Sanibel Fishing Reports (May 2026)

Brandon Douberly
Bartow, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

Sheepshead fishing is in full swing and they’re giving us some fun days on the water. These tasty, hard fighting fish are highly sought after during our winter months. They can be a tricky fish to hook, with a mouth full of human like teeth the areas to set a...

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Brandon Douberly Bartow, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

Sheepshead fishing is in full swing and they’re giving us some fun days on the water. These tasty, hard fighting fish are highly sought after during our winter months. They can be a tricky fish to hook, with a mouth full of human like teeth the areas to set a hook are few which can make them an even tougher target. Alongside the sheepshead we are catching reds, snapper and black drum, plenty of variety and good eating fish to catch when the weather is cold. For the next couple months we will stick to shrimp for our bait of choice. Catching white bait these times of the year can be difficult and the fish switch their food choices to bait easier to catch like shrimp, crabs and sand fleas. Fish get slower with dropping water temps so their energy levels drop as well, they still fight like crazy and show us a great time on the water.

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Tom Katz
Fort Myers, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

Fishing 50 miles offshore Sanibel. Bottom fishing for snapper, African pompano& mahi

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Tom Katz Fort Myers, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

Fishing 50 miles offshore Sanibel. Bottom fishing for snapper, African pompano& mahi

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Dan Muench
Fort Myers, Florida
Reported: 2 years ago

We are still in a bit of a transition. As the water temperature begins to drop. Soon the migration will be in full force into the back bays and estuaries and Caloosahatchee river. The trout bite has been hot with a few being caught over 20 inches. Lots of juvenile...

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Dan Muench Fort Myers, Florida Reported: 2 years ago

We are still in a bit of a transition. As the water temperature begins to drop. Soon the migration will be in full force into the back bays and estuaries and Caloosahatchee river. The trout bite has been hot with a few being caught over 20 inches. Lots of juvenile redfish around as they begin to move in from the Gulf. I also have been seeing a few permit on the Inshore grass flats. They are a lot of fun to catch as they pullback pretty hard!

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Brandon Douberly
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 Douberly 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 Fetter
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 Fetter 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 Acevedo
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 Acevedo 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 Acevedo
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 Acevedo 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 Fetter
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 Fetter 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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