Gear & Tackle

Saltwater & Coast

Fly Fishing

Spin, Cast & Bait

Rookery Bay Fishing Guide

Florida

Mangrove backwaters of the Rookery Bay reserve between Naples and Marco Island, where redfish, seatrout, snook, and tarpon are the popular catches.

Trip at a Glance

Anglers come to Rookery Bay for redfish, speckled trout, snook, tarpon and flounder. In October, redfish, speckled trout, snook and flounder are at their peak, and Clouser Minnow, EP Baitfish and Spoon Fly are a good place to start. There are 12 shops within 25 miles (2 fly, 10 bait and tackle); the closest is Floridas Finest Fishing in Marco Island, about 5 mi away. Ten Thousand Islands is about 25 mi away if you want to make a trip of it.

Season at a Glance

Redfish
Speckled Trout
Snook
Tarpon
Flounder
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Peak: best fishing Open, slower

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Plan Ahead

Planning for a Month

Peak in October

Redfish, Speckled Trout, Snook, Flounder

Daylight

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Moon

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Typical Weather

87°F high, 71°F low

About 3.2 in of precipitation for the month.

Typical for October, not a forecast. Weather from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals at a station about 6 mi away. Check the live conditions on this page before you go.

What You'll Catch

Rookery Bay Species

Redfish

Redfish

Prime Now
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Peak: Jun to Nov

Speckled Trout

Speckled Trout

Prime Now
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Peak: Mar to May, Oct to Dec

Snook

Snook

Prime Now
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Peak: Year-round

Tarpon

Tarpon

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Peak: Mar to Jun

Flounder

Flounder

Prime Now
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Peak: Apr to May, Sep to Nov

Images: Duane Raver, USFWS; jose_colorado-dapa; U.S. Bureau of Fisheries; NOAA Fisheries. Public domain, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Plan by Month

What to Use

Month
Fish

13 picks for October. marks species at their peak in October.

  • Clouser Minnow #1/0-8

    Fly

    Streamer · Speckled Trout, Redfish

    Shop This Fly

  • EP Baitfish #2/0-2

    Fly

    Streamer · Redfish

    Shop This Fly

  • Spoon Fly #1/0-2

    Fly

    Flats Fly · Redfish

    Shop This Fly

  • Paddle-Tail Swimbait 3 to 5 in

    Lure

    Soft Plastic · Flounder, Snook, Speckled Trout, Redfish

    Shop This Lure

  • Walking Topwater 4 to 5 in

    Lure

    Topwater · Snook, Speckled Trout, Redfish

    Shop This Lure

  • Popping Cork Rig 18 to 30 in leader

    Lure

    Rig · Speckled Trout, Redfish

    Shop This Lure

  • Bucktail Jig 1/4 to 2 oz

    Lure

    Jig · Flounder

    Shop This Lure

  • Weedless Gold Spoon 1/4 to 1/2 oz

    Lure

    Spoon · Redfish

    Shop This Lure

  • Live Shrimp 2 to 4 in

    Bait

    Live Bait · Snook, Speckled Trout, Redfish

  • Live Minnows 1 to 3 in

    Bait

    Live Bait · Flounder · Mud minnows or finger mullet.

  • Sand Fleas Small

    Bait

    Live Bait · Redfish · Surf.

  • Cut Mullet Chunk or strip

    Bait

    Natural Bait · Redfish · Surf and passes.

  • Live Pinfish and Mullet 3 to 6 in

    Bait

    Live Bait · Snook

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Rod & Reel

Recommended Setups

Redfish

Fly 9 ft 8 wt rod, floating redfish line, 16 to 20 lb fluorocarbon leader.

Spin / Cast 7 ft medium spinning rod, 3000 reel, 15 lb braid with a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader.

Speckled Trout

Fly 9 ft 7 wt rod, floating or intermediate line, 15 lb leader, Clousers and shrimp flies.

Spin / Cast 7 ft medium-light spinning rod, 2500 reel, 10 lb braid with a 15 to 20 lb fluorocarbon leader.

Snook

Fly 9 ft 8 or 9 wt rod, floating or intermediate line, 30 to 40 lb bite leader.

Spin / Cast 7 ft medium-heavy spinning rod, 4000 reel, 20 lb braid with a 30 to 40 lb fluorocarbon leader.

Tarpon

Fly 9 ft 11 or 12 wt rod, floating or intermediate tarpon line, 60 to 80 lb shock tippet.

Spin / Cast 7.5 ft heavy spinning rod, 6000 to 8000 reel, 50 lb braid with an 80 lb leader.

Matched to These Species

Gear for Rookery Bay

Fly Lines

RIO Redfish Fly Line

A heavy front taper for quick shots at tailing fish in warm, humid conditions.

Check Price

Floats & Rigs

Cajun Thunder Popping Cork

The clacking cork that calls trout and reds to shrimp or a soft plastic.

Check Price

Leaders & Tippet

Seaguar Tarpon Leader Material

Heavy fluorocarbon shock leader that survives tarpon jaws and gill plates.

Check Price

Fly Lines

RIO Tarpon Fly Line

A tropical line that stays stiff in heat for long casts to rolling tarpon.

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Jigs

Spro Bucktail Jigs

Durable hair jigs for stripers, fluke, and anything that eats baitfish.

Check Price

Reels

Penn Battle III Spinning Reel

A metal-bodied reel built to survive saltwater and big runs.

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Rods

Penn Battalion II Inshore Spinning Rod

A medium inshore rod for jigs, popping corks, and live bait.

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Line

PowerPro Spectra Braided Line

Thin, strong braid for long casts, sensitivity, and pulling fish from cover.

Check Price

Buy Local

Rather pick it up in person? Shops near Rookery Bay:

Some links are affiliate links. See our disclosure.

Within 25 Miles

Shops Near Rookery Bay

Within 25 Miles

Guides and Charters Near Rookery Bay

Make It a Trip

Nearby Water

Saltwater & Coast · Florida · About 25 mi

Ten Thousand Islands

A maze of mangrove islands from Everglades City to Chokoloskee with snook, juvenile tarpon, and reds.

Snook · Tarpon · Redfish

Saltwater & Coast · Florida · About 45 mi

Pine Island Sound

The sound between Pine Island and Captiva, fed by the Gulf through Redfish, Captiva, and Boca Grande passes, with seatrout, tarpon, red drum, sheepshead, and snook.

Speckled Trout · Tarpon · Redfish

Saltwater & Coast · Florida · About 59 mi

Charlotte Harbor

A huge estuary including Boca Grande Pass, the epicenter of Florida tarpon fishing.

Tarpon · Snook · Redfish

Saltwater & Coast · Florida · About 74 mi

Lemon Bay

A narrow aquatic preserve behind Manasota Key at Englewood, where redfish, tarpon, and snook are common and seatrout work the shorelines.

Redfish · Tarpon · Snook