Naples / Marco Island Fishing Report — November 2025
Excellent fall fishing continues.
Inshore & Nearshore Fishing
Seatrout beginning to concentrate in deeper channels as water cools. Redfish still active. Grouper accessible on nearshore Gulf ledges.
Offshore Fishing
Nearshore gag grouper excellent as water temps drop into the 70s.
Top Techniques This Month
November trout: Twitch baits in the deeper 6–10 foot channels — long pauses between twitches as water cools.
Fishing Outlook
Very good through month’s end.
Regulations
Seatrout: 15″ minimum. Verify current regulations at state fishing regulations.
Plan Your Trip
See our Naples / Marco Island Fishing Guide for full details. Browse all Naples / Marco Island fishing reports →
fishing.digital publishes weekly fishing reports every Thursday.
Fall Seatrout Fire
November in Naples and Marco is when speckled trout fishing peaks for the year. Water temperatures have dropped into the 70s and the fish are aggressive, feeding hard ahead of winter. The grass flats inside Rookery Bay, the back lakes of the 10,000 Islands, and the inshore grass of Naples Bay are all loaded. Topwater plugs (Spook Jr, MirrOlure Top Dog, Heddon Zara) in the first 90 minutes of light produce explosive strikes. After the topwater window closes, switch to soft plastics on a 1/8 oz jighead — Z-Man PaddlerZ or D.O.A. Shrimp in natural colors. Trophy gator trout over 25 inches get caught daily during this window.
Redfish on Shallow Flats
Redfish are spread across the shallow flats of Rookery Bay and the 10,000 Islands. Tailing fish are showing at low tide on calm mornings — sight-casting with gold spoons, weedless soft plastics, or live shrimp on a popping cork is producing. The slot fish are 18–27 inches; over-slot fish are common but must be released. Cut mullet on a fishfinder rig near oyster bars is the easy approach.
Sheepshead Returning
Sheepshead are returning to the inshore structure as water cools. The Marco Island Causeway, Capri Pass jetties, and the bridges of Naples Bay are starting to hold fish. Fiddler crabs on a 1/0 jighead. The bite will improve through November and peak in February.
Snook Still Active, Pompano on Beach
Snook are still in fall-feeding mode on the mangroves and back lakes. Live whitebait pitched tight to the structure on incoming tide. Numbers are starting to thin as fish move to deeper winter spots. Pompano are running on the beaches from Marco south to Naples — sand fleas and FishBites on a pompano rig is the surf-fishing play.
Local Hotspots, Conditions, Regs
Rookery Bay grass flats at dawn for trout. Big Marco River back canals for snook. Capri Pass jetties for sheepshead returning. Naples Bay deeper grass for trout through the day. 10K Islands back lakes for tailing reds at low tide on calm mornings. Water temps 72–76°F. Florida saltwater license required. Trout slot 15–19 inches, 5-fish bag. Reds slot 18–27 inches, 1-fish bag. Snook stamp for harvest. Tight lines.
Boat Ramps and Fall Strategy
Caxambas Park on Marco Island for 10K Islands and south Naples access. Goodland Boat Park is the easy alternate. Naples City Dock ramp for Naples Bay and the back canals. Cocohatchee Park ramp on the north end. For shore anglers, the Marco Island Causeway, Capri Pass jetties, and Naples Pier all give walk-on access. November is the best inshore month of the year — water temps are perfect (mid-70s), fish are active, no crowds. The morning trout topwater bite is legendary; don’t sleep in. Tight lines.