Towards the end of 2023 I had plans to leave Alaska for several weeks and do some traveling – both domestically and internationally. I would be in Seattle, Florida, Mexico, Colorado, and then Seattle again before returning home in January of 2024.
I was especially excited for the warm weather legs of the trip and to spend some time on a beach and do some saltwater fly fishing. As part of this plan, I would be meeting Jenn in Florida over the week of Thanksgiving.
From Seattle I flew direct to Miami, landing late in the afternoon. Jenn was there with the van to pick me up. As soon as the automatic doors opened leading to the airport exit I could feel the warmth and humidity – it felt amazing.
Arrival in Miami
Our ultimate destination was Sanibel Island, still a three hour drive from Miami, but before embarking on the drive we needed to have dinner in Miami. Jenn had been waiting for months to try a Cuban restaurant not far from the airport – Versailles.
I had been in the air all day and Jenn, in anticipation of this meal, hadn’t eaten much so we were both starving. After a short wait – it was very crowded – they had a table for us. Living in small town Alaska, having a sit down meal with service is now a small luxury.
Everything we tried was delicious – the food, the drinks, and the mocktail Jenn ordered. It was absolutely worth the stop ahead of our drive. Now full, it was time to hit the road.
Because there isn’t a large grocery store on Sanibel, Jenn wanted to stop at Whole Foods on the way to pick up all of our groceries for the week – which included a full thanksgiving meal. I was exhausted, and the idea of spending time in a grocery store sounded awful.
While Jenn shopped I waited – sometimes patiently sometimes not. She was able to get what we needed, or more accurately way more than what we needed, and we were off again.
Sanibel Island
We pulled into the house well after dark, so we weren’t able to get a sense of the area on arrival. After unloading the van it was time for bed, both of us excited to see everything in the light.
The next day we were able to see just how beautiful Sanibel Island was. In the morning we went and got coffee and spent some time exploring town. It was immediately evident how destructive Hurricane Ian had been almost a year earlier – and how the impact lingered.
High on the list of planned stops was the fly shop in town, which we found abandoned and without anything inside. Our next stop was Whitney’s Bait and Tackle. They explained to us what had happened to the fly shop which was extremely sad. They also were able to help point us towards some fishing areas to try.
Unfortunately while on the trip I still had to work. This meant we would have mornings free until around 10am and then I would have to return to the house and log in.
Sanibel beaches
While this limited some of our options during the week, we would have full days after Thanksgiving and over the weekend. Each morning we would get up early and have our coffee while we waited for the sun to come up.
I wanted to try and fish as much as possible, and Jenn was happy to go to the beach. Before arriving, we had no idea that Sanibel was famous for its seashells – but after our first walk on the beach it was immediately apparent why.
As I walked the shore looking for fish Jenn would become enamored with the shells – not just the individuals but the overwhelming and vast amount of them. They were everywhere – and they brought out “the shellers” with their various tools and buckets.
One beautiful sunrise brought us out to the lighthouse. It was was a quiet morning and both appreciated just being out there enjoying the slow pace of everything. And the light was perfect for some photos.
During our stay we saw quite a few beaches, and I think the lighthouse was our favorite. We did catch a sunset from a beach closer to the house, and while it was stunning, the bugs were awful.
Even with spray our feet and ankles were continuously being bitten. I’m not stranger to bad bug situations – and this one ranked pretty high. As soon as the sun was down we were back in the car.
things to do in sanibel
We managed to stay busy during our time in Sanibel and still feel like we only scratched the surface.
Fishing
One thing I really wanted to focus on while here was fly fishing. It would be a good warm up for Mexico, and it’s also what is always top of mind when I’m near any body of water.
Although we weren’t there for prime time, there is still a year round fishery and after some research and advice from the guys at Whitney’s I was excited about what we might find.
On one of our first days we took a drive through the “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The one way road led us over many fishing access areas, as well as viewing platforms that gave a good vantage point to see into the water.
We spotted a lot of fish, as well as some interesting and unique birds. My personal favorite (that we saw) was the Roseate Spoonbill. On one of our drives we chatted with a family from Colorado who had spent a lot of time fishing in the refuge.
They had stories of monster snook that caught my attention. While we were there, a baby manatee swam up giving us a memorable sighting. We planned to take our paddleboards and packraft out but unfortunately never happened. That will be a top priority for next time.
We looked for snook in several different locations, but at the beginning of the trip the water was murky which made things difficult. After blind casting for a while the first fish I caught was a little jack.
After a tip from a local we got up early one morning to try a different location. As soon as we got to the water we saw fishing slapping the surface, feeding heavily directly in front of us.
I was able to get a quick cast out a fish nailed my clouser minnow. The fish pulled hard and it was an exciting moment, and soon I had my first ever snook to hand! I tried to get another cast out, but just as quickly as it started, the feeding frenzy was over.
We walked the beach for a while longer seeing one more fish that wasn’t interested. While there, another local pointed us towards a different beach to try. We found the location and walked along.
Again, we were seeing fish which was exciting, but other than a couple looks there weren’t any more hookups. I would love to get back down there and continue to learn the area and chase some of the other species around.
Beaches
As mentioned, one of the highest priorities was to enjoy the beaches. We spent time at the lighthouse, near the boat launch, up by the Sanibel – Captiva bridge, and a few in between. I would recommend them all, I don’t think you can go wrong here.
Food and Drink
We cooked for the majority of our meals – and after a full thanksgiving feast we had leftovers for several meals in a row. That said, we did still manage to try a couple of local places that were all really good.
One night for dinner we went to Doc Ford’s, which seemed to be a locals favorite. When we arrived it was packed, with every bar seat taken. We did eventually find a place to sit and enjoyed some excellent drinks, appetizers, and entrees.
Because I was leaving for Mexico directly from Florida I needed to get some pesos while in Sanibel. While in the bank, we were told about an ice cream place we should try – The Shack
We were not disappointed, and ended up making a couple of trips there during our stay. The hardest part was choosing one of the flavors because they all looked so good.
Conclusion
Overall, we had a lot of fun on Sanibel. The week went by way too fast, and before we knew it Jenn was back on the road and I was on a flight to Cancun.