Fort Myers Fishing, Flats Fishing Fort Myers

Inshore fishing in Fort Myers or Fort Myers flats fishing is a major draw for tourists and fishing enthusiasts that visit the area. Fort Myers fishing guides can stay busy year round entertaining not only the local anglers but visiting anglers and sportsmen that consider Fort Myers to be one of the most productive inshore fishing locations in all of Florida. And then there are all the business travelers or family vacationers that want to try their luck with a little Fort Myers fishing. Local Fort Myers fishing charters that are inshore or flats fishing specialists will usually target 4 main species for their customers. That's not to say they don't catch other exciting sportfishing species though because they do.

There are quite a few reasons the fishing in Fort Myers and Naples offers so many fishing opportunities. One of the main reasons is that the Fort Myers region, which includes many hot fishing grounds like Pine Island, Sanibel, Captiva, and other popular fishing areas, are all part of the Gulf of Mexico which is one of the most abundant marine fish resources in the world. The offshore waters contain all the big game species you've heard of like billfish, tuna, wahoo, and dolphin while the inshore areas of the Gulf hold a long list of highly sought after species too.

Other reasons that make the Fort Myers and Naples fishing region such productive fishing grounds is that the weather is fairly warm year round which means one species or another is always available. Another reason Fort Myers fishing is so productive and probably the most important one is that the fishing guides of today are much more environmental friendly than the guides of old meaning most guides of today practice catch and release. This means if they have caught what they need, usually enough for a nice dinner they will release the rest of the fish they catch for someone to catch another day.

The main fish species and secondary species anglers fishing in Fort Myers or Fort Myers Beach may catch are....

• Redfish, Snook, Speckled Trout (Sea Trout), and Tarpon are usually the four most popular inshore species the Fort Myers, Naples, and Pine Island fishing guides will target.
• Other great fish caught in the SW Florida region include Cobia, Grouper, Snapper, Permit, and Sharks.
• Some of the smaller fish caught while Fort Myers or Pine Island flats fishing may include Triggerfish, Jacks, Flounder, and many more species.

SW Florida Fishing includes many well known hot spots that include Sarasota fishing grounds, Port Charlotte, south to the Naples fishing grounds.

Fort Myers is not the only spot with exceptional flats fishing in SW Florida. Fishing enthusiasts make their way here to try their luck in numerous different sport fishing destinations and that includes hot fishing spots with names like 10,000 Islands, Captiva plus more spots we have listed below:

Sarasota Bay Longboat Key Venice Englewood Charlotte Harbor Punta Gorda Pine Island Captiva Island	Sanibel San Carlos Bay Estero Bay Cape Coral Bonita Springs Naples Marco Island All top fly fishing and light tackle inshore sport fishing regions.

Sight Fishing, Flats Fishing in Fort Myers

The inshore fishing guides in Fort Myers, Pine Island, and Naples will fish in the traditional way that include bait fishing or casting a light tackle rod and reel set up to where you think the fish might be which is usually fun for all on board. But the guides in Fort Myers and other Southwest Florida fishing destinations will also use other fun tactics to catch fish.

Unless you are acustomed to flats fishing or very shallow water fishing you may not have had the chance to ever go sight fishing. Yea we have all seen a fish on top the water and tried to flip him the bait but this is a little different. In Fort Myers, Naples, Pine Island, and any flats fishing hot spot the guides are able to move through the shallow water while they stand up high and just scan the water with their polarized sunglasses. Sometime whole schools of Redfish will come through where you can clearly see their tail fin or dorsal fin at which time if your guide says it's OK you are free to let your lure rip, hopefully with accuracy so it lands right in his path.

If you have done it right then get ready because you are in for a rip running fight with a possibly 25 or 30 pound fish in 10" of water. These fish, redfish that is are no pushover and when they feel the tension of the line you will be in for a fight with a fish that will run in every direction with wreckless abandonment in an attempt to break free. This is what makes fishing so fun and what keeps anglers coming back for more again and again. This is Fort Myers flats fishing at it's funnest and why Fort Myers fishing is considered to be some of the best in all of Florida, if not the world.