Sanibel Island, Fl

[Mellon]

Betty and I are looking here for some fishing/vacation time.
Anybody have any experience around there?

[cliftonio]

I HIGHLY recommend this guy

http://www.fishwithhawkeye.com

Its a bit of a trip to up to Northern Pine Island but its a nice break from the tourist traps and new strip malls that are taking over SW florida.

Capt George is a great guide, put us on great fish (and said it was not a great time of the year to fish, cold snap in November) and he has a great sense of humour

[luna nueva]

just got back from naples a couple months ago, which is south, but we made a trip that way. its a very nice place. the shells that its famous for werent there this summer, supposedly because of a quiet hurricane season. the fishing was great. On a day it was flat calm on the surf, i walked the beach with a DOA shrimp and casted towards visible cruising snook. Must have caught and released more than 30 snook in 2 hours. The easiest fishing ive ever seen for fish that ive never caught in texas waters. Hired a guide to take us snook and wreck fishing with live bait. We caught and released 2 permit, both were HUGE- 30 AND 38 LBS! our trip up that way was pretty cool, we ate at cabbage key, which is where jimmy buffet wrote "Cheeseburger in Paradise", then went to Cayo Costa state park, where on the way we ran into a school of HUGE tarpon- im talking 100+ lbs. I freaked out and grabbed the only rod i had rigged up- a bass assassin on a 1/8 head and a 20 lb leader, chunked it in front of them and watched as they all swam around it They are very pressured fish so they are very picky. Didnt spend enough time fishing the area to be much help, but theres LOTS of sources for you to read up on it.

[RiPPle_EffEct]

I used to wade fish the intercoastal side of the road from FT Meyers side to Sanabel Is. Alot of baitfish there also. That was in the mid 80's.
Was also there in early 90's. You can also fish the Gulf side of the first bridge you come to.