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Big fish, tough fighting fish and good edible fish... Marco Island is one of THE best places to find varied fishing all year round. Being the northern-most of the 10,000 Islands, surrounded by natural preserves and bordering the Gulf of Mexico, Marco is ideally situated to experience many different kinds of world class fishing.
You'll find below a description of the different opportunities available here and what you can expect from each if you go out on a fishing charter. Once you've narrowed down what you're looking for, take a look at our Marco Island Travel Guide, it will help you decide which of our highly experienced Charter Captains will be just right for you.
Family Fishing
If you want to take the family out for some fun but you haven't been fishing before or you aren't a die-hard, then nearshore or backwater would be your best bet.  Here you will have a shot at snapper, jacks, pompano, trout, mackerel, sheepshead, black drum, snook, redfish and maybe even tarpon and shark at this time of year. You won't have to travel far and you'll get plenty of fishing on a half day trip. Some of the guides who specialize in near shore and backwater fishing will also mix a trip with shelling and bird watching to please the non-fishermen in your party.
Backwater for the more Experienced Angler
If you take your fishing seriously then you should take a day out with any one of Marco  Island's amazing backwater guides in the 10,000 Islands and Everglades National Park - you're sure to be happy you did. They will probably target snook, redfish, trout, shark, and tarpon. Of course you could end up with a snapper or jack or small grouper - but it will be a fun day casting up against the mangroves hardly seeing another person and bringing that monster snook to the boat. You'll be surprised how big the fish are in these skinny waters.
Offshore for the Big Boys (fish and guys!!)
A great day fishing a number of wrecks, artificial reefs or fish havens up to 35 miles offshore will keep everybody quiet on the trip back to the marina. Some species you're likely to find at this time of year are permit, goliath grouper, barracuda, sheepshead, snapper, cobia, amberjack, mackerel, shark and grouper and they always make for fishing fun.  There are many charter captains, with larger boats, specializing in offshore fishing and they will definitely bend your rod! Marco's certainly a great place to fish whether you're a novice, a die-hard or just want a novel work-out! If you choose to go with a charter captain, you will only need to take food and drink for your trip. However, if you want to try from land then any of the beaches (not near designated swimming areas of course), the waterway behind your waterfront vacation rental home or the areas around the two bridges linking Marco to the mainland, are always worth a try. Don't forget to check that the fish you've caught are legal sized and in season before you keep them - you can pick up information on this at a local marina.
Written by Stephen Barker
and sponsored by Jason Byington and the team at
Marco Escapes
Marco Island, Southwest Florida
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October offers anglers productive fishing on most fishing fronts which include redfish, snook, jack, tarpon, trout, bluerunner, ladyfish, and shark. Snook are being caught working lures near the mangroves early in the morning and afternoon hours during a high incoming or high falling tide. Towers, wrecks, and spots where there is hard bottom will be offering anglers some grouper. Even though it's a little early, anglers should be seeing an increase in the number and size of sheepshead and black drum.
Not much has changed for fishing in our Southwest Florida waters, now that our summer tropical rain storms have arrived, dumping lots of fresh water through the inland and outer shoreline. If you want to fish these two areas, a good game plan would be to fish inland waters during a high incoming tide and then work your way out to the outer shoreline during the high falling tide. Nearshore waters should have Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, jack, bluerunner, barracuda. Working the surface with some live bait, tipped jigs, spoons, and lures should get some action.
Bait seems to be increasing on most all fishing fronts. Permit, cobia, and amberjack have been caught at the wrecks and towers. Tripletail should be moving in for summer - tipped jigs and live bait should work well. Large spawning snook and tarpon continue to run the outer shoreline, as well as smaller snook. You will probably continue to find some Spanish mackerel, jack, bluerunner, ladyfish, shark, and barracuda.
With softer winds and warm water, the size and number of species including tarpon and snook are getting better. Time is running out for anglers catching snook, the season closes May 1 through August. Be aware that other predators are out there, including shark, barracuda and sting ray. If you are wading near the passes, be aware that the current is very swift and can sweep out and away. Offshore has also been holding up. While many of the kingfish have been heading north for the summer, it's a good bet that there will be some still hanging out at the wrecks, towers, and spots with hard bottom.
The closest airports in the area are the Southwest Florida
International Airport (RSW) located about 41 miles north of Marco Island in Fort
Myers, Florida, Page Field (FMY) located approximately 45 miles north of
Marco Island in Fort Myers, Florida, the Charlotte County airport (PGD)
located roughly 69 miles north of Marco Island in Punta Gorda, Florida, and the Airglades airport (2IS) located around 69 miles
northeast of Marco Island in Clewiston, Florida. Further airports which may cost less include Miami International Airport (MIA) located 97 miles east of Marco Island, and Tampa International Airport (TPA), located 178 miles north of Marco Island.
WhiteSandGetAways.com - Marco Island Florida Vacation Rental Homes
Welcome to WhiteSandGetaways.com, we invite you to come and share in the dream with
us! Believe it or not, there are only two images within the design of this
website that were not shot by our team. Can you guess which two?
It's all very real down here, and extremely photogenic on any given
day. Most photos were taken by our families on Marco and Sanibel Islands,
and within blocks of our homes. We believe that Marco is the closest thing
to paradise in the continental United States! 
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