The Estero Bay estuary serves up year-round fishing that’ll make even the most seasoned fisherman’s heart skip a beat. Redfish, snook, and trout populate the bay’s mangroves and grass flats, while snapper, grouper, shark, and jack cravelle are ripe for the picking in the four passes leading in and out of the bay. Estero Bay is long and shallow, covering about 15 square miles, and is bordered on the west by a chain of barrier Islands: Estero Island, Long Key, Lovers Key, Black Island, Big Hickory Island, and Little Hickory Island. The two rivers dumping freshwater into the bar are the Estero River and the Imperial River. Enthusiasts can choose from a long online list of charter services for both bay and Gulf fishing.