Updated: Thursday, October 29, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, November 5, 2026
This Naples/Marco Island fishing report is a seasonal outlook for the Ten Thousand Islands, Naples Bay and the passes. As water cools, snook slide toward the creeks and backwater, redfish gather on the oyster bars and sheepshead appear on docks and bridges. Wind and tide at the passes decide where the bait sets up, so those two variables guide the week’s best plans.
What’s Hitting
Snook are the headline, feeding on pilchards and shrimp around mangrove points and creek mouths, with the larger fish still near the passes on the outgoing tide. Redfish are on oyster bars and shorelines in the Ten Thousand Islands, often in small schools. Sheepshead are beginning to show on docks, bridges and nearshore structure. Spanish mackerel and trout hold in Naples Bay and along the beaches, and tarpon linger at the passes on warm days.
Where to Find Them
Gordon Pass and the Naples Bay docks hold snook and sheepshead, while Marco Island’s Caxambas Pass and Capri Pass hold snook and mackerel on the outgoing tide. South of Marco, the Ten Thousand Islands near Goodland and Everglades City offer oyster bars and mangrove shorelines for redfish, and creek mouths for snook. Offshore, nearshore reefs hold mangrove snapper and grouper in the cooler water. Shore anglers can work the Naples Pier and the Gordon Pass jetty rocks, where snook and sheepshead gather near structure at moving tide.
Tides & Conditions
The waning moon eases tidal flow, but creek mouths still drain strongly on the falling tide, which is the best window for snook and redfish. Slack tide is a good time to probe docks for sheepshead. Wind direction matters in the open Gulf: a northerly breeze flattens the Ten Thousand Islands and can clear the water, while an onshore wind stirs it.
Tackle & Tactics
Live pilchards or shrimp on a 25 pound fluorocarbon leader are the standard for snook. A paddle-tail soft plastic on a quarter-ounce jighead covers redfish and trout. For sheepshead, use fiddler crabs or shrimp on a small, strong hook and fish tight to pilings. In clear water, downsizing the leader improves strikes.
Local Intel This Week
Public access includes the Gordon River boat ramp in Naples, Caxambas Park on Marco Island, and the Goodland boat ramp for the Ten Thousand Islands. Fish concentrate at creek mouths on the falling tide, along oyster bars and at the passes. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish, especially snook and redfish, which have specific rules.
This Week’s Tip
Fish the last of the falling tide at a creek mouth. Bait flushes out of the mangroves, and snook and redfish wait in the current seam. Keep a light outfit rigged for sheepshead and a heavier one ready for snook; both can show up around the same dock on a single tide.
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