Bokeelia Fishing Pier

Bokeelia Fishing Pier is one of the best-known piers in Lee County, a long-running privately operated pier at the northern tip of Pine Island that reaches into Charlotte Harbor where it opens to Pine Island Sound.

• Moving water, bait schools and structure put a wide mix of species within casting range
• Snook, redfish, snapper, sheepshead, pompano, mackerel, trout and sharks through the year
• Pay-to-fish pier: the operator says no fishing license is needed, and sells live bait and rents rods
• Part of the Bocilla Island Seaport, with a boat ramp into Jug Creek beside it

The pier is at the north end of Pine Island in the village of Bokeelia, reached by Stringfellow Road north from Pine Island Center and then Main Street to the waterfront.

• Getting there: cross to Pine Island through Matlacha, then drive north the length of the island
• Entry: the operator lists a fee of $15 per person, paid at the pier
• Hours: listed as 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day, so there is no night fishing
• Parking: at the seaport beside the pier; the boat ramp next door charges separately
• Surface: a long wooden deck with rails; bring a cart for coolers

Charlotte Harbor's tidal flow past the end of the pier brings a little of everything.

• Spring (Mar–May): snook and redfish wake up, Spanish mackerel and pompano pass with the bait, sheepshead finish their winter run
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook, mangrove snapper around the pilings, sharks from bonnetheads to bulls, tarpon rolling off the end
• Fall (Sep–Nov): the best all-round season; snook, reds, snapper, mackerel and trout, with black drum moving in
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead, black drum and gag grouper on the pilings; snook and reds are around but shy

The operator's own guide suggests a 6 1/2 to 8 foot medium or medium-heavy rod, a 2500 to 4000 size reel and 8 to 20 lb-test line.

• All-round: live shrimp free-lined or under a float on a 1/0 hook and 10 to 20 lb fluorocarbon leader
• Snapper: a small circle hook close to the pier with shrimp or cut bait
• Snook, reds, cobia and grouper: big live pinfish, greenbacks or chunks of ladyfish on a 4 oz sinker, 2/0 to 7/0 hooks and 30 to 50 lb leader
• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp tight to the pilings
• Mackerel and pompano: spoons, small jigs or pompano jigs at the far end, fast retrieve
• Catch bait with a sabiki; cast nets only in the area the dockmaster allows

Tides here are mixed and small: NOAA's Bokeelia station shows two uneven highs and lows on about half the days and only one on the others, with a range of one to two feet, but the current through the harbor mouth is what makes the pier.

• Fish the first half of the incoming and outgoing tides, when bait moves past the end
• Slack water is the time to switch to bottom baits for snapper and sheepshead
• Early morning is best in summer, before heat and afternoon storms
• After heavy rain the harbor runs tea-stained; fish the outgoing tide on the end
• A strong north wind in winter pushes water out and slows the bite

It is a railed, level pier with the operator on site, one of the easier places on this coast to fish from.

• Summer thunderstorms build fast over the harbor; leave the pier at the first thunder
• There is little shade: bring a hat, sun shirt, water and sunscreen (the operator asks for creams or pump sprays, not aerosols)
• Biting bugs come out near dusk in the warm months; bring repellent
• Big sharks, tarpon and goliath grouper are hooked here; never haul a big fish up onto the deck
• No glass, no cookers or burners on the pier

The pier is part of the Bocilla Island Seaport.

• Live shrimp and small baitfish sold on the pier, though shrimp can be short in summer, so call ahead
• Rod and reel rentals
• A boat ramp next door into Jug Creek
• A live web cam on the operator's website shows conditions before you drive
• No food on the pier; bring a cooler with drinks and snacks, but no glass, burners or cookers
• Do not count on restrooms at the pier; ask the dockmaster when you pay

• Check the pier's web cam and Facebook page before the long drive up the island
• The far end is where pompano and mackerel are caught; snapper sit close to the pilings
• The rule is one rod per person, with a second only if the dockmaster says there is room
• Fiddler crabs are the sheepshead bait in winter; bring your own
• Walk a tarpon or goliath to the shallows to release it rather than lifting it
• Pack food and water: Captain Con's Fish House beside the pier was demolished after Hurricane Milton

The pier is privately run by the Bocilla Island Seaport, which posts its own pier rules.

• The operator says no fishing license is required to fish from the pier
• Posted rules include one rod per person, no glass, no cookers and cast netting only in the permitted area
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit; many sharks are protected, so release them in the water
• Tarpon and goliath grouper have special release rules: check FWC
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything