Lowdermilk Park Fishing

Lowdermilk Park is one of the easiest surf spots in Naples to fish: park behind the beach, make a short walk across soft sand and cast into the Gulf, with restrooms, showers and a grill on hand.

• Surf fishing for snook in summer and pompano and whiting in the cooler months
• Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish when bait schools run the beach
• Full facilities, ADA beach mats and beach wheelchairs to rent
• A busy family beach, so the fishing is best early and late
• Classic Naples sunsets over the Gulf

The park is on Gulf Shore Boulevard North in Naples, north of downtown, with its own parking lot behind the beach.

• Hours: 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.; the gates lower at closing and every vehicle must be out by 11 p.m.
• Parking: a beach parking permit or pay-by-space, enforced all year; city beach meters charged $5 an hour when checked in September 2026
• Collier County residents and property taxpayers can get a free annual beach parking permit
• ADA beach access mats lead across the sand
• Surface: fine, soft sand; the walk from the lot to the water is short

A Gulf beach with gentle surf and clear water for much of the year, fished like the rest of the Naples shoreline.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and whiting in the trough; Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish chase bait along the beach
• Summer (Jun-Aug): snook cruise the wash close to the sand at dawn and dusk; ladyfish, small sharks and stingrays
• Fall (Sep-Nov): the fall mullet run brings snook, jacks and mackerel close in; pompano return late in the season
• Winter (Dec-Feb): pompano and whiting on sand fleas and shrimp, fished through the warmest part of the day

Keep it light and cast parallel to the beach; most fish feed in the first trough, close to your feet.

• Snook: walk the water's edge at first light with a white bucktail, a small swimbait or a live pilchard on 30 lb fluorocarbon leader
• Pompano and whiting: a double-drop pompano rig with sand fleas, shrimp or synthetic bait strips on a 7 to 10 ft rod
• Spanish mackerel and jacks: small silver spoons or jigs when birds are working bait
• A sand spike and a small cart make the short walk easier

Tides here are mixed, usually two uneven highs and lows a day with a small range.

• A moving tide at dawn or dusk is the best window
• Calm, clear summer mornings suit sight-casting to snook in the wash
• A light onshore chop helps pompano and whiting, which feed in stirred-up water
• After a winter cold front the water cools and clears; fish the warmer afternoons
• Red tide blooms sometimes reach this coast; the city links current beach-conditions and red tide reports

With ADA mats and beach wheelchairs this is an accessible beach, but it gets busy by day.

• Swimmers use this beach all day; fish early or late and never cast near people in the water
• Shuffle your feet in the shallows to avoid stingrays
• Rip currents can form on windy days; do not wade deep
• Summer afternoons bring lightning; leave the beach at the first thunder
• Sea turtles nest on this coast in summer; keep lights off the beach at night and fill any holes you dig
• ADA mats cross the sand and beach wheelchairs can be rented at the concession

The city lists a full set of beach facilities at the park.

• Restrooms and showers
• The Flip Flop Beach Grill concession in the middle of the park, serving burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, coffee and sodas
• Beach wheelchairs and other items for rent at the concession
• Picnic tables, benches, a children's playground and sand volleyball courts
• Two gazebos that can be reserved
• No bait sales were confirmed at the park; the city-run Naples City Dock on Naples Bay sells live shrimp and frozen bait

• The first hours after the 5 a.m. opening are the quietest and best for snook
• Winter weekends are busiest; arrive early for a parking space
• Walk north along the beach toward Doctors Pass for more room away from swimmers
• Sand fleas, dug at the swash line or bought frozen, are the classic pompano bait
• Stay for sunset: the evening bite and the view both peak then
• Check the city's beach-conditions page for red tide and water quality before you go

Lowdermilk Park is run by the City of Naples Community Services Department.

• Open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• City code prohibits fishing from a park beach only where signs say so; obey any posted signs
• Glass, animals and fires are not allowed on the beach, and alcohol is prohibited on city property
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything