Sanibel Island Fishing Reports (July 2026)

Sanibel Island Weather Forecast

Fishing reports straight from our guides in Sanibel Island

Jack S.

Fort Myers, Florida

Reported 1 year ago

Cobia and triple tails nearshore

Jack S. Fort Myers, Florida Reported 1 year ago

Cobia and triple tails nearshore

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Logan H.

Cape Coral, Florida

Reported 1 year ago

Nearshore bite is heating up.

Logan H. Cape Coral, Florida Reported 1 year ago

Nearshore bite is heating up.

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Jack S.

Fort Myers, Florida

Reported 1 year ago

42 inch redfish on a nearshore trip

Jack S. Fort Myers, Florida Reported 1 year ago

42 inch redfish on a nearshore trip

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Alex K.

Bradenton, Florida

Reported 1 year ago

Happy thanksgiving

Alex K. Bradenton, Florida Reported 1 year ago

Happy thanksgiving

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James G.

Fort Myers, Florida

Reported 1 year ago

Lots of Cobia and reds on the near shore wrecks eating small pilchards off the bottom.

James G. Fort Myers, Florida Reported 1 year ago

Lots of Cobia and reds on the near shore wrecks eating small pilchards off the bottom.

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Brandon D.

Bartow, Florida

Reported 1 year ago

Brandon D. Bartow, Florida Reported 1 year ago

Fishing ahead of a cold front is one of my absolute favorites. The barometric pressure gets to a perfect point before fronts come through and these fish feel it and get extremely active. Cold fronts can cause fish to go into a lethargic state where they have no energy or motivation to chase or eat baits. Imagine for a second you wake up and you feel bloated, nauseous even, your initial reaction is not to get out of bed and eat a big breakfast, instead you lay around for as long as it takes to feel well again. This feeling in that scenario is very similar to what fish feel after a low pressure system blows through, they have to work to keep a balance and have no problem sitting around until the pressure builds back and they feel comfortable again. They tend to eat like they’re going into hibernation for a few days because essentially that is the case. As for the day we had before our most recent front, the fish had no quit in them, it seemed like every bait for 3-5 hours was getting bit. We caught tons of redfish, snook and trout in just a matter of a few hours. The trout were huge, most over 20 inches, redfish ranged in size but many between 19 and 25 inches. We caught a lot of snook too, most in the mid 20’s and a couple over 30. I had my brother out and we were on a mission to get meat for a family fish fry. We did our job, we limited out on all three species and the family will have a fine fish fry in the coming days.

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Brandon D.

Bartow, Florida

Reported 1 year ago

Brandon D. Bartow, Florida Reported 1 year ago

Late fall is an epic time to fish our waters, the snook are fully back in the inshore waters and hungry after all the work they put in during their spawning season. You will frequently find long, skinny female snook looking to get their figure back after giving birth to the next generation of snook. We have been catching our bigger snook on large greenbacks we refer to as turbos, these bigger baits are irresistible to those bigger slot and overslot snook. Beef up your leader because you will need it with some of these monsters, I typically step it up to 40 lb Fluorocarbon which is less susceptible to abrasion when those fish shoot under structure. Redfish are still schooling up towards the tail end of their spawn, mostly the mid to upper slot fish are what we have found around the mangrove islands, oyster beds and docks. Pinfish are hard to pass up but they will certainly eat greenbacks as well. Trout over grass flats and edges of bars and channels have been pretty good, just lacking in size at times. We have been targeting those trout with gulp shrimp under a popping cork. They absolutely love those baits but just about anything will work. At times when the wind is blowing it is best to use a bait you can slow retrieve like a shrimp immitation bait. We are starting to head into a change in season, cold fronts are pushing through and soon we will see a change in bait, tide heights and target species. As we begin seeing lower winter tides we will switch to shrimp and focus more on sheepshead as they make their way into our inshore waters to spawn.

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Jesse C.

Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Reported 1 year ago

Storms are gone, fish are here. Action all day every day

Jesse C. Fort Myers Beach, Florida Reported 1 year ago

Storms are gone, fish are here. Action all day every day

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Brandon D.

Bartow, Florida

Reported 1 year ago

Brandon D. Bartow, Florida Reported 1 year ago

Our fishing is firing off in Pine Island Sound despite our stint of hurricanes over the last several weeks. unfortunately there is damage left in their wake but it isn’t affecting our fishery and we are open and welcome anyone wanting to get out and catch a bunch of great fish. In between storms we have been catching great redfish that are still schooling up in large numbers as we are in the middle of their spawning season. Snook season is also in full swing for another month and a half and when we break away from the schools of reds we’ve been catching plenty of snook. The slot fish have been getting the best of a few of my groups since the season started; these fish are strong and not an easy fight especially when hooked in the mangroves or other structures. Our trout are getting into a great size range, many of the fish we are catching are in that 15-19 inch range giving my anglers plenty of meat to bring home. This fishing should get better and better in the coming months, fall is a personal favorite time of the year to target big reds, snook, trout and sometimes we get the tarpon to play along as well. Come get on the fish with us, you’ll leave with awesome memories of a great fishing experience.

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Logan H.

Cape Coral, Florida

Reported 1 year ago

No problem red bite is on fire right now

Logan H. Cape Coral, Florida Reported 1 year ago

No problem red bite is on fire right now

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Recent Sanibel Island Reviews

★★★★★
We had an amazing fishing experience with Captain Paul. We caught fish, and he taught us several fishing techniques. We even saw manatees and a stingray! We had a wonderful time. He also shared a lot of interesting information about the area. He’s super friendly, and we highly recommend him. At the end of our trip, he cleaned and filleted our catch, and we’re looking forward to enjoying it for dinner tonight!
France A. | July 14, 2026

Trip: SWFL Fishing
★★★★★
James was very professional & patient. Water conditions were not ideal due to previous day's storms but we had a great time, landed a Snook, & enough Mangrove Snapper for a great evening meal. Mike H.
Mike H. | July 11, 2026

Trip: Inshore Fishing Sanibel PineIsland
★★★★★
James was very knowledgeable about the fish we were trying to catch! Really had a great time caught many fish right off the bat. He also cleaned them all so we could est them. Thank you keep up the good work!
Daniel L. | July 9, 2026

Trip: Fort Myers/Sanibel Fishing Trip
★★★★★
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you’re thinking about booking a fishing charter, stop thinking and book with Captain James! Three of us hit the water expecting a good day—but we got an unforgettable one. We reeled in mangrove snapper, battled sharks, and hooked into tarpon! The rods stayed bent, the laughs never stopped, and Captain James knew exactly where to put us on the fish. Professional, knowledgeable, and dedicated to making sure everyone has an amazing time. Whether you’re chasing a trophy catch or just making memories with friends and family, Captain James is the one to call. We’ll definitely be back. Highly recommended!
Alex E. | July 8, 2026

Trip: Fort Myers/Sanibel Fishing Trip
★★★★★
5
Dylan T. | July 4, 2026

Trip: Flats And Backcountry Fishing
★★★★★
We met James at the dock and he was all ready to go. We hooked up on some nice snook within minutes of leaving the dock. It was a great day. He is very professional, knowledgeable and did everything he could to make our trip enjoyable. We highly recommend him and look forward to another visit!
Elizabeth L. | June 27, 2026

Trip: Fort Myers/Sanibel Fishing Trip
★★★★★
Dayron was a fabulous guide. It began with great communication and ended with a bunch of snappers ready for the frying pan. Dayron was accommodating, knowledgable and a lot of un to fish with. I would highly recommend the next time you want to go fishing in the Captiva Island area.
Norman B. | June 25, 2026

Trip: SWFL Inshore/Nearshore Trip
★★★★★
Great trip James is very knowledgeable of the area definitely would recommend
Joel C. | June 24, 2026

Trip: Fort Myers/Sanibel Fishing Trip
★★★★★
Had a great experience. Unfortunately the Tarpon refused to bite apparently due to a weather change. Captain Randall is very knowledgeable and went above and beyond attempting to get a bite. Saw lots of fish and at least had the opportunity to reeled in a 8 foot Nurse shark. Can’t say enough about Captain Randall’s knowledge and experience. Would definitely recommend and book with him again.
Scott M. | June 15, 2026

Trip: Anna Maria Tarpon Trip
★★★★★
Capt. Isaiah was THE MAN!! Had us limited out on snappers within an hour then we headed to the snook honey hole! We caught around 30 fish and had an absolute blast! Cooked half our catch for dinner the same day! While he filleted fish he let me and my boys feed huge tarpon by hand! Just an amazing day on the water with Capt. Isaiah! Highly recommend
Craig H. | June 11, 2026

Trip: Inshore 4hr Trip

Sanibel Island Fishing Reports (July 2026)

What's biting right now in Sanibel Island? Check out the latest Sanibel Island fishing reports below.

Sanibel Island Weather Forecast

Fishing reports straight from our guides in Sanibel Island

What's Biting in Sanibel Island

Top Fishing Trips in Sanibel Island

Captiva And Sanibel Fishing Trip

Matlacha Crabbing

Inshore Fishing Sanibel PineIsland

Fly Fish The Flats Of Southwest FL

Inshore 4hr Trip

Captiva Shelling & Sightseeing

Recent Sanibel Island Reviews

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