Naples Pier Fishing

The Naples Pier has drawn anglers to the west end of 12th Avenue South since the 1880s, prized for a long run over clean Gulf water that put pompano, snook and sheepshead within easy casting range of a railed deck. Hurricane Ian wrecked the end platform, shelter and pilings in 2022, and the city is now rebuilding the whole structure rather than patching it again. Until it reopens, the beach either side of the old pier footprint and the passes a couple of miles north and south carry the same species and the same bait-driven bite that made the pier famous.

The pier sat at the foot of 12th Avenue South in Old Naples, a short walk from Third Street South's shops and restaurants. The whole site, including the pier itself, the stairs, restrooms, outdoor showers and the closed block of 12th Avenue South west of Gulf Shore Boulevard South, is fenced off for construction and there is no public access to the beach directly beneath the work zone. Anglers are directed to the public beach accesses along Gulf Shore Boulevard either side of the site, all with their own metered parking.

• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead thick around the old pilings, whiting and black drum on the bottom
• Spring (Mar-May): pompano running the surf, Spanish mackerel and bluefish on the move
• Summer (Jun-Aug): snook around the pilings, tarpon rolling offshore of the pier, mangrove snapper
• Fall (Sep-Nov): mixed schools of jacks and mackerel, the first sheepshead of the season

The pier's regulars fished cut shrimp and sand fleas on a small hook for pompano and whiting, live pinfish or greenbacks under a float for snook, and a jig or spoon cast into bait schools for mackerel and jacks. Until the pier reopens, the same rigs work from the open beach accesses and the rock jetties at Doctors Pass and Gordon Pass, where the deeper water close to the rocks concentrates the same species.

Naples sits on the Southwest coast, where most days bring two uneven high and low tides. The pier fished best on a moving tide, either direction, with clean green water and a light onshore breeze; a hard outgoing tide at the nearby passes still pulls bait past the rocks and is worth timing a trip around.

The site is fully fenced during construction, so there is no accessibility to describe for the pier itself. The nearby beach accesses have soft sand approaches rather than the pier's flat, railed deck. Anywhere along this stretch, watch for afternoon thunderstorms in summer, rip currents after a front, and shuffle your feet for stingrays in the shallows.

None on site while the pier is closed, since the old bait concession, restrooms and showers are all fenced off with the rest of the site. The public beach accesses nearby along Gulf Shore Boulevard have their own restrooms and metered parking, though not a bait shop. Naples has several full-service bait and tackle shops a short drive from downtown, so plan to buy shrimp, sand fleas or frozen bait before heading to the beach or the passes, and bring your own rod holder or sand spike since none is provided.

• Fish the beach accesses just north of the pier site for the same surf species
• Doctors Pass and Gordon Pass hold fish year-round when the tide is moving
• Check the City of Naples website before a trip, since the closed area has grown and shrunk as work has progressed
• Early morning avoids both the heat and the crowds at the open beach accesses
• Bring your own bait, since the pier's old bait concession is gone for now

The City of Naples manages the pier and its rebuild. A Florida saltwater fishing license is required at the nearby beach accesses unless an exemption applies. Stay outside the construction fencing around the pier site until the city reopens it. Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.