# Fort myers fishing??



## kelsch (Aug 7, 2003)

Going to Fort Myers at the end of March. I am staying on the Orange river and will have access to the Caloosahatchee. Does anyone know whether redfish are in that area of the Caloosahatchee or is it all freshwater there? Any information about fishing this stretch of river would be appreciated.

Thanks


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## Kozlow (Oct 25, 2002)

Have never been there but this is what I have .

Caloosahatchee River 

This channelized waterway connects Lake Okeechobee to Charlotte Harbor and has high boat traffic. Boat access is available at eight locations and limited bank fishing is available at Moore Haven, La Belle and Alva. The waterway is controlled by locks. Fishing can be good with a mixture of marine and freshwater fish caught.

http://www.floridasportsman.com/sportfish/Tarpon/sr_0405/

http://www.floridagameandfish.com/fl_aa041004a/

http://cityguide.news-press.com/fe/Recreation/Stories/030925_gocover.asp

Caloosahatchee River south of Moore Haven Locks offers good bass and panfish flyrod fishing for miles on both sides. The most effective casting is close to shoreline. Schools of fish hang around structures such as storm-drain outfalls. 

5th St. Pier at Boca Grande | Matlacha Pier | Bokeelia Pier | Redfish Point | Centennial Park Pier | Tarpon St. Pier | Lakes Park | Sanibel Pier | Fort Myers Beach Pier | Matanzas Piers | Big Carlos Pass Bridge | Matanzas Park Pier 

http://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/everything_to_do/itineraries/centennialpark.php

Hope for warm water temps when you come , that will be the factor to your success. Good Luck to Ya


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## kelsch (Aug 7, 2003)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the link Kozlow


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## piker (Mar 14, 2003)

Why not take the 20- 30 minute drive to Sanibel ?? I was luck enough to catch a 30"+ Red off the pier around that time off year.

Piker


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## sandcasting (Jan 25, 2003)

*sanibel*

i agree. i caught my first snook, on sanibel in ding darling nat'l wildlife refuge. we just parked on the side of the nature trail road. saw gators and lots of birds too. i fished the beach at the sanibel pier before and had some success. big hammers there i have heard. and the sanibel causeway can be good too. but you have to pay the hefty toll at the bridge, which i believe has gone up to $8. very steep. but, i don't know anything about the rivers.


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## ABombs (Oct 13, 2020)

This is an ancient discussion, but I thought I would answer since I saw this and there isn't a lot of good information on the internet. I've been fishing the Caloosahatchee and Orange rivers lately. We have a red tide situation, and to escape the impacts I've gone up river instead of taking a hiatus altogether. Up to the first lock you can catch just about any inshore fish. Likely to catch snook, snapper, jacks, trout, ladyfish, tarpon, sharks, and rays. I've never caught reds, but the estuary is changing. I suspect they are there, just harder to find. During the coldest months of year the best fishing spot in the whole county is possibly the warm water discharge from the power plant on the Orange River. The water stays 75-80 degrees there all year. Manatee Park is a great little spot with a small pier built around the discharge. Lots of tourists there to see the manatees, but if you get there early you can claim the end of the pier. Otherwise you want a kayak. I hooked a very large tarpon there in December, but tarpon are hard to find usually at this time of year.

These estuaries are changing now though due to the long term impacts of nutrient rich water being discharged from Lake O. It causes large scale algae blooms, not to mention the river is brown like chocolate milk most of the time. The sea grass is dead and everything has turned to mud. The headlines this past week had a story about how skinny the manatees have become. They are dying of starvation at this very moment. We need a long term solution that involves returning most Lake O water back to the Everglades where it belongs. This is a man made problem, and we are still in a bit of denial about it. It's a disaster.


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