November wrapped up on a high note, capped off by a busy holiday week and some incredible catches for our clients. As we transition toward winter and the water continues to cool, our offshore fishery in Naples, Florida shifts into an entirely different gear. This time of year, you truly never know what you might run into offshore—and that unpredictability is part of the fun.

Just this week, we ran across a school of massive Blackfin Tuna surprisingly close to land. Encounters like these are exactly the kind of bonus opportunities winter can bring. Along with the occasional surprises, all of our reliable staples have been showing nicely too. Cobia schools have been consistent from the nearshore wrecks out to the offshore structures, and they’ll remain one of our primary targets throughout the winter season.

With the cooler temperatures, big Amberjacks are also pushing in closer. These fish provide an absolute blast on rod and reel—we'll chum them up and throw artificials or flies right at them on the surface. Winter also brings some of the best bottom fishing charters in Naples, Florida of the entire year, and it’s prime time for serious meat runs. Grouper and Snapper will continue to be major players offshore through the coming months.

On the inshore side, we’re right on the edge of switching fully into our winter pattern, transitioning from live pilchards to shrimp and jigs once the backcountry water temps reach that key threshold. Live bait is still producing well with Snook, Redfish, and plenty of Jack Crevalles. As things cool a bit more, shrimp fishing will light up with Trout, Sheepshead, Pompano, Redfish, and the occasional winter Snook.

We’re also heading into the busiest two weeks of the entire year for fishing charters in Naples, and our books are filling up rapidly. Christmas through New Year’s is always packed, and daily slots are disappearing fast.

Come celebrate the holidays and close out the year with the On a Mission team.
Feel free to reach out with any questions—happy fishing, and we hope to see you soon!

The first real cold front of the season pushed through, and with it the fall bite lit up like a switch. This is one of the best times of year to fish the Naples region. Every day carries that element of surprise, where you might run into something completely unexpected alongside the usual fall staples.

The drop in water temps has kicked off the cobia migration, and we’ve been running into some impressive schools. These fish are hands-down one of our favorite fall targets: perfect for sight-fishing, willing to crush both live bait and artificials, built like linebackers, and top-tier on the dinner table. We’ve been catching them from the nearshore wrecks all the way out to the deeper offshore structure.

Nearshore action has been loaded with Snook, Redfish, Bonita, Kingfish, Sharks, Gags, and even some fired-up Goliaths. Offshore has been equally strong with more Cobia showing up, a lights-out snapper bite, and even a few surprise African Pompano making an appearance.

Inshore, the backcountry has held quality Snook and Redfish with steady action all around. As we push deeper into fall and edge toward winter, the offshore bite will only continue to build.

Fishing has been stellar, and this stretch of gorgeous weather has only made it better. We’re filling trips quickly for the coming weeks and even into Christmas. Holiday dates go fast, and you won’t want to miss getting out with friends and family during this prime window.

Reach out to any of our captains with questions or to lock in a date.

Happy fishing, and we hope to see you on the water soon. 

As we roll into October, the fall patterns are setting in strong here in Naples. The seasonal shift has fired up the bite from the backcountry to the Gulf, with an incredible mix of species showing up daily. With bait seemingly everywhere, the action has been steady and productive no matter where you’re fishing.

Backcountry Bite
The backcountry continues to deliver excellent action. Snook of all sizes are hitting consistently, with plenty of quality Redfish in the mix as well. This is prime time for light tackle fishing in the mangroves and creeks.

Nearshore Action
Nearshore waters have been alive with Barracudas, Jacks, Sharks, and Snook. Sharks have been shadowed closely by schools of Cobia — which has been the ticket to most of our Cobia catches recently. Any day now, we expect the “floodgates” to open, bringing the big schools of Cobia both nearshore and offshore. They’re one of our favorite fall targets — exciting to sight-fish and excellent table fare.

Offshore Variety
The offshore bite has been just as strong. We’ve seen steady Red Grouper action on the bottom, plus some oversized Mangrove Snapper coming over the rails. Add in the chance encounters with pelagics this time of year, and you never know what’s going to eat your bait.

Why Fall Fishing is Special
Fall in Naples is one of the most underrated times to fish. The weather is comfortable, the crowds are lighter, and the variety is unmatched. From Snook and Redfish in the backcountry, to Cobia, Grouper, and Snapper offshore, every trip holds limitless potential.

We’re looking forward to a phenomenal fall season with plenty of action for anglers of all skill levels. Reach out to any of our captains with questions or to lock in a trip — this is one of the best times of year to experience the waters of Southwest Florida.

Happy fishing, and see you on the water!
— On a Mission Fishing Charters

As we sit here halfway through August we are still enjoying the benefits of summer fishing while we slowly catch traces of what the upcoming fall season will bring. The weather has been stellar with countless slick days offshore. This has brought some incredible visibility as we can see the bottom in 80 feet. Wreck fishing has been awesome with a great mix bag recently.

With the snapper spawn taking place it has given us a great opportunity for chumming Mangrove and Yellowtail snapper all the way up to the surface. This has led to some awesome surface eats from fish you typically catch on the bottom. Also has made for some great meals as well. On top of the great snapper bite there are also Amberjack, Barracudas, and Goliath Grouper to pull on. The Permit have still been schooled up nicely out there as well and this is a last call on them while crabs have been thinning out of most bait shops. Inshore and nearshore fishing has been great with the Snook bite being awesome on nearshore wrecks and the backcountry.

There have been a few Cobia showing up early as well and have been a nice added bonus. We are about a month out from the fall bait rush and pretty soon there will be perfect sized pilchards everywhere on our beaches. This makes for great fishing no matter where we decide to bring them. More fall tendencies will begin to show within the next month and we are eager for a change of pace in our fishery.

Our Redfish migration will take place once we creep into September and not long after that the Cobia will show in full force as well. Great fishing is happening now as we speak and even better fishing is on the way. This is a great time of the year to avoid the crowds and get on a great bite. Please reach out to any of our Captains regarding any potential questions. Happy fishing. 

We're following typical summer protocol still. Our favorite part about this time of the year is how quiet it is on the water. On most days we aren't even seeing other boats offshore, let alone on where we're fishing. Permit fishing has still been strong with nice numbers of fish still in our region. This fishery will remain solid throughout August so we are creeping up on the last call for them. On these same spots there are also plenty of Goliath's and Baracudas to pull on for anyone who is interested in that.

Snapper bite has been solid offshore as well with some nice Mangrove's and Yellowtails being caught. The Snook has been the highlight on our inshore trips. They've been chewing nicely both inshore and nearshore. Over the next coming months more Redfish will begin to show up in our backcountry. Will also be a good time to fish for juvenile Tarpon in the backcountry as well.

Lots of different options this time of the year. Please reach out to any of our captains regarding any questions.

Summer time protocol is underway in Naples, FL. Hot temps, scattered thunderstorms and hungry fish will be the trend for the coming months. June fishing has been phenomenal so far and is one of our favorite months of the year for a reason. Permit fishing has been epic with large aggressive schools of fish being a common occurrence. They tend to move around more this time of the year but once you get on them it's go time. There have been a few Cobia around offshore as well and are always a welcome guest while we are out Permit fishing.

In terms of inshore fishing Snook has been the star of the show. The Snook bite has been incredible with activity out of them wherever we choose to fish them. Whether it be in the backcountry, the pass, the beach or even nearshore wrecks. The Tarpon migration is still underway as well with good numbers of fish swimming the beach. This is bucket list trophy fish time of the year and the On a Mission team is out there grinding in the heat making it happen on a daily basis. We have a few dates available in June and some in July. Please reach out with any questions! 

Kicking off the month of May exactly how it should start with sight fishing big Permit and Tarpon. This is the best time of the year to target these bucket list game fish and this is primetime to catch both of them in the same day. We have strong numbers of Tarpon migrating our beaches and there are massive schools of Permit offshore. These two fish will be our main emphasis over the next couple of months but that doesn't mean there aren't other options as well. There have still been some straggler Cobia hanging out offshore which has been nice while we look for Permit. Most of the wrecks offshore are also littered with Amberjacks which are fun to tease and throw artificial baits at. These are also great fly targets for any avid fly fishermen.

Closeby there are great numbers of Snook inshore and nearshore. They're gearing up for their annual spawn and will be very hungry as we progress into summer. Our water clarity has been about as good as it gets which makes for some awesome sight fishing on all of the previous listed species. This is the peak time of the year for sport fishing in our area! We are looking forward to many great trips with all of our clients. Reach out to any of us with any questions you may have. Happy fishing!

Kicking off April with text book Spring weather. Hot, sunny and south wind. The days we wait all year for are here. Inshore or Offshore this is the best time of the year for sport fishing. The bait bite in the backcountry has been stellar with all the species cooperating nicely.  Snook, Redfish and juvenile Tarpon have been steady. Just awaiting the big strings of migrating Tarpon to show up out front. Will be any day now.

Things have been epic offshore with massive schools of Permit, swarms of Amberjacks and plenty of barracudas to pull on. Were sight fishing all of these species and catching a lot of Amberjacks on the fly which has been a lot of fun. There’s also some enormous Mangroves chewing for anyone who wants some fish to eat in between the sport fishing craziness.

We will be serving up bucket list Permit and Tarpon trips all Spring and Summer. We’re filling numerous trips daily for April and May. Please reach out to any of our Captains with any questions you may have. Looking forward to an epic Spring with you all!

The March rush is here and we're fishing hard every day. We're on our transition into spring and good things are happening both inshore and offshore. Water temps have been on the rise which has led to increased activity with numerous different species. The bite with live pilchards has been picking up nicely in the backcountry. Snook, Redfish and jacks have been steady on all of our trips back there. There have some still been some winter time fish hanging around on the cooler mornings which have been nice for those seeking a meal. Sheepshead fishing has been very solid in the mornings with some Trout mixed in which have led to some great meals.

Our offshore fishery is right on track and everything is showing up like clockwork. Big schools of Permit have been showing up and they've been complying nicely. We also will typically get a few shots at some Cobia while we're Permit fishing. There are also massive schools of Baracudas around as well which are always fun and have been eating artificals nicely.

Further offshore there is a great snapper bite with other good action on the wrecks. Amber jacks, Jack crevalles, Cobia, Sharks, Baracudas, and Goliaths have been very steady. Our fishery will only get better from here on out as we progress further into spring.

Our March calendars are basically almost full with a couple halfdays available here and there. April is beginning to fill up nicely as well. Spring yields some of the best charters of the whole year! Don't miss your opportunity to experience it. Please reach out to any of our captains regarding any questions you may have.

The busiest month of the year has arrived in Naples and we are slammed with limited availability. This is when we will get our first real taste of spring. Fishing has been heating up both offshore and inshore.

Offshore there has been a great snapper bite with some monster Mangroves being caught. On most days we're chumming them up to the surface and getting to sight fish them which is pretty awesome and doesn't happen often. There are plenty of Amberjacks and Barracudas around for anyone who wants something big and strong to pull on.

We also recently landed the first Permit of the year as they've been starting to show up more and more. March is one of the best months for getting to sight fish Permit and Cobia. On most days it isn't uncommon to find them schooled up together.

For the Inshore bite we have been in an in between state between winter and spring fishing. On most days we will shrimp fish in the morning when it's cooler. Catching some quality sheepshead, Trout, black drum and redfish.

During the afternoon we switch gears and fish with pilchards in the mangroves which has been yielding a great Snook bite with lots of jacks mixed in. We have limited slots available that are filling in quickly.