Redfish fishing
in Captiva.
The back side of Captiva — facing Pine Island Sound — is a patchwork of oyster bars, seagrass flats, and mangrove shoreline. Redfish Pass is named for a reason: the flats on either side of it are classic redfish water, and the fall schooling phenomenon rolls through here every year. For anglers who want clear-water flats redfishing without the crowd, Captiva delivers.
Redfish fishing in Captiva, Florida is a year-round shallow-water game centered on the back-bay oyster bars and the flats adjacent to Redfish Pass. Peak runs late summer through winter, with fall schools of bull reds pushing across the grass flats on moving tides. Fly anglers use an 8-weight with crab and shrimp patterns. RescueFly Charters poles these flats from Pine Island.
Updated April 2026 · Captain Stuart Behrens
Redfish on the fly.
We pole the back-bay flats silently and work oyster-bar edges, sandy potholes, and mangrove drop-offs. Morning light is the friend — the sun low behind us makes the copper flash visible at distance. Crab patterns on the fly side; gold spoons and weedless soft plastics on spin. When fall schools push through near Redfish Pass, the shots come fast and the presentation needs to be clean — lead the pod, drop it ahead, don't overstrip.
Why Captiva for reds?
Captiva's back-bay shoreline is one of the least-pressured redfish flats in the Pine Island Sound system. Most boats headed for Cayo Costa or Boca Grande blow right past it. Meanwhile, the oyster-bar structure here is exceptional — generations of oyster growth built up on hard bottom, with sandy potholes in between, exactly the habitat reds ambush in. Add the fall school pattern near Redfish Pass and you have a quietly excellent fishery.
Redfish in Florida have an 18–27 inch slot limit and a one-fish daily bag with seasonal closures on the Gulf Coast. RescueFly Charters runs primarily catch-and-release for reds — we release bull reds (36+ inches) every fall.
Current rules: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission →
About redfish fishing in Captiva.
- Why is it called Redfish Pass?
- The flats on either side of the pass have held strong redfish numbers for generations — locals named the pass after them well before sport-fishing tourism arrived. The naming has held up: it's still one of the reliable redfish spots in Pine Island Sound.
- Can you sight-fish redfish at Captiva?
- Yes — and the back-bay flats are among the best sight-fishing water in the Sound. Clear water on the right tide, turtle grass and oyster structure holding fish, and quiet shorelines where we can pole for half a mile without seeing another boat.
- Best tide for Captiva redfish?
- Low tide for tailing fish and oyster-bar ambush. Rising tide for cruising fish pushing into the mangroves. Both work — we pick the tide that fits the light window and the wind direction.
Other species we chase in Captiva.
Chase reds at these locations too.
Ready to chase reds in Captiva?
Limited dates each season. Reach out to lock in your charter.