Updated: Thursday, June 18, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, June 25, 2026
This Naples/Marco Island fishing report puts Southwest Florida in prime mid-June tarpon season. Tarpon roll in the passes and along the beaches from Naples down through the Ten Thousand Islands, snook stack on the beaches, mangrove snapper move nearshore, and the back country stays steady for redfish. Plan around two things: the strong moving pass tides, which stack the tarpon on the change, and the calm mornings, which close as the sea breeze and afternoon storms build off the Gulf.
What’s Hitting
Tarpon are the headline in Gordon, Big Marco and Capri passes and along the beaches. Snook bunch on the beaches, around the passes and tight to the mangroves; the season is closed, so release them.
Mangrove snapper stack the nearshore reefs and structure, and redfish work the back-country oyster bars and mangroves. Spanish mackerel and the odd cobia round it out, and trout sit on the deeper grass.
Where to Find Them
Fish the passes on the moving tide for tarpon and snook, with snook lining the pass edges and beach troughs. The beaches hold cruising tarpon and snook at first light. Nearshore reefs and wrecks in 20 to 50 feet load up with snapper.
For reds, work the back-country oyster bars and mangrove shorelines of the Ten Thousand Islands on the higher tides; reds and snook also hold on the bars and creek mouths on the falling tide. At midday, focus on the deeper creek bends and drains, where cooler, moving water draws fish out of the baking shallows.
Tides & Conditions
Tarpon feed best on the strong moving tides through the passes and in the calm early morning along the beaches. The strongest pass tides funnel bait and stack the fish on the change, so time the trip to the first hours of hard-moving water. Snapper fishing improves on moving water.
Water runs warm, in the mid-80s, clear on the beaches and stained in the back country. Beach snook feed best in the low light before the sea breeze ripples the surface.
Tackle & Tactics
- Pass tarpon: live crabs, threadfins and mullet on 50- to 60-pound fluoro and circle hooks.
- Approach: pass fish get plenty of pressure by mid-summer, so anchor or Power-Pole well up-current and let a crab drift back into the fish with the tide.
- Beach snook: jigs and live baits.
- Reef snapper: light fluoro and live shrimp.
- Back-country reds: cut bait, live shrimp and gold spoons around the oyster bars and mangrove edges.
Local Intel This Week
Bayview Park in Naples is the natural launch for Gordon Pass and the Naples beaches, while Caxambas Park on the south end of Marco reaches Big Marco Pass and the Ten Thousand Islands fringe. Cocohatchee River Park serves the north end, and Goodland gives quick access to the Ten Thousand Islands for the back-country reds. Launch early enough to be anchored at the pass before the tide starts to run.
Gulf snook are closed for harvest. Check current FWC and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
Time pass tarpon around the tide change. The fish stack up and feed hardest when the current moves bait through the pass, and they go quiet on slack water. Be anchored and ready before the tide starts to rip, fish baits in the current seams, and expect the best shots in the first couple of hours of strong flow.
Planning a trip to Naples/Marco Island?
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