Bunche Beach Preserve Fishing

Bunche Beach Preserve is the best walk-in flats fishing on the Fort Myers mainland, a wide, shallow edge of San Carlos Bay made for wading and paddling.

• Redfish, snook and trout on grass flats and sand potholes
• A launch onto the Great Calusa Blueway for kayak anglers
• Two small fishing and wildlife viewing piers
• A quiet natural beach and a Great Florida Birding Trail site

The preserve is at the end of John Morris Road off Summerlin Road in south Fort Myers, near the Sanibel Causeway.

• Hours: dawn to dusk, every day
• Parking: paid by the hour (listed at $2 an hour), about 100 spaces; the Lee County annual parking pass is valid
• No parking on the west side of John Morris Road, and no vehicles on the beach
• A 310-foot boardwalk leads to the beach
• Surface: firm sand, then soft mud and grass on the flats

The flats change with the season and the tide.

• Spring (Mar–May): redfish and trout on the flats, snook moving out of the backcountry
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook along the beach and mangrove edges at first light, ladyfish, bonnethead sharks
• Fall (Sep–Nov): the best redfish season, trout, flounder along sand edges
• Winter (Dec–Feb): trout and sheepshead in deeper potholes, reds tailing on warm low tides

Travel light with one rod and wet-wading gear.

• Redfish: a gold spoon, a scented soft plastic on a weedless hook, or shrimp under a cork, cast ahead of cruising fish
• Snook: a white paddletail or small topwater at first light along the edges
• Trout: shrimp under a popping cork or a jig worked over the grass
• Flounder: a slow-bumped jig along sand edges
• 10 to 15 lb braid and a 20 to 30 lb fluorocarbon leader on a 7 foot rod

Tides are mixed, usually two uneven highs and lows a day with a range of roughly 2 feet at NOAA's Punta Rassa station, and on these flats the stage matters more than anywhere else.

• The first of the rising tide, when fish push onto the flats, is the best time
• Very low water exposes the flats and pushes fish out to the edges and potholes
• Calm, sunny mornings are best for sight fishing
• Heavy rain and outflow from the Caloosahatchee River can turn the bay brown
• Winter low tides after fronts can leave the flats nearly dry

Wading the flats needs care.

• Shuffle your feet; stingrays are common
• Wear wading boots for oyster bars and shells
• Watch the tide: soft mud and deeper channels can catch you on the way back
• Lightning builds fast over the bay on summer afternoons
• Biting insects at dawn and dusk
• The boardwalk and piers are easy to reach; the flats are not

Lee County lists these facilities.

• Composting restrooms (no running water)
• Two wildlife viewing and fishing piers
• A 310-foot boardwalk
• Kayak and paddleboard rentals from an on-site outfitter
• No bait shop; buy bait on Summerlin Road or the way to Sanibel
• There is no running water, so bring drinking water and rinse your reels at home; salt and sand get into everything on the flats

• Go at first light on a rising tide and walk slowly; reds spook easily in clear water
• Polarized glasses make all the difference here
• Leave the cooler in the car and carry a small wading pack
• A kayak opens more of the bay and nearby mangrove islands
• Pets are not allowed in the preserve
• Check the county's preserve page for any closures before you go

The preserve is managed by Lee County Parks and Recreation as conservation land.

• Lee County notes that a saltwater license is required to fish from shore, with no fee for the Florida resident shoreline license
• Open dawn to dusk; no pets; no motor vehicles on the beach; no grills or fires; no smoking or vaping in county parks
• County park rules ban fishing with nets, spears or gigs, and fishing within 200 feet of any swimming-only area
• Protect seagrass: do not drag anchors or trample grass beds
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything