Goodland Boating Park Fishing

Goodland Boating Park is the public shore access at Goodland, a small Collier County park on Goodland Bay with a fishing pier at the edge of the Ten Thousand Islands.

• A fishing pier over tidal bay water
• Snapper, sheepshead, redfish, snook and trout
• Fish-cleaning station and a covered pavilion
• A quiet old Florida fishing village with seafood restaurants a short walk away

The park is at 740 Palm Point Drive in Goodland, reached from US 41 by San Marco Road (County Road 92), or from Marco Island over the Goodland Bridge.

• Hours: sunrise to sunset, year-round
• The Goodland (Stan Gober Memorial) Bridge is under a Collier County rehabilitation project into spring 2027, with lane closures and signals; allow extra time
• Parking: mainly trailer parking for the two-lane ramp; parking and launch fees are paid by QR code through the county's mobile payment app
• Surface: level paths and a wooden pier
• The fishing pier runs along the park's south shore beside the ramp

Goodland Bay is a shallow, tidal edge of the Ten Thousand Islands.

• Spring (Mar–May): snook and redfish active, sheepshead finishing, ladyfish arriving
• Summer (Jun–Aug): mangrove snapper on the pier structure, snook at first light, jacks and ladyfish
• Fall (Sep–Nov): redfish and snook feeding before winter, trout returning
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead and black drum on structure, trout in the deeper channels

Light to medium tackle suits the pier.

• Snapper: shrimp or cut bait on a 1/0 circle hook, 15 to 20 lb leader, close to the pilings
• Sheepshead and drum: fiddler crabs or shrimp on a knocker rig
• Redfish and snook: live shrimp or small pinfish on a 1/0 to 2/0 circle hook with 30 lb leader, cast to the channel edges
• Trout: shrimp under a popping cork or a small soft plastic
• A pier net helps with bigger fish

Tides here come as two uneven highs and lows a day, with a bigger swing than farther up the coast: NOAA's nearby Coon Key station ranges roughly two and a half to nearly five feet from low to high, and the bay's channels run hard on the big tides.

• Fish the moving tide; slack water is slow
• The outgoing tide pulls bait off the flats past the pier
• Low light at dawn and dusk is best for snook
• Winter fronts drop the water and push fish into channels
• Summer thunderstorms build over the Everglades in the afternoon

A tidy county park with a working boat ramp.

• Keep clear of the ramp and boats launching; do not cast across the lanes or tie up the docks
• Mosquitoes and no-see-ums at dawn and dusk
• Summer lightning: leave the pier at the first thunder
• A life-jacket loan program is on site
• The level paths and pier are fairly easy to reach

The county lists these facilities.

• Fishing pier
• Fish-cleaning station
• Covered picnic pavilion with grill
• Two-lane boat ramp and rental wet slips
• Life-jacket loan program
• Restrooms, according to the state's boat ramp inventory
• The park's ship store is temporarily closed, so bring bait and ice; Goodland has seafood restaurants nearby
• Bring bug spray for dawn and dusk; shade is limited on the pier

• Weekday mornings are quieter than weekends, when boaters fill the lot
• Snapper bite best around the pier structure on a moving tide
• Bring bug spray for dawn and dusk
• Check Collier County's bridge project updates before driving over
• Stay for a meal at one of Goodland's waterfront fish houses
• A kayak launched here reaches the mangrove islands of the Ten Thousand Islands

Goodland Boating Park is run by Collier County Parks and Recreation; follow posted rules.

• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt (residents can use the free shoreline license)
• Open sunrise to sunset; parking and launch fees are paid through the county's app
• Clean your catch at the fish-cleaning station
• Release goliath grouper and sawfish in the water: check FWC
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything