A tempting twist of tropical passions, sun-splashed excitement and Island charm, Marco Island, Florida, is suspended off the southern most tip of Florida's Gulf Coast and is the largest inhabited isle of the Ten Thousand Islands.

Nestled in the mangrove islands of southwest Florida's coast, Marco Island is indeed a world-class resort destination surrounded by miles and miles of pristine, uninhabited islands, bays, creeks, and the Gulf of Mexico. To the north is the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and its Briggs Memorial Nature Center.

To the north is the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and its Briggs Memorial Nature Center. To the south lies the sprawling 10,000 Islands with over 70 coastal miles of fly fishing heaven, inhabited only by the tiny fishing villages of Goodland, Everglades City, Chokoloskee and eventually Flamingo. Included in this southerly stretch is Collier-Seminole State Park, the 10,000 Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, Big Cypress National Preserve and the 5000 square mile Everglades National Park, ensuring continued protection against coastal development.

Four miles wide by six miles long, Marco Island is home to about 14,000 year-round residents. During the months of January through March however, the island population swells to well over 30,000 due to the annual influx of vacationers and winter residents, filling up the large inventory of hotel rooms, condos, villas and apartments. No wonder, with our dependable sunshine and winter afternoon temperatures usually in the 70's and 80's.

Gulf water temperatures range from the low 60's in the winter to the high 80's in the summer and fall, providing good fly fishing during the winter and outstanding fly fishing during the spring summer and fall. The principal species available to the backwater fly fisher are snook, redfish, tarpon, jack crevalle, seatrout, ladyfish, spanish mackerel, pompano and mangrove snapper. If you don't mind going a bit offshore and using different fishing techniques, there are also opportunities for cobia, tripletail, king mackerel, barracuda, grouper, snapper, amberjack, drum, shark, permit and many other species. Fortunately, most anglers do go offshore and so the backwaters are usually free from crowding, even during the busy winter season.