Sanibel Causeway Islands Fishing

Sanibel Causeway Islands sit in the middle of San Carlos Bay, where the tide pours between the Gulf and Pine Island Sound under the causeway bridges. You park beside the water, walk a few steps and cast into moving current.

• Reopened as Causeway Islands Park in May 2025 after Hurricane Ian.
• Winter sheepshead and spring and fall mackerel and pompano are the headline runs.
• Free parking on the islands, with water on every side.
• Busy with beachgoers and watersports on warm weekends, so pick your spot with room to cast.

The islands lie along the Sanibel Causeway between Punta Rassa, at the end of Summerlin Road in Fort Myers, and Sanibel Island.

• Toll: the causeway toll applies, and you pass the plaza to reach the islands.
• Parking: free, in designated areas only; Island A, just past the toll bridge, has pull-in parking, and Island B, after the second bridge, has pull-in and parallel parking. No RVs.
• Hours: dawn to dusk, with Lee County park rangers patrolling.
• The walk: a few steps from the car to the sand and rocks.
• A second phase of work, with permanent restrooms, structured parking, showers and shade, is planned, so expect construction areas at times.

Clean Gulf water and bay water mix here, so the list is long.

• Spring (Mar–May): Spanish mackerel, pompano, ladyfish and jacks; snook and redfish on the flats nearby.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): snook along the shorelines at dawn, mangrove snapper near the bridge pilings, tarpon passing through the bay, bonnetheads on the flats.
• Fall (Sep–Nov): mackerel and pompano again, redfish, trout, jacks and the odd cobia following rays.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): sheepshead around the bridge pilings and rocks, trout and pompano on warmer days.

Keep it simple and mobile.

• Sheepshead: fiddler crabs or shrimp on a 1/0 hook with just enough weight, cast to the rocks and bridge footings from the island shore.
• Mackerel: small silver spoons or Gotchas cast into the channel edges when birds are working.
• Pompano: pompano jigs bounced back along the drop-off, or sand fleas on a drop rig.
• Snook and redfish: live shrimp or whitebait on a 2/0 circle hook, or soft plastics, on the moving tide.
• Trout: shrimp under a popping cork over the grass on the bay side.
• A 7-foot medium spinning rod with 15 lb braid and 20–30 lb leader fits most of it.

Tides in San Carlos Bay come as two uneven highs and lows on most days, with a range of roughly one and a half to three feet at NOAA's Punta Rassa station, and the bridges constrict the flow into real current.

• Best: the first two hours of either tide, when water starts moving under the bridges.
• Slack water is the time to switch to bottom baits.
• Clean, green water on light winds is best for mackerel and pompano.
• A strong wind against the tide makes the channels choppy and hard to fish.
• Red tide has hit this area hard in past years; check FWC's red tide status before you go.

It is easy to reach but the water is not to be taken lightly.

• Stay off the bridge spans; the bridges carry fast traffic.
• The channels under the bridges have strong currents and boat wakes; do not wade or swim near them.
• Keep casts clear of swimmers, paddlers and kiteboarders along the beaches.
• Stingrays: shuffle your feet when wading the flats.
• Lightning: summer afternoon storms cross the bay quickly.
• Heat and sun: there is almost no shade yet.
• Nesting shorebird areas are roped off; keep out of them.
• The sand is close to the parking, but beach access for wheelchairs is still limited.

The park is still in its first phase after rebuilding.

• Free parking in designated spaces on both islands.
• Portable restrooms on Island A and Island B.
• Trash and recycling bins.
• Gas grills are allowed; no charcoal, ground fires or alcohol.
• No bait shop, food or lights on the islands; bait and tackle are sold in Fort Myers and on Sanibel.
• Later phases of the park plan add permanent restrooms, shade and outdoor showers.

Local know-how for the causeway:

• Go early; the designated parking spaces fill on warm weekends.
• In winter, fish sheepshead near the bridge footings and rocks on the incoming tide with fiddler crabs.
• Watch for diving birds over the channel in spring and fall; that is where the mackerel are.
• Cast along the drop-off from the island beaches for pompano; they run the edge where the sand meets deeper water.
• Bring bait; nets, including cast nets, are banned in Lee County parks.
• Rinse your gear afterward; salt spray and sand get into everything here.

Causeway Islands Park is run by Lee County Parks and Recreation.

• The park is open dawn to dusk; park only in designated areas and follow ranger instructions.
• County park rules ban fishing with nets (including cast nets), spears, snatch hooks and gigs, and fishing within 200 feet of any swimming-only area.
• No launching or retrieving boats or other craft from the islands; no alcohol.
• Keep out of roped-off bird nesting areas.
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt (no fee for residents fishing from shore).
• Shore-based shark fishing needs a free FWC permit; snook and tarpon have their own rules, so check FWC.
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything.