Clam Pass Park Fishing

Clam Pass Park is a boardwalk-access beach north of downtown Naples, where a small pass drains the mangrove estuary of the Clam Bay system into the Gulf. The Naples Pier, the city's big fishing pier, is closed for a full rebuild that began in January 2026 and is expected to take about 18 months.

• Snook at the pass mouth and along the beach from spring to fall.
• A quiet, natural setting despite being in the city.
• Free tram along the boardwalk, with restrooms and a restaurant listed by the county.
• A family beach, so fish the edges and early hours.

The park is at 465 Seagate Drive in Naples, west of US 41, beside the Naples Grande resort.

• Parking: a county lot at the boardwalk entrance; a daily parking fee applies unless you have a Collier County resident beach parking permit.
• The walk: a three-quarter-mile boardwalk through mangroves, with a free tram running along it. The pass is a short beach walk north of the boardwalk's end.
• Hours: 8 a.m. to sunset, year-round.
• Transit: the county lists a Collier Area Transit bus stop.
• The county cleared storm sand from the pass and rebuilt beach and dunes in a project that started in November 2025, so the pass and bars may look different from older photos.

A small pass, but it drains a big mangrove system and holds fish accordingly.

• Spring (Mar–May): snook moving to the pass, pompano and whiting in the surf, jacks and ladyfish.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook along the beach and at the pass mouth, mangrove snapper at the mangrove edges, tarpon passing offshore.
• Fall (Sep–Nov): snook, redfish and trout near the pass on the outgoing tide, flounder on the sand edges.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead, pompano on clear days and trout in the deeper edges.

Light, mobile tackle suits the boardwalk walk and the small pass.

• Snook: live whitebait or shrimp drifted in the pass on a 1/0–2/0 circle hook with 30 lb fluorocarbon; white bucktails or paddle-tails along the beach at dawn.
• Snapper and sheepshead: small shrimp or fiddler crabs near mangrove roots and any structure.
• Pompano and whiting: pompano jigs or sand fleas in the surf trough.
• Redfish and trout: soft plastics or shrimp under a popping cork near the pass on the falling tide.
• One 7-foot medium-light spinning rod with 10–15 lb braid is enough.

Gulf tides at Naples usually come as two uneven highs and lows a day, with a range of roughly two to three feet on NOAA's nearest coastal station, and Clam Pass is shallow, so it fishes best when water is really moving.

• Best: the outgoing tide, when the mangrove system drains bait into the Gulf.
• The pass shoals and shifts; its depth varies year to year and after storms and dredging.
• Calm, clear water on light east winds gives good sight-fishing along the beach.
• Early mornings are best before the beach fills.
• Red tide can affect Naples beaches in some years; check FWC's red tide status first.

A calm beach with a few specific hazards.

• People swim and float in the pass on the tide; never cast near them, and fish the edges instead.
• The current in the pass can be strong on big tides; keep wading shallow.
• Stingrays: shuffle your feet.
• Lightning: summer afternoon storms; get off the beach at the first thunder.
• Accessibility: the boardwalk and tram make the beach reachable for most visitors, and the county offers beach wheelchairs.

One of the better-equipped beaches for a quiet pass.

• Paid parking unless you hold a resident permit.
• Free tram along the boardwalk.
• Restrooms, foot showers and a restaurant, per the county.
• Beach wheelchairs, bike racks and a life jacket loaner program.
• No bait shop; buy bait in Naples before you arrive.
• Nearest supplies: shopping, food and tackle along US 41 in Naples, a few minutes east of the park.

Local know-how for Clam Pass:

• Take the first tram of the morning and head straight for the pass.
• Fish the first half of the outgoing tide at the pass mouth for snook.
• Give swimmers, floaters and paddlers the pass; fish its edges and the beach either side.
• Walk the beach north of the pass on calm mornings for sighted snook in the trough.
• Carry gear in one light bag; it is a long boardwalk.
• Leave shark rigs at home: county code bans shark fishing from the beach here.

Clam Pass Park is run by Collier County Parks and Recreation.

• The park is open 8 a.m. to sunset; pay for parking unless you hold a resident permit. No dogs, and no glass on the beach.
• Collier County code bans intentionally fishing for sharks, chumming and bloodbaiting from the beach or within 1,000 feet of shore.
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt.
• Snook and tarpon have their own seasons and release rules; check FWC before keeping or handling one.
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.