Little Hickory Island Beach Park Fishing

Little Hickory Island Beach Park sits at the isolated north end of Bonita Beach, where the Gulf beach runs up to Big Hickory Pass and the tide pours in and out of the backwaters behind the island.

• Gulf surf fishing with a tidal pass about half a mile north along the sand
• Snook in summer, pompano and whiting in the cooler months
• Redfish, trout, flounder and jacks around the pass on the moving tide
• A small county park in an isolated spot just off Hickory Boulevard
• Parking lot and amenities closed for repairs since September 8, 2026; the beach is open on foot

The park is at 26082 Hickory Boulevard in Bonita Springs, in an isolated spot just off the road at the north end of Bonita Beach.

• Status: from September 8, 2026 the park's parking lot and amenities are closed for construction to repair Hurricane Ian damage; pedestrian access to the beach stays open
• Parking: the county visitor bureau points beachgoers to the shopping center at 3300 Bonita Beach Road SW, and LeeTran's ULTRA On Demand service offers pickup and drop-off in the Bonita Springs zone
• Bonita Beach Accesses #2 to #9 along Hickory Boulevard have free parking; #9, at 26220 Hickory Boulevard, is the next access south
• Hours: dawn to dusk
• When the lot reopens, the county lists parking at $2 an hour, with the annual parking pass valid

The pass and the beach give you two kinds of water within a half-mile walk.

• Spring (Mar-May): pompano and whiting on the beach, Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish with the bait, trout in the pass
• Summer (Jun-Aug): snook along the beach trough and the pass edge, mangrove snapper in the pass, blacktip sharks off the beach
• Fall (Sep-Nov): redfish and flounder around the pass, snook still feeding, the fall mackerel run
• Winter (Dec-Feb): sheepshead around any hard structure in the pass, whiting and pompano on calm days

Carry one light rod and one surf rod; you will be walking in.

• Snook and reds: a 7-foot medium rod, 15 to 20 lb braid and a 30 lb leader; live shrimp, pilchards or a white bucktail jig worked along the pass edge
• Pompano and whiting: a pompano rig with sand fleas or shrimp and a 2 to 3 oz sinker on the beach
• Flounder and trout: soft plastics bounced slowly along the sandy drop-offs in the pass
• Spanish mackerel: small spoons retrieved fast when birds are working
• Travel light: a backpack, a sand spike and a small bait bucket

Tides here are mixed, usually two uneven highs and lows a day, with a small range, but the pass still runs hard in the middle of each tide.

• The outgoing tide flushes bait out of the backwaters and is usually best at the mouth of the pass
• The rising tide pushes fish into the beach trough
• Early morning and the last hours of daylight are best in summer
• After heavy rain the outgoing water from the backwaters runs dark; fish the incoming tide then
• Rough, churned-up water on the beach slows things down; the pass often still fishes

This is a quiet stretch with no lifeguards.

• Currents in Big Hickory Pass are strong; do not wade across or swim near the pass
• Lee County warns that its Bonita beaches have not been restored to pre-Ian condition and that debris washes ashore and can be hidden in the sand, so wear beach shoes
• Shuffle your feet when wading to avoid stingrays
• Summer thunderstorms build fast; leave the beach at the first thunder
• With the lot closed, getting here means a walk or a ride; there is no accessible parking at the park during the works
• Bring water and shade

During the repair work there are no facilities at the park.

• The parking lot and park amenities are closed from September 8, 2026 for construction
• When open, the county lists restrooms and showers at the park, while the visitor bureau lists only a portable toilet, so check before relying on either
• No bait or food sales were confirmed; bring bait, ice and water
• The free Bonita Beach accesses along Hickory Boulevard have beach paths; the county lists no restrooms at them

• Check the Lee County park page before you go; the construction dates can change
• Walk about half a mile north along the wet sand, below the private homes and condos, to fish the mouth of Big Hickory Pass on the falling tide
• Look for birds diving over the pass for mackerel and jacks
• Wear beach shoes; storm debris still turns up in the sand on this stretch
• In summer, walk the beach trough at first light for cruising snook

Lee County Parks and Recreation runs the park.

• Open dawn to dusk; no pets; no fires and no grilling on the beach
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required to fish from shore; Lee County notes Florida residents can get the shoreline license at no cost
• Keep clear of swimmers
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC permit
• Tarpon have special release rules: check FWC
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything