Fort Myers and Sanibel fishing report for the week of September 10, 2026. Snook season is open on the Gulf coast and the passes around Sanibel and Captiva have been the busiest water in Lee County this week, with fish feeding hard on the outgoing tides. Inside Pine Island Sound, the redfish are grouping into the fall schools, and there are still tarpon rolling around the causeway and in the deeper holes of the sound at dawn.
What’s Hitting
What’s hot this week is snook. Big fish are at Blind Pass, Redfish Pass, and Captiva Pass on the outgoing tide, and the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva have fish in the trough at first light. Redfish are schooling on the flats of Pine Island Sound, especially around the bars and mangrove edges from Matlacha Pass down to the Ding Darling shoreline. Trout are on the deeper grass in the sound. Mangrove snapper are still on the docks and the Sanibel Causeway pilings. Tarpon are still in the sound and the Caloosahatchee at dawn, though the numbers are thinning.
Nearshore, the reefs in 30 to 60 feet have Spanish mackerel and the first fall kingfish.
Where to Find Them
Snook are at the passes on the outgoing tide — fish the rocks and the deeper edges at Blind Pass and the bar at Redfish Pass. On the beaches, walk Bowman’s Beach and the Captiva beaches at dawn. Redfish are on the bars and shorelines of Pine Island Sound on a rising tide, and the Matlacha area has held some good schools this week. Trout are on the grass in 4 to 7 feet. Tarpon are in the deeper holes near the causeway and in the sound off Punta Rassa.
Tides & Conditions
The new moon this weekend means strong tides, with hard outgoing water at the passes in the afternoons. Winds have been light out of the east in the mornings with the sea breeze building by noon and storms most afternoons. Gulf water is in the mid-80s and clear along the beaches. Water quality in the sound has been good this week.
Tackle & Tactics
Live pilchards or a pinfish free-lined on a 3/0 circle hook with 30 to 40-pound fluorocarbon at the passes. On the beach, a white paddle tail on a light jig head or a small white fly. For redfish, gold spoons and soft plastics on the flats, or cut mullet on the bars. Trout are taking popping corks with shrimp. For tarpon, a live mullet or a crab on a 6/0 circle hook with 80-pound leader.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Punta Rassa ramp at the foot of the Sanibel Causeway is the best access to the sound and the passes, the Matlacha Park ramp covers the north sound and Matlacha Pass, and the Pine Island Commercial Marina area in St. James City serves the south end. Shore anglers have been doing well at Blind Pass and along the Sanibel Causeway islands. Fish are concentrating at the passes on the outgoing tide and on the bars in the sound on the rising. Check current FWC regulations, slot limits, and any local closures before keeping fish — snook season is open on the Gulf coast but the slot is narrow.
This Week’s Tip
At Blind Pass, the fish are on the Sanibel side of the bridge on the outgoing tide, tight to the rocks. Cast up-current and let your bait or jig swing through the eddy behind the rocks. Most anglers cast straight across and retrieve against the current, which pulls the bait away from where the snook are sitting.
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