The Naples Pier was built in 1888 and was rebuilt 4 more times as fire and three hurricanes destroyed parts of it. The fishing at this pier is comparable to the Fort Myers Beach Fishing Pier just north of here.
There are far fewer people and the sunsets are every bit as good! The pier is made out of concrete and wood and is a pedestrian only pier – no bikes, cars, etc.
As I’ve said about some of the other piers fairly close to my home in Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater, I didn’t feel the need to go on road trips to try out the piers that were a little farther away because the ones close by were so good.
If you live close to Naples, give this fishing pier a try, The entire Gulf Coast and East Coast fishery is just teeming with fish and it would be hard not to catch something here.
Naples is an upscale community with rich retirees making up a good portion of the local population. Expect higher prices for just about everything.
What Are the Hours for the Naples Fishing Pier?
The pier opens up whenever you arrive. It’s never closed. All day everyday you can fish here! I really love piers like this. You can arrive whenever you get the urge and not worry that it will be closed. Of course the shops around it and on the pier won’t be open 24-7, I think their hours are 9 am. to sunset daily.
So just remember to bring your own food, refreshments, and tackle or buy it before they close for the day.
All night pier fishing is one of the most special activities we have in Florida. I wish more piers allowed this. To be honest, I’m surprised this upscale place allows it. They’re a role-model for other fishing piers that don’t.
OK WAIT. The pier website said that they are having a temporary change in hours that make Sunday a no-fishing-day. And, Monday through Thursday you cannot fish from 11 pm. to 5 am. This was supposed to end May 31st. Today is the 26th of June and it is still in effect. They just voted to extend the Sunday no fishing rule until the end of June. They may make it an entire year.
The purpose of this ban is that fewer pelicans are being hooked and sent to the animal hospital. No kidding.
What Fish Can You Catch?
Though I’ve never fished here, the main target from the videos I’ve seen seems to be Spanish mackerel. Nearly every video showed anglers catching keeper-sized Spanish macks.
Common Fish Caught at the Naples Fishing Pier
- snook
- redfish (red drum)
- sheepshead
- grouper
- pompano
- speckled sea trout
- Spanish mackerel
- flounder
- pinfish (for bait)
- ladyfish
- catfish
- Crevalle Jack (Jacks)
How Big is the Fishing Area?
The Naples Pier is a long concrete and wood fishing pier jutting out into the Gulf of Mexico about 1000 feet in length total. About 815 feet of that is over water.
The pier is 11.5 feet wide, which is quite nice. That extra space makes it easy to fish with someone right behind you. With over a million visitors to the pier a year, the space is appreciated by anglers using the pier, I’m sure!
Wait. That’s like 2700+ people per day at the pier. Are there really THAT many? I think they must be counting the people visiting the shops at the beginning of the pier too. That would make more sense.
At the end of the pier is a square area with a large roofed structure without walls to shelter people from the rain and sun. You can plop your beach chair down here to relax sometimes. Don’t bring your chairs out on the deck.
This extra square ads another 180 feet of railing space for fishing and a lot more area to move around in – over 2,000 square feet. ‘he pier is 147 yd (134 m) over water and around 5 feet wide almost the entire length of the pier until the end. At the end of the pier is a larger rectangular section adding another 95 yd (87 m) of fishing space.
To drag your stuff down 1,000 feet of pier is going to take some real effort unless you put it on wheels. Invest in a wagon or cart of some type and it will make your life easier. Here’s one on Amazon that I liked. Collapsible. Affordable. Looks tough and many good ratings.
Restrooms?
Yes! There are actually restrooms on the pier as well as showers to shower off. This place is rapidly becoming a must-see pier for me as I’m doing research about it – I’m constantly surprised. Wait, it gets even better. Wait until I get to the food and restaurant section.
Shade on the Pier?
Yes, there is a 710 square feet area under roof in the center of the square space at the end of the pier where you can stand, put a chair, or lay down if you’re not bothering anyone.
The city of Naples seems to have put a LOT of thought into this fishing pier and probably had some fishing advocates either on the board or influencing them somehow. It just seems almost too good to be true.
Fees at the Naples Pier
There is no fee for catching fish or for walking the pier. Amazing, right? Not even a dollar. This probably the most well thought out pier development in Florida. I hope to someday see something better, but they have checked almost all the boxes.
Parking is a small nightmare, so they’ve yet to get that right but everything else looks well planned. Bravo!!
So there is no fee for fishing from the pier either. As long as you’re on the pier, you can fish without a Florida state fishing license. Cool, huh?
The only real advantage I can see that the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier has over this Naples Fishing Pier is that you can pull your car right up on the pier and grill and sleep. Other than that, and the massive length of the Sunshine Skyway, the Naples Pier seems to beat it hands down for amenities.
To be honest, the Sunshine Skyway is still my favorite pier to fish from because I can pull my car up there and not have to worry about where to sleep in a safe and clean place when I get tired while fishing into the late hours.
Is a Fishing License Included in the Fee?
Yes, you can fish from the pier. You cannot fish from the beach without a fishing license, so be careful about that. The pier is a better place to fish anyway!
If you want to buy a fishing license before coming, you can get one online from the state website or just stop by your closest Walmart and go back to the sports / fishing section. If you’re going to fish more than a couple of times in Florida and want to have the option to fish from a boat, shore, or anywhere else, it probably makes sense to buy a Florida saltwater fishing license.
Does the Pier Have a Bait Shop?
Yes, they do. It’s in about the middle of the pier. They have snacks, cold drinks, frozen bait, and some fishing gear that you might need like hooks, line, sinkers, swivels, floats, and other common things.
There is a fish cleaning area at the bait shop so you can gut and scale your fish and clean them off right there on the wet counter. Just another touch they thought of.
The shop opens at 9 am. and stays open until sunset as far as I can gather. Of course, this depends on the weather. You won’t find any bait shop open on a pier in Florida in a heavy rain wth lightning.
Is Rental Gear (Rod and Reel) Available?
Yes, there is. You’ll need to buy your own extra hooks, sinkers, and other essentials so you might as well bring them from home after ordering on Amazon and saving some money. Everything is expensive in Naples.
Restaurants?
There’s a small restaurant on the pier that offers pizza, sandwiches, beer and wine. Really! I’m sure you can’t take the beer and wine anywhere, but at least you can drink it at the beach and enjoy yourself a bit. There is a small seating area.
Don’t forget, the bait shop in the center of the pier has some snacks and drinks.
Pier Restrictions
The Naples Fishing Pier has an extensive list of restrictions and some of them are bizarre, but meant to keep people from fishing for sharks from the pier. We’re not going to copy their entire PDF of rules, so get it HERE and read them all.
It talks about hook size, not having any hooks with more than one hook on it – like treble or even double hooks – are illegal here. You can have 1 line in. No skateboards, rollerblades, bike, on the pier at all – even if that’s how you arrived. Pretty crazy restrictions.
I knew there had to be some nonsense at this pier, it seemed too good!
Don’t forget, if you want to play music, grill, sleep in a tent or sleep in your car on a pier, just visit the north or south Sunshine Skyway Pier in St. Petersburg north of here on highway route 275.
Prohibited List (get the PDF above, there is a lot more)
- Castnetting (throwing nets for fish or baitfish)
- Tents
- Fires, grill
- glass bottles
- Alcohol – OK at the small restaurant on the pier (beer and wine)
- Pets
- Music
- Swimming around the Pier in the fishing section (there is a swimming section)
- Smoking
- Beach Umbrellas
Is there a Live Web Cam on the Naples Pier?
Yes there is, you can see it here. This video camera is great, you can zoom in and see clearly what is going on at the pier – at least the beginning of it. You can see the weather, the number of people arriving, the wave situation. It’s a very useful pier camera.
To see the extra features, hover your mouse over the bottom of the video. The full screen feed is excellent.
Where is the Pier Located?
The Naples Pier is at Naples Beach which is west of Naples proper and south of Fort Myers and St. Petersburg. See the map above, or plugin the following address or GPS numbers to see the pier location in your favorite map application.
The address is: 25 12th Ave S, Naples, FL 34102. The GPS coordinates of the building at the end of the pier are [26°27’05.7″N, 81°57’25.6″W]
Where’s Parking?
The parking here isn’t easy. Find something a bit farther away and pay $2-3. OR, pay $3 an hour right close to the beach. It’s uh, shocking how expensive the parking is here in Naples.
The pier is ADA compliant and there are handicapped parking spots available and ramps to get up onto the pier..
Cautions
Birds like pelicans and seagulls will take your bait or your caught fish when you aren’t looking. Also be careful that you don’t cast overhead, they are waiting for that because it provides a great opportunity to catch your bait (and get hooked) in the air.
Be very careful about this. Keep lids on your bait and coolers to help prevent birds from getting in on the action. Don’t feed the birds either, please!
If you’re planning on swimming or wading around in the water near the pier be careful of stingrays hidden just under the sand where they are nearly invisible. While fishing in Clearwater just north of here, I stepped on a stingray barb in the tail and it made for a horrible ending to a day of fishing! H
Short Video of the Naples Pier Experience
Naples Fishing Pier Social Media
- Call them at this phone number: +1 239-213-7120
- Their Facebook page is here. Not many followers, the page is in need of a better one.
- An Instagram search turns up nearly 80,000 photos. The pier is the place to go in Naples if you don’t mind the sunshine. The beach has white sand and the restaurants around the pier and at the beach are delicious.
Where’s the Closest Fishing Pier to Me?
If you live in Florida there is probably a fishing pier close to you. The best pier may not be the one closest, so browse through these and see which one is right for you. We have huge fishing guides for all the major piers in Florida and all the top gamefish.
Fishing Piers Close to the Naples Pier
[Image credits: Images not marked with credits taken from their official website, videos, and FB pages.]