Southwest Florida is in full summer swing this week. Tarpon are stacked in the passes around Marco and Naples, and snook line the beaches and pass edges on the moving tide.
What’s Hitting
Tarpon are rolling in Big Marco Pass and Gordon Pass and along the beaches at first light. Snook have loaded the pass edges and beach troughs in classic July form. Mangrove snapper are thick on the passes and nearshore hard bottom, and redfish are working the backcountry oyster bars.
Where to Find Them
Fish the pass mouths and the beachfront off Marco and Naples for tarpon on the moving tide. Snook hold on the pass edges and in the beach troughs. The backcountry bars and creeks in the Ten Thousand Islands give up reds and snook on the low.
Tides & Conditions
Water temps are pushing the mid-80s. Early morning and late evening are the prime windows before the afternoon storms build off the Glades. A moving tide through the passes is essential for the tarpon and snook. Calm mornings open the beach sight-fishing. Pass crabs and pilchards moving on the tide are the key forage right now, and the biggest crab flushes come on the outgoing tides around the full and new moons. Cast-net a well of scaled sardines early over the grass and around the markers, and keep an eye out for crabs riding the current out of the passes.
Tackle & Tactics
Tarpon eat a live pass crab or threadfin on a 6/0 circle and 50–60 lb leader. Snook take a live scaled sardine or a white swimbait along the pass edges. Snapper hit shrimp and cut bait on a knocker rig; backcountry reds eat a gold spoon or cut bait on the bars.
Local Intel This Week
Caxambas Park on Marco Island and Bayview Park in Naples are the main public ramps, with the Cocohatchee River Park ramp serving the north end. Tarpon are concentrating in the passes and along the beaches, snook on the pass edges and troughs. Always check current FWC/state and federal regulations and open seasons before keeping any fish — bag and size limits change through the summer.
This Week’s Tip
Pass tarpon get pressured and boat-shy by July. Anchor or Power-Pole well up-current and let your crab drift back into the fish with the tide rather than running up and casting on top of them — a natural drift on a quiet pass produces the calm eats.
Spots & Access This Week
Caxambas Park on the south end of Marco is the springboard for the Ten Thousand Islands, while the Collier Boulevard ramp under the Jolley Bridge covers the river and Capri Pass side. Capri and Big Marco passes, the outside beaches of Kice and Morgan islands, and the first line of outside points in the Ten Thousand Islands are holding the bulk of the fish this week. The pass edges have been best on the stronger morning tides, with the island points taking over as the tide slows.
This Week’s Tip
Running the islands, treat every white sand pothole along an outside beach as a fish magnet. Idle wide, pole or drift in, and make your first cast count — the fish sitting in those depressions are there to feed, but they get one boat’s worth of forgiveness a day. If the pothole gives up a fish, rest it twenty minutes and hit it again on your way back.