Saint James City Fishing Reports (May 2026)

Brandon D.
Bartow, Florida
Reported 2 years ago

The weather is cooling down but the fishing is heating up, and it’s getting to be some of the finest fishing of the year. We are finding large schools of redfish, big hungry snook, larger slot sized trout and to top it off the sheepshead are moving inshore for the...

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Brandon D. Bartow, Florida Reported 2 years ago

The weather is cooling down but the fishing is heating up, and it’s getting to be some of the finest fishing of the year. We are finding large schools of redfish, big hungry snook, larger slot sized trout and to top it off the sheepshead are moving inshore for the winter months. We are starting to transition over to fishing shrimp but still catching nice white bait for the big predators to eat. It’s a great time to get out and fight some fish, the winds have held us up from going offshore much but the inshore bite is just as good and the results speak for themselves.

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Jon F.
Fort Myers, Florida
Reported 2 years ago

The fishing is about as good as it gets right now! The shallow water bite for redfish has been WOW! Shrimp under popping corks is the ticket fished along the mangrove islands on higher water. October did not disappoint and the bite should only continue with the cooler temps coming!

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Jon F. Fort Myers, Florida Reported 2 years ago

The fishing is about as good as it gets right now! The shallow water bite for redfish has been WOW! Shrimp under popping corks is the ticket fished along the mangrove islands on higher water. October did not disappoint and the bite should only continue with the cooler temps coming!

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Brian A.
Naples, Florida
Reported 2 years ago

The bait is finally showing up on the beaches. The bite is slowing down in the afternoon due the heat. Lots of fun bites out there though

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Brian A. Naples, Florida Reported 2 years ago

The bait is finally showing up on the beaches. The bite is slowing down in the afternoon due the heat. Lots of fun bites out there though

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Brian A.
Naples, Florida
Reported 2 years ago

The bait is finally showing up on the beaches. The bite is slowing down in the afternoon due the heat. Lots of fun bites out there thoughs

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Brian A. Naples, Florida Reported 2 years ago

The bait is finally showing up on the beaches. The bite is slowing down in the afternoon due the heat. Lots of fun bites out there thoughs

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Jon F.
Fort Myers, Florida
Reported 2 years ago

The shallow water backbay fishing has been crazy good past week. The cooler air temps have really turned on the redfish bite! Shrimp under popping corks has been the go-to set-up and producing good numbers and slot size fish! Trout on the grass flats in 3-5 feet of water have...

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Jon F. Fort Myers, Florida Reported 2 years ago

The shallow water backbay fishing has been crazy good past week. The cooler air temps have really turned on the redfish bite! Shrimp under popping corks has been the go-to set-up and producing good numbers and slot size fish! Trout on the grass flats in 3-5 feet of water have been chewing shrimp topped jig heads under popping corks. There have been a few slot sized fish mixed in but most have been right under slot at 14 inches. There has also been some quality bait schools along the beaches which have led to some good snook fishing as well. October is a great month to get out and fish in SW Florida. Come and get you some and let's bend some rods!

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Stanley B.
Naples, Florida
Reported 2 years ago

Yes, the bigger mangrove snapper are inshore and near offshore right now. The redfish and snook have been plentiful and willing to eat live and artificial bait.

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Stanley B. Naples, Florida Reported 2 years ago

Yes, the bigger mangrove snapper are inshore and near offshore right now. The redfish and snook have been plentiful and willing to eat live and artificial bait.

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Kyle H.
Cape Coral, Florida
Reported 2 years ago

Big red snapper have been all over out deep. Seeing a lot of black fin tuna.

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Kyle H. Cape Coral, Florida Reported 2 years ago

Big red snapper have been all over out deep. Seeing a lot of black fin tuna.

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Brandon D.
Bartow, Florida
Reported 2 years ago

The weather is heating up and so is the fishing. These big hungry redfish and snook are giving us some really fun days and giving us some unbelievable fights. Using white bait on a 3/0 hook and 25 lb monofilament leader fishing oyster bar edges, mangrove islands and beaches. Bait...

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Brandon D. Bartow, Florida Reported 2 years ago

The weather is heating up and so is the fishing. These big hungry redfish and snook are giving us some really fun days and giving us some unbelievable fights. Using white bait on a 3/0 hook and 25 lb monofilament leader fishing oyster bar edges, mangrove islands and beaches. Bait is getting a little smaller and once we see the schools of little greenbacks the snapper fishing will begin to heat up inshore. The fishing is phenomenal, we are seeing large groups of upper slot and over slot redfish and snook and they’re hungry and giving us some fun days on the water.

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