Tarpon Street Pier Fishing

Tarpon Street Pier is a City of Fort Myers fishing pier on the Caloosahatchee River that the city calls a popular fishing spot. Washed away by Hurricane Ian and rebuilt, it reopened in February 2026 and is a local, no-frills place to fish the river after work or into the evening.

• A long, rebuilt pier reaching well out over the brackish river
• Snook and tarpon, with jacks, ladyfish, catfish, mullet and redfish more common
• A sandy shore beside the pier that the FWC lists as a kayak launch
• City parks normally close at 10:30 p.m. unless other hours are posted

The pier is at 715 Tarpon Street in Fort Myers, at the river end of the street off Palm Beach Boulevard east of downtown, next to the city's Tarpon Street Park.

• The FWC notes a small, cramped parking lot with little room to turn around, so come in a small vehicle if you can
• The rebuilt pier is made of composite wood and plastic and sits a little higher than the old one
• The shore beside the pier root is sandy, and the FWC lists it as a kayak launch
• City code sets normal park hours of 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. unless other hours are posted; the FWC's older listing says the pier closed at 11 p.m., so follow the signs
• No entry or parking fee is listed; check posted signs

The Caloosahatchee here is brackish, and the mix shifts with rainfall and freshwater releases from upstream.

• Spring (Mar-May): snook and jacks in the river, and tarpon beginning to roll on calm mornings
• Summer (Jun-Aug): tarpon, snook, ladyfish and catfish, with young bull sharks common; heavy releases can push saltwater fish downstream
• Fall (Sep-Nov): snook and redfish feed as the river settles, with jacks and mullet moving along the pier
• Winter (Dec-Feb): snook shelter in the river during cold fronts, and sheepshead and black drum feed around the pilings

Medium spinning tackle with 20 to 30 lb braid covers most of what you will hook, but bring heavier gear if you are serious about tarpon.

• Snook: a live shrimp or small pinfish free-lined along the pilings or shadow lines, with a 30 to 40 lb fluorocarbon leader
• Artificials: soft jerkbaits, paddletails and small swimbaits worked along the pilings on moving water
• Jacks and ladyfish: small jigs and spoons, cast and retrieved quickly
• Sheepshead and black drum: shrimp on a short leader close to the pilings
• Tarpon: live bait or a large soft plastic with 50 to 60 lb leader, and let the fish go quickly
• Bring a long-handled pier net; the rebuilt deck stands a little higher above the water than the old one

NOAA's Fort Myers prediction station, a couple of miles away, shows two highs and two lows of uneven size on most days, usually only about a foot apart.

• River current and salinity matter more than tide height here; a moving tide still helps
• In the dry season, from winter into spring, saltier water pushes upriver and brings snook, redfish and sheepshead
• In the summer rainy season the river can run fresh and dark, pushing many saltwater fish downstream
• Dawn and dusk are the best times for snook along the pilings
• Winter cold fronts send snook up the river to warmer, deeper water

This is an urban river pier, so the hazards are simple but real.

• Young bull sharks live in the river; keep hands out of the water and handle any shark with care
• Summer afternoon storms bring lightning; leave the pier at the first thunder
• In some summers algae blooms foul the river; avoid fishing where you see scum on the water
• Bring a light for your footing at dusk and keep the deck clear for walkers
• The city lists no accessible features for the pier, so check the approach from the lot before you go

Facilities are minimal, so treat this as a grab-a-rod-and-go spot and bring what you need.

• The rebuilt fishing pier, reopened in February 2026
• A small, cramped parking lot at the end of the street
• A sandy shore beside the pier that the FWC lists as a kayak launch
• The city's facility page calls it a lighted pier, but lighting on the rebuilt pier could not be confirmed, so bring your own light
• No restrooms, bait, tackle, food or drinking water are listed at the pier

• Dawn and dusk are the times to be here, when snook move along the pilings
• In winter, fish the warm afternoon after a cold front, when snook stack up in the river
• Watch the river color: when it runs dark and fresh after heavy rain, try again once it clears
• Park carefully; the lot is small and the turn-around is tight
• A kayak launched from the sandy shore reaches more of the river's shoreline and docks

Tarpon Street Pier is a City of Fort Myers facility; city code sets normal park hours of 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. unless other hours are posted.

• Obey posted pier rules; city code lets the city ban cast nets from its piers by posting signs
• Alcohol is not allowed in city parks outside permitted events
• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt; freshwater species need a freshwater license
• Shore-based shark fishing needs the free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit
• Snook and tarpon have their own seasons and release rules; check FWC before keeping or handling one
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything