I had so such fun on my Naples Bay paddle on Feb. 9th that I returned 3 days later. This time I was a bit smarter and called Bayfront Rentals in advance to make sure they were going to be there when I arrived. https://www.bayfrontrentalsnaples.com/
They have a nice “paddle on slid-off kayak dock which makes launching very easy. It was another blue sky day with the temperature in the upper 70’s.
When I go fishing on Napoles Bay I always stop and get live shrimp from Serenity Bait Company where the staff is super helpful.
There are quite a number of condos lining Naples Bay. On the right below is a shot of the Tamiami Trail Bridge which is the first spot I hit in search of fish. I made a few casts with no luck.
Rock Creek empties into Naples Bay about a quarter mile from where I put in. There are a number of oyster beds in this area where I have had good luck catching small fish in the past. I paddled over and caught a couple of small mangrove snapper and a small snook. Mangrove snapper are very common but snook are pretty rare so it was a treat to see a snook in this area.
This is a view from the mouth of Rock Creek looking toward my put in spot. Not a cloud in the sky.
This will probably be my shortest paddle trip of 2026 but it was a fun time. I caught a few fish but nothing to bring home. Rock Creek is a fun area to explore.
