Redfish fishing
in Fort Myers.
The Fort Myers redfish fishery lives at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. Here tannin-stained river water meets clear bay water, creating a salinity gradient that reds navigate with their nose as much as their eyes. The oyster flats and grass beds just outside the river mouth hold fish year-round, and the fall schooling behavior churns through here every September and October.
Redfish fishing in Fort Myers, Florida centers on the Caloosahatchee River mouth at San Carlos Bay, plus the oyster and grass flats just outside the river. Tannin-stained river water mixing with clear bay water creates a unique fishery — reds use their olfactory senses effectively in the lower visibility, and aggressive bites are common. Peak runs late summer through winter. Fly anglers use an 8-weight. RescueFly Charters poles these flats from Pine Island.
Updated April 2026 · Captain Stuart Behrens
Redfish on the fly.
At the river mouth, we work oyster-bar edges, mangrove shoreline, and seagrass flats just outside the freshwater influence. Reds here are often more aggressive than in clearer-water fisheries — the lower visibility means they hunt by smell and vibration. Gold spoons, soft plastics, and shrimp-imitation flies all work well. Scented plastics are particularly effective on spin. On fly, crab patterns stripped slow along oyster edges are the workhorse.
Why Fort Myers for reds?
The Caloosahatchee River mouth is a unique redfish fishery because of the salinity gradient. Most Pine Island Sound reds are sight-fishery fish in clear water. River-mouth reds operate in the tannin blend — they hunt by scent, ambush more aggressively, and hit with less deliberation. That makes the fishery more forgiving of imperfect casts and often more explosive. The oyster-bar habitat around the river mouth is also exceptional — generations of oyster growth on hard-bottom structure that holds fish year-round.
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 Fort Myers.
- Where do you fish for redfish around Fort Myers?
- The Caloosahatchee River mouth where it meets San Carlos Bay — oyster bars, grass flats, and mangrove shoreline in the transitional salinity zone. Further into the bay, the fishery opens up to Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass flats.
- Are tannin-water reds different from clear-water reds?
- In behavior, yes. Tannin-water reds hunt more by smell and vibration than sight — they're often more aggressive on strikes because they commit before getting a clean look at the fly. That makes scented spin lures particularly effective and crab patterns with some sound (rattles) deadly.
- Is San Carlos Bay good for redfish?
- Yes — it's one of the most productive sections of the greater Pine Island Sound system. The oyster-bar network is exceptional, the grass flats hold bait year-round, and the river influence creates the salinity variation that keeps reds aggressive. Fall schooling also comes through here.
Other species we chase in Fort Myers.
Chase reds at these locations too.
Ready to chase reds in Fort Myers?
Limited dates each season. Reach out to lock in your charter.