← Fishing guide

Species Guides

What you're actually fishing for

7 species that matter in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties. Each guide covers where the fish holds, when it bites, what to throw at it, and the FWC size and bag limits with the date we read them. Regulation figures are sourced; the fishing advice is written as advice, not dressed up as research.

Inshore

Fishable from a boat, a kayak, or in some cases the bank

Snook

The inshore fish Southwest Florida is built around — and the one with the most rules attached.

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An angler holds a coppery-bronze redfish in a mangrove backwater

Redfish

Open year-round in Southwest Florida, catchable from shore, and the most forgiving target on this list.

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Tarpon

Catch-and-release only, everywhere in Florida — and Boca Grande Pass is the most famous tarpon water in the world.

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Spotted seatrout

Open year-round, a three-fish limit, and the easiest legal dinner on a grass flat.

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Mangrove snapper

Open year-round, catchable from a pier with a shrimp, and better eating than fish that get far more attention.

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Offshore

Boat, run time, and a season worth checking twice

Close-up of a red snapper at the boat rail, deep red with a large dark eye

Red snapper

A short, tightly regulated season on offshore structure — and the reason people book a Gulf trip in June.

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An angler lifts a mottled brown grouper at the boat rail in open Gulf water

Gag grouper

Offshore structure fish with a narrow season, and the one that will bury you in the rocks if you give it a second.

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Seasons here move every year.

Red snapper and gag grouper windows in Gulf state waters are set annually. Figures on these pages were read from FWC on August 3, 2026; check myfwc.com the week you go.