In mid June I’m headed down with my buddy and staying in Cape Coral, with the goal to fish for snook and tarpon from my 16’ jon boat in the Captiva/Sanibel/Pine Island area. Just looking for advice, my boat is rigged like a flats boat, and around here I fish almost exclusively in the Wando and ICW, so I’m great in shallow water. Figuring mostly creek inlets and mangroves. I’m not opposed to fishing from the shore for large snook or tarpon at night if that is a better solution for larger fish. Just looking for any advice from those who visit the area or have fished it lately.
Chris, why did you pick Captiva/Sanibel? If you were going to collect sea shells, I’d understand. That’s promoted as the sea Shell Capital of the World. Are you dead set on snook and tarpon?
We have had fun here, just got done a week trip this weekend. Snook in blind pass with pinfish, docks down the pass and under bridge produced. Get a pinfish trap if you can and fill with chum or catfish tails, drop in grass flats, live bait at tackle shop is slim pickings this time of year… Got a few snook on live ahrimp but lost more bait to snappers and carfish, bigger the pinfish the better. For tarpon we did fosters point, there were about 12 boats on the channel, we lost one amd saw several hook up.
hwilcox,
My roommate’s parents live in Cape Coral. I’ve always heard that the Captiva area is great for snook and tarpon. I feel pretty confident in my inshore abilities here in Charleston, so I figure that it should be pretty similar. Looks like the closest ramp will be at Matlacha Community park, which is by Pine Island, so I figure we’ll be launching from there a few times. Likely fishing the inlets at night for larger fish.
@J80 - Maybe someday you will get a snook, or tarpon… or cobia…
Thanks for the advice, if we end up needing a guide, I’ll go to Doc Fords. Maybe we’ll sabiki for pinfish for a while during the heat of the day.
I live down there a number of years ago. Fished 4-5 nights a week. Get a long handle fine mesh dip net, with a flashlight you can get lots of shrimp walking the sea walls for bait. A light over the side of the boat works wel also. Large Shrimp and smaller pin fish a great for snook, hand size pinfish a great for tarpon, Check Florida DNR website. I think snook are out of season right now. Around docks and bridges are best for snook. Best night artificial bait I found was a black Zoro Spook for snook. Best action is an hour before and a hour after tide change. Only place I caught a lot of snook in the daytime was in the Everglades. Good luck and have fun.
I have killed the Snook not far from there at Boca Grand. We used pilchards. I’m a good inshore fisherman myself, or at least I think so, and inshore there is a whole other world.
My grandparents lived in Cape Coral for a long while when I was growing up. Probably some of the best fishing I have ever done. Canal fishing down there is amazing. My biggest snook (42") came from the pine island area. My dad has hooked up with several tarpon and snook while “surf” fishing over at Lovers Key, which is a short trip away. Just walking over the bridge through the mangroves will give the same effect as the little blue pill. Water is beyond thick with snook.
