J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Fishing

J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is best known for its wading birds, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service keeps it open for fishing, and Wildlife Drive puts bank anglers right beside tidal backcountry water.

• Shore fishing and crabbing along Wildlife Drive all year, from pull-offs on the right side of the one-way road
• Snook, redfish, spotted seatrout and sheepshead are the common catches
• Mangrove snapper, flounder, jacks, ladyfish and small tarpon also turn up
• Quiet, shallow water that suits light tackle, lures and live shrimp
• A per-vehicle fee for the drive, which is closed every Friday

The refuge is on Sanibel-Captiva Road on the bay side of Sanibel, reached over the Sanibel Causeway, which has a toll plaza. Stop at the refuge's Education Center first for maps and current notices.

• The drive: four miles, one way, with a 15 mph speed limit
• Parking: pull over and park on the right side of the road to reach the trails, overlooks and water
• Fee: $10 per vehicle for Wildlife Drive; federal passes are sold at the fee booth
• Hours: the drive opens at 7 or 7:30 a.m. and closes between 5:30 p.m. in winter and 8 p.m. in June and July
• Closed every Friday
• Everyone must leave refuge lands and waters within half an hour after legal sunset

The refuge's backwaters hold the classic Southwest Florida inshore mix, and the Fish and Wildlife Service names snook, redfish, spotted seatrout and sheepshead as the most common catches.

• Spring (Mar-May): snook and redfish get active as the water warms; trout on the grassy edges; jacks and ladyfish chase bait
• Summer (Jun-Aug): snook along the mangroves early in the day, mangrove snapper in the channels, juvenile tarpon rolling in the backwaters
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish and snook feed hard before winter; flounder on sandy drop-offs
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead and black drum around structure and oyster edges; trout in the deeper holes on cold mornings

Light spinning tackle is all you need here: a 7-foot medium rod, a 2500 to 3000 size reel and 10 to 15 lb braid with a 20 to 30 lb fluorocarbon leader.

• Live shrimp free-lined or under a popping cork for trout, reds and snook
• Soft plastic jerkbaits and paddletails on a 1/8 to 1/4 oz jighead along the mangrove edges
• Shrimp or fiddler crabs on a small, strong hook for sheepshead near structure
• A small topwater plug early in the morning for snook and trout
• A long-handled landing net helps where the bank stands above the water
• Crabs may be taken only with a dip net

Tides on this coast are mixed, usually two uneven highs and lows a day, and the range is small, but the backwaters still fill and drain with every tide.

• A falling tide pulls bait out of the mangroves and past the structures along the drive
• Very low water leaves the flats bare and pushes fish into the channels and deeper holes
• The first hours after opening are best in summer, before the heat and afternoon storms
• Calm, bright mornings let you spot redfish and snook in the shallows
• After heavy summer rain the backwaters run tea-colored; fish the moving tide harder then
• Cold fronts in winter drop the water and slow the bite for a day or two

You fish from the roadside bank, so the main hazards are traffic, mud and wildlife.

• Park fully on the right side, never block the one-way lane, and watch your backcast over the road
• Banks can be soft mud or sharp oyster shell; wear shoes and do not wade where you cannot see the bottom
• Summer thunderstorms build fast; leave the water at the first thunder
• No-see-ums and mosquitoes are fierce at dawn and dusk; bring repellent
• Give birds and other wildlife plenty of space, and never feed them
• The drive is flat and you fish close to your car, but the banks themselves are uneven

The refuge keeps its facilities at the Education Center and the Tarpon Bay Recreation Area rather than along the drive.

• Education Center: free parking, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Fridays and federal holidays, with restrooms and water bottle filling stations close by
• Tarpon Bay Recreation Area: the launch for small boats, kayaks and canoes, with the refuge concessionaire and a designated fish cleaning station
• No bait sales were confirmed at the refuge; bring bait, ice and drinking water
• The Indigo Trail costs $1 per person and the Bailey Tract is free

• Check the day before you go: Wildlife Drive is closed every Friday
• Work the first hours of the falling tide around the water control structures and bridges along the drive
• Fish must stay whole until you leave the refuge, so do not fillet on the bank
• Cast nets are banned from the left (south) side of the drive and from its bridges and structures, and on the right (north) side must be thrown at least 25 feet from shore
• If a bird takes your bait, reel it in gently and remove the hook rather than cutting the line
• Drive slowly and scan the shallows for tailing redfish and wakes as you go

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the refuge, applies all Florida state fishing laws and adds its own rules.

• Sport fishing and crabbing only in designated areas; crabs by dip net only
• No seines or trot lines, and no bows or spears from the drive, its trails or structures
• No cast nets from the left (south) side of Wildlife Drive or from any water control structure, bridge, boardwalk or riprap on the drive; on the right (north) side, cast netting must be done at least 25 feet from shore
• Fish must stay whole until removed from the refuge, except fish landed through the concessionaire at Tarpon Bay
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless an exemption applies
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything, and check FWC for tarpon release rules