Naples & Marco Island Fishing Report / Forecast

The unseasonably warm weather in December has done a number of great things for fishing in the area. Mild water temps combined with a prevailing east wind has really given us some of the best water quality that we have had all year. More so than not, visibility has been 20 ft. or better. Because of these (dare I say) perfect conditions, the fishing has really been going off! The near shore bite has really been about as exciting as it can be. Because of the optimal water conditions, bait has been coming in close to the beaches. Thread fins, pilchards, mullet and even ballyhoo have been clustered along the Naples beaches for some time, which has in turn drawn species such as tarpon, kingfish, shark and bonito very close to the shoreline, making for some epic fishing. Snook are still reliable however the majority being caught are on the small side. I have been finding some larger fish hanging in their winter haunts but for the most part they have been scattered. It also looks like the redfish are starting to make a bit more of a showing in the Naples Bay area, but they are spooky! On a most recent 4 hour trip, while fishing the low, we managed to run into 8 big cruisers, but as soon as a move was made to cast at them, they were gone! The kingfish and bonita bite has been as good as it can get. There are plenty of fish hanging on structure and humps that are holding bait. A ton are being caught within 2 miles of shore! Triple tail are still abundant on the crab pots, but most are little dinkers.