North Fort Myers offers access to some of Florida's most diverse fishing grounds, where the Caloosahatchee River meets Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico. This region is an inshore angler's paradise, famed for the coveted "Backcountry Slam" – landing Redfish, Snook, and Speckled Trout in a single outing. Shallow grass flats and mangrove shorelines teem with year-round species including juvenile Tarpon, Sheepshead, and Black Drum.
Just minutes from launch points, Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass provide prime sight-casting opportunities for permit, tripletail, and tailing redfish. The area's nearshore reefs and wrecks hold Gag Grouper, Mangrove Snapper, and Amberjack, while deeper Gulf waters yield pelagics like Spanish Mackerel and Cobia. Light-tackle and fly fishing thrive here, with skilled captains tailoring trips to seasonal patterns: summer Tarpon rolls, winter snook in backwaters, and springtime cobia migrations.
Family-friendly charters often combine fishing with dolphin encounters and shelling excursions to barrier islands like Cayo Costa. Whether chasing record-breaking Tarpon in skinny waters or bottom fishing Gulf structures, North Fort Myers' intricate estuary system creates unparalleled angling versatility within minutes of departure.