Rookery Bay Weather Forecast
Fishing reports straight from our guides in Rookery Bay
Perry Bedell
with On a Mission Fishing Charters
Naples, Florida
Reported: 2 months ago
Our inshore fishery will change dramatically by the end of this week. With a steady warming trend, we’ll shift from shrimp to live pilchards, opening the door to some of the best backcountry fishing of the year. Snook, Redfish, and juvenile Tarpon become increasingly active as they push back into the shallows after winter, making for exciting, visual fishing in calm conditions.
Offshore has already been stellar and is only getting better. Hundreds of permits have shown up early this season, along with plenty of barracudas and amberjacks to pull on. We’ve been feeding the AJs flies and artificials, creating some epic topwater eats. Cobia should begin to show soon, another strong kingfish run is upon us, and the snapper bite has been phenomenal. This time of year, we can chum them up near the surface—a bonus when we’re already surrounded by action, and they make for incredible table fare.
As we move into April, all eyes turn toward the arrival of the silver king. Tarpon and Permit will be our primary targets throughout the spring and into early summer.
March is already nearly full and April isn’t far behind. We’re looking forward to an epic spring with our clients—feel free to reach out with any questions about upcoming trips.
Happy fishing
Mike Wagner
with Reel Blue C Charters
Chicago, Illinois
Reported: 2 months ago
Offshore the water clarity has affected the conditions for the last couple weeks, but we're now finally getting the water clear that were used to the wind has kicked up so we're unsure what it'll bring. The Boat will be grounded for offshore for a couple days at least
Tim Rushing
Naples, Florida
Reported: 2 months ago
In the backcountry, we have been bouncing jigs and drifting shrimp on the bottom of the deep holes surrounded by shallow flats, and getting rewarded with all kinds of fish, big and small. Redfish, black drum, sheepshead, big seatrout, big mangrove snapper, jewfish (golaith grouper) and jack crevalle have been the predominant characters in the show, and they have kept bends in the rods, smiles on faces, and yummy delights on dinner plates!
The only species we have not been tangling with, have been snook and tarpon. And with another strong cold front heading down shortly, I don't expect to see those fish in the back waters, but one never knows!
In the meantime, we will keep on enjoying some outstanding fishing, fun, and fish dinners in the foreseeable future!
Jesse Calhoun
Fort Myers Beach, Florida
Reported: 2 months ago
Perry Bedell
with On a Mission Fishing Charters
Naples, Florida
Reported: 3 months ago
Offshore action has been excellent with a wide variety of species in the cooler water. We’ve been blessed with some of the best King Mackerel fishing we’ve seen in years. Chumming them up and throwing artificials has been an absolute blast. These fish are a riot on light tackle, and watching them sky out of the water on topwater plugs truly never gets old.
The deeper wrecks have been holding their usual winter residents as well, with plenty of Amberjacksto pull on and some Cobia mixed in. On top of that, the snapper bite has been outstanding for those looking to bring home dinner. Big Mangroves, Lane Snapper, and Yellowtails have been common on our offshore trips.
Nearshore, we’ve been treated to an unexpected bonus for January — giant free-swimming Permit. We’ve had shots at some true giants recently, fish we typically don’t see until summertime. This is just the beginning, as the Permit fishery is set to explode over the next month, and we’re anticipating an epic spring and summer with these fish.
There’s also been no shortage of jacks on the nearshore wrecks, providing plenty of hard-pulling action. The nearshore meat bite has been strong as well, with quality Sheepshead fired up in the cooler temps — some of the best table fare around.
Inshore, we’re in full winter mode with cooler water temps. I
Tim Rushing
Naples, Florida
Reported: 3 months ago
Jesse Calhoun
Fort Myers Beach, Florida
Reported: 3 months ago
Perry Bedell
with On a Mission Fishing Charters
Naples, Florida
Reported: 4 months ago
We closed out 2025 strong and have started 2026 even stronger. The winter bite has been outstanding down here in Naples, and we’re looking forward to another couple of months of this phenomenal action before gearing up for spring.
The offshore bite between passing cold fronts has been epic. With Cobia, Amberjacks, Mangrove Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Kingfish, and plenty of other species in the mix, it’s safe to say our hands have been full. This is hands-down the best time of year for putting quality fish in the box offshore. On our six-hour and full-day trips, you can expect a great mix of delicious table fare along with hard-fighting sportfish. Timing the cold fronts is the name of the game, and when the weather lines up, the action is lights out.
The inshore and nearshore bite has been solid as well. During warm-ups, we’ve had some fun sport action nearshore with plenty of Jacks, Barracudas, and Sharks to pull on. The big Sheepshead have also started to show up, giving our clients another excellent dinner option.
Inshore fishing during winter is more of a quantity-over-quality game, and it’s perfect for families and kids. Cold-water shrimp fishing produces steady action with Sheepshead, Trout, Mangrove Snapper, Jacks, and the occasional Snook or Redfish mixed in.
The temperatures may be cold, but the bite is hot down here in Naples.
