Charters – Fort Myers	Fort Myers, FL
Tarpon Magic Charters	Fort Myers, FL
Capt. Bill Walker’s Fishing Charters	Fort Myers, FL
Make A Wake – Sanibel Island	Fort Myers, FL
Saltwater Excursions	Fort Myers, FL
Thrill Of It All Fishing Charters	Fort Myers, FL

Species of Fort Myers (Best Times & Seasons)

Snapper

There are both offshore and inshore species of snapper in Fort Myers, the main ones being yellow and mangrove snappers.

Snapper tend to be more active during the early summer, but inshore species are usually biting year-round. Snapper are more active in the morning as there is more baitfish activity, making them come out from hiding.

Offshore species of snapper like to eat baitfish, mainly mullet or pinfish. Inshore species are generally smaller, so a shrimp on a jighead tends to work well. For both kinds of snapper, you should have your bait low in the water column and slowly jig it back to you.

Offshore snapper tend to live around reefs and wrecks, they are generally in schools, so finding one can be a very good sign. Inshore snappers usually like to stay in shallower water.

You can find them around mangroves, mouths of rivers, docks, and any other spot close to shore that has structure.

Snook

Snook are long, slender fish that sometimes get up to 40 inches, they are almost like a saltwater species of bass. They are most active in the spring and summer, only slowing down during the late fall and winter.

They like warmer water, but don’t like when the sun is directly on them, so if you go fishing anytime other than the afternoon, you should have good luck.

Snook tend to sit and wait for their food during the day, but are much more aggressive during the morning and evening. Using live baitfish is usually the best option for bait throughout the whole day and artificial bait tends to work better in the morning and evening.

Snook like to feed on shrimp, pinfish, and pogies. Rigging any one of those up to either a jig head or a rig with a decent amount of weight should do the trick.

Snook are most commonly found in shallow water areas including mangroves, inlets, rivers, and docks. Flipping a bait under a dock is a very popular way of catching snook, but they can also be found in more open water as well.

While in open water, snook are usually going to be just outside of a drop off waiting for food to go by them. Snook are easily caught from shore, but a boat can help you get to harder-to-reach spots as well.

Tarpon

Tarpon are one of the most sought out fish in Florida. They can usually be found migrating into the flats of southwest Florida in the late spring and early summer and departing by late August.

Tarpon like to roam the flats in the morning and move into deeper parts of the flats during the afternoon.

Tarpon mainly like to feed on baitfish like pinfish and pogies, but will sometimes eat shrimp as well. If you are using live bait, you should use a lightweight, heavyweights that will spook the fish.

And if you are using artificial bait, you should try anything flashy, topwater baits and flies work as well.

Tarpon are mainly found in the flats. They will cruise around the flats for most of the day, and usually only move offshore for migration purposes. They will stay somewhat far away from shore, looking for grassy cover and deep holes to find cover from the sun.

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth are usually most active during the spring and fall and tend to fall off some during the summer. They like to live around places that have plenty of cover from the sun in the afternoon but can be found roaming for food in the morning and evening.

Bass are one of the least picky fish out there. You can use spinnerbaits, crankbaits, worms, frogs, live bait, and just about anything else to catch largemouth.

Largemouth are usually found near weed lines or docks, but can also be found on deepwater ridges as well.

The most common place to fish for largemouth in Fort Myers is in the northern parts of the Caloosahatchee River, where the water turns from brackish to freshwater.

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 Fort Myers

Fishing in Fort Myers is great for most of the day, but getting an early start may be the best choice for your trip. Most species in the area like warm water, but not the high sun. In the morning, the sun will be low enough to allow gamefish to roam around and look for food.

This makes them much easier to catch than if they were all hiding under cover or scattered. The evening is also a great time to fish for the same reasons, the only downside is that the peak of fishing in the evening tends to be a smaller window when compared to the peak of fishing in the morning.

Fishing at night is also a viable option. As long as you have the right equipment, you can catch tons of fish either from shore or a boat, all night long. Fort Myers offers well-lit piers that are open 24/7 and also plenty of beaches that you can fish from at night.

You can expect to see all of the usual inshore species, and maybe even some offshore species as well. The artificial light from shore will attract gamefish to the area, and if it’s enough, it may even bring in offshore fish.

Tidal Impacts on Fort Myers Fishing

Tides will always have an impact on fishing, but that shouldn’t steer you away from ocean fishing. The best tide to fish is high tide.

There will be more oxygen and the water and a current that pushes baitfish towards the shore, cornering them for the gamefish to eat. The higher oxygen levels mean that the fish will be feeding much more actively as well.

High tide can also be useful for offshore fishing in a different way, when the tide hits its peak, the water will stop moving, allowing your bait to get to the bottom and stay there much easier.

The times surrounding high tide have good fishing as well, but not as good as the peak of high tide.

Affect of Rain and Tropical Storms on Fishing in Fort Myers

Being in Florida has plenty of pros and cons, with tropical storms being one of the biggest cons. With Fort Myers being on the Gulf of Mexico, it is susceptible to tropical storms. Tropical storms can ruin an entire trip, but you would have to be very unlucky to book a trip when one happens.

Tropical storms tend to happen in the late summer and fall and are high-power systems with lots of rain and wind. Even if the storm doesn’t directly hit the area you are in, it can still affect you.

A storm hitting the keys or even Texas could have an impact on your fishing in Fort Myers. It can send high-power winds straight across the Gulf of Mexico and make the water in the area very rough.

The storm will also cause high pressure across the entire gulf, which generally makes fish scatter. Catching fish during a faraway tropical storm is harder, but it is still possible as long as it’s safe to go out on the ocean.

Fishing during a nearby tropical storm is not a safe choice. Just remember to stay safe on the water and pay attention to the weather before you go out.

For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Cape Coral, please check out this article.

Night Fishing in Fort Myers

Night fishing has become very popular in the Fort Myers area. There are a few piers that are well lit and open overnight available to the public.

Another popular option for night fishing is surf fishing for sharks. Sharks become much more active at night, especially in areas with lots of artificial light.

Sharks will also move much closer to shore than normal and feed there for most of the night. There are plenty of other species available as well, most of them can be caught by using either live baitfish or shrimp, so setting up a rod holder and a bell is a solid option for a relaxing night on the beach.

As for night fishing from a boat, it is possible through some charters. Charters will usually target areas near shore by lots of city lights and use the artificial lights to find the fish.

Either way, as long as you are prepared with the right equipment or the right charter, you can expect to catch lots of fish at night.

Shore & Surf Fishing in Fort Myers

Fort Myers has some excellent fishing that can be done from shore. There are plenty of beaches and piers to keep you busy for a few days. Most of the piers and beaches in the area are public, but you will have to check regulations on fishing.

While fishing from shore, you can target snook, trout, snapper, shark, and a couple of other species as well.

The most common setup is a weighted rig with plenty of slack line with either a shrimp or baitfish on the end. If you are fishing in a shallow area, the weight may not be necessary, but a jighead would work just fine.

You should aim your bait on the other side of a dropoff if you are fishing from the surf. And you should aim for areas with plenty of cover and deep water if you are fishing a different type of area from shore.

Fishing from shore in this area can sometimes outperform boat fishing, but most of the time, it will just be a solid, very enjoyable day of fishing.

Best Fishing Spots in Fort Myers

Surf/Shore Fishing

Fort Myers Beach

Located south of Fort Myers, this beach is located on Estero Island and offers great fishing in both the open ocean and Estero Bay. There are a few spots on the island that are open to fishing and there are spots on both sides.

The main species caught here are snook, trout, and sometimes tarpon on the bayside when they are in shallow. You can find plenty of fish by using a standard live bait rig with either a pinfish or shrimp. Aside from its popularity as a recreational beach, Fort Myers Beach offers some great fishing.

Centennial Fishing Pier

This pier is located right in the heart of Fort Myers, on the Caloosahatchee River. This river is saltwater and has great fishing for snook and trout. There are other species, like catfish, in the river, but the bulk of the fish you will catch will be snook and trout.

Shrimp and pinfish are the most popular baits here, you can try casting them around different kinds of structures, or go out to deeper water for bigger fish. Either way, you will catch plenty of fish at the Centennial Pier.

For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish Florida, please check out this helpful article. For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish Naples, please check out this helpful article. For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish Pensacola, please check out this helpful article.

For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish Naples, please check out this helpful article. For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish Cape Coral, please check out this helpful article. For a complete breakdown of the best times and seasons to fish in Boca Grande, please check out this article.

Inshore

Caloosahatchee River

This river runs right next to Fort Myers and offers great brackish, salt, and freshwater fishing. Further up the river is where you will find species like largemouth bass and crappie.

You can find tons of snook, trout, and tarpon throughout most of the river and more saltwater species as you get closer to the mouth of the river.

The river is wide enough for you to never get affected by traffic but small enough to the point where you can do a half snook half bass day if you wanted to.

Estero Bay

Estero Bay is located south of Fort Myers, in between the mainland and Estero Island. This area offers great fishing for multiple species, but specifically great fishing for flats fish.

There are islands and grassy flats in the area, making it the perfect home for tarpon when they migrate into the area. You can also try fishing near the mouth of the bay for some bigger fish, but the best fishing in the area will be closer to shore.

Offshore

Offshore fishing is one of the most popular ways to fish in Fort Myers. Offshore fishing offers a wider variety of fish, that tend to get much bigger than inshore species. If you are going to be targeting offshore species, you will most likely need to book a charter.

The charter will take care of finding the spots and supplying you with the right equipment to get fish to the boat. Offshore spots in Fort Myers tend to be offshore reefs and wrecks, but there are a few open water offshore species as well.

Best Seasons to Book a Charter

The best season to book a charter comes down to the weather, what species you are targeting, and how busy the charters will be. Weather in Fort Myers is tame for most of the year, but hurricane season starts in late summer and usually ends in October.

Other than that, the worst weather they get is wind and rain, which can be very unpredictable and something you may have to deal with.

You should try to book your trip according to your target species’ peak season. You’ll catch more fish and get more value out of your trip if you do this.

Charters in Florida tend to be pretty busy year-round, but especially so in the winter, and over spring break. The summer is also busy, but it’s hard to find a time when the charters aren’t busy when the fishing is so good. 

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 the Gulf of Mexico, please check out this article. For a complete breakdown if fishing is good in Fort Myers, please check out this article. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Englewood, check out this article. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Bookelia, check out this article. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Captiva. For a list of the best charters in Fort Myers, check out this guide.