Guides, season notes, and updates — sourced and cited.
FWC sets it at 100 yards from any public fishing pier, bridge open to public fishing or public swimming beach, and 100 feet from a jetty above the surface. Plus the full list of species you may never take by spear.
Read more →Applications run October 1 to 15 for a tag to harvest one goliath grouper between March 1 and May 31. $10 to apply, $150 for residents or $500 for non-residents if drawn, and nobody is exempt, not lifetime license holders, not seniors.
Read more →Florida requires a no-cost Shore-based Shark Fishing permit plus an online course for anyone 16 or older fishing for sharks from the beach, a pier or a bridge. Seniors are not exempt, and the permit is required for some non-shark setups too.
Read more →What's biting month by month around Fort Myers, Pine Island, Estero, Naples and Chokoloskee, plus the current FWC season dates and slot limits that actually control when you can keep snook, redfish, trout and gag grouper.
Read more →Gasparilla Island State Park hours and fees, Boca Grande Pass gear rules straight from FWC, and what's realistic to target there.
Read more →FWC's documented range for bullseye snakehead does not include Lee or Collier county. Here's what the agency actually says, and what's really biting in Fort Myers Beach and Lee County canals instead.
Read more →The Cape Coral Yacht Club fishing pier is still not open. Here's the city's own status as of this month, and where to actually fish a pier nearby.
Read more →Where jack crevalle school up around Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, why FWC lists them as unregulated, and the tackle that survives the fight.
Read more →Where ladyfish school up in Lemon Bay and around Englewood Beach, what FWC says about the limit, and the light tackle that makes them worth targeting.
Read more →Where Marco Island's residential canal system is actually fishable from shore, what the city's own park pages list, and what holds in the canals.
Read more →Verified hours for the boat ramps, causeways and park access points around Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Punta Gorda and Chokoloskee that are actually open after dark, plus dock light technique.
Read more →The Punta Gorda Isles canal system, the Peace River mouth, and what holds in saltwater canals here versus Cape Coral's freshwater side.
Read more →Real published charter rates for Sanibel, Punta Gorda, Matlacha, Englewood and Marco Island, what's included, and what FWC says about needing your own license.
Read more →Big bottom-feeders on Pine Island Sound's oyster bars, with current FWC slot and bag figures for Southwest Florida.
Read more →One practical tackle setup for Cape Coral's saltwater and freshwater canals, with knot recommendations and the license each side actually requires.
Read more →Where cobia show up on Gulf structure out of Fort Myers, and the current FWC minimum size and bag limit.
Read more →Every fee, exemption and discount FWC lists for veterans, active and retired military, and seniors, sourced directly from myfwc.com.
Read more →Where flatfish hold along the sand and grass edges of Pine Island Sound, and the exact FWC size, bag and fall closed-season dates.
Read more →What FWC actually says about where butterfly peacock bass live in Florida, and why that range statement matters before planning a trip around Naples or Everglades City.
Read more →Where permit show up on Gulf-side wrecks and passes near Sanibel and Captiva, and the exact FWC size and bag rules for Gulf waters outside the Biscayne special zone.
Read more →Where to find sheepshead around Punta Gorda and St. James City, what rig actually hooks that bait-stealing bite, and the current FWC size and bag limits.
Read more →Grass flats around Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass hold trout year-round in Southwest Florida, with the current FWC slot and bag figures for this region.
Read more →Blue and spotted tilapia are common in freshwater canals around Cape Coral and Fort Myers, with no bag or size limit but strict live-possession rules under FWC's nonnative species regulations.
Read more →Live shrimp, cut mullet and gold spoons that catch redfish on flats and seawalls in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties, with current FWC slot and bag limits.
Read more →Public shore, pier and canal fishing access points that are actually open right now in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties, with what to target at each one.
Read more →Live pinfish, whitebait and paddle-tail plastics that catch snook around bridges, docks and beaches in SWFL, with current FWC slot, season and permit rules.
Read more →Gag grouper is open in the Gulf for September only. Southwest Florida snook stays closed until October 1. What is open right now in Lee, Collier and Charlotte, sourced from FWC.
Read more →How to tell gag, red and black grouper apart, plus current Gulf state-water season, size and bag limits sourced from FWC for Southwest Florida anglers.
Read more →What Blind Pass Beach Park actually offers a shore angler: jetty access, parking cost, and the snook rules that apply to what you catch there.
Read more →Where to launch a boat in Cape Coral, what the city's paid parking program actually costs, and what to target once you're on the water.
Read more →Lovers Key's back-bay boardwalks and Koreshan State Park's boat ramp and kayak launch on the Estero River, both feeding Estero Bay.
Read more →The Gulf Coast Visitor Center's marina and canoe/kayak launch, plus the backup launch points in Everglades City and Chokoloskee, for reaching the Ten Thousand Islands.
Read more →Davis Boat Ramp and the two piers at Bunche Beach: where to launch or wade into San Carlos Bay and the Caloosahatchee out of Fort Myers.
Read more →Gulf and Atlantic snook seasons run on different calendars with different slot limits. Here's exactly what FWC states for each coast, and how to check the current status yourself.
Read more →The Naples Pier is still under reconstruction; here's what the city's own updates say, plus Delnor-Wiggins Pass and Caxambas Park as working alternatives.
Read more →Matlacha Park's lighted pier and boat ramp, plus what to know before you drive out to Bokeelia, for shore anglers working Matlacha Pass and Pine Island Sound.
Read more →Port Charlotte Beach Park and Bayshore Live Oak Park: piers, a kayak launch, and what's actually open on Charlotte Harbor right now.
Read more →Island A and Island B on the Sanibel Causeway, what the toll actually costs, and the snook, sheepshead and mackerel that hold on the rock revetment.
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