The Cape Coral Yacht Club

thefloridalivingmagazine

There are many parts to the Cape Coral Yacht Club. It has evolved from little more than a neighborhood park into a multifaceted destination, but it still has flaws.

The Pier

The pier is 600′ long and open 24 hours a day. It’s a nice walk with some interesting views. It’s also a good place to fish. The Caloosahatchee has been abused for decades, so you won’t see many boats fishing in the river, but at times a variety of saltwater fish are caught from the pier, including mangrove snapper and snook.

When the snook are there, they’re usually caught at night or in the morning. Most are caught on a rising tide with the current moving upstream. Whitebait tends to be around at the same time as the snook, at least in the morning before the beachgoers arrive. There’s no cast netting from the pier, but bait can be netted from the beach. The scaled sardines and others are hard for snook to resist.

The park is in a residential area and a lot of locals go there. There will be some well equipped, experienced snook fishermen present when the fish are biting, watch and learn.

The Beach

Update 10/19/2018: The Cape Coral Yacht Club Beach has reopened.

Update 7/12/2018: It’s not safe to go in the water at this beach now, and it probably won’t be until after the end of the rainy season. The releases from Lake Okeechobee have caused an algae bloom. Cyanobacteria are living in the algae. These can cause a variety of health problems. Stay away.

This is not a gulf beach. It’s a dark water river beach. During the rainy season it’s often a polluted river beach. Fresh water releases from lake Okeechobee and rain runoff have caused so much pollution that at times the beach is closed.

Sting rays are sometimes present as well. Be sure to do the when wading. Also there are no lifeguards. A 12 year old boy drowned in March of 2014. Avoid this beach if you want to wade, swim, find shells, or enjoy an ocean view, especially in the summer.

Lighthouse beach on Sanibel is a half hour drive away. Drive farther north on Sanibel and you’ll find Bowman’s beach and Turner Beach. Both are great.

The Boat House

We do recommend the Boat House Bar and Grill. It’s a new (2014) tiki house with no outside walls. Located in the park. It has great views of the river. It’s open from 8 AM to 10 PM daily. Good food and drinks are available at reasonable prices all day. If you get there before 11:00 AM, $3.00 will get you a bloody Mary, screwdriver or mimosa.

The Boat House is a good place to stop and fuel up both you and your boat., non-ethanol gas, food to go, and are all available, but expensive.

They also rent paddle boards, but we don’t recommend renting them here. It’s safe here as the water is calm and boats near shore have to stay off plane. But the water quality and visibility are far below what you’ll find closer to the Gulf.

The Pool

The Yacht Club has a junior olympic size heated swimming pool and a kiddie pool. Arthritis exercise classes, aerobics exercise classes and swimming lessons are offered. There is a charge for these, and you do have to pay to use the pool.

There’s plenty to do at the Cape Coral Yacht Club, from snook fishing at the pier to ballroom dancing at the Tony Rotino Center, but swimming off the beach is not one of them.

Other amenities include:

  • BBQ Grills
  • Outdoor Racquetball Courts (2)
  • Picnic Shelters
  • Playground (ages 2-12)
  • Shuffleboard Courts
  • The Cape Coral Yacht Club Basin
  • Five lighted tennis courts
  • Tony Rotino Senior Center

Cape Coral Yacht Club