11/27/21 A very bad customer service experience at the Catch Em Bait Shop in Fort Meyers, the salesperson was rude, couldn't answer one question my husband asked about fishing. They didn't sell fishing license there, he insisted we go to Walmart and that there was no where on Sanibel to buy a fishing license that we had to go to Walmart. We bought bait and left. I found that to be very strange. We were going to fish on Sanibel so I Googled bait shops that sell fishing licenses on Sanibel (there are at least 2) we then headed over to Sanibel to The Bait Box. There was a young man age 15 who waited on us at The Bait Box. I cannot commend him enough on his extensive knowledge on fishing, bait, equipment the whole 9 yards of fishing! Such a personable young man, he truly made us feel like he was truly there for us. There was not a question asked by my husband nor another customer that he couldn't answer and seemed genuinely happy that he could assist. Someone definitely raised the young man right, so polite and very humble when I complimented him. This place can take care of all your fishing needs, the variety of items in the store was very impressive, from the outside I would have not imagined all the stuff inside, yet very neat and well organized. The next day 11/28/21 we had to get more bait so we went back to the Bait Box. Well we got a lot more shrimp there than at Catch Em Bait shop and it cost less. The shrimp were so lively we could barely hook em. On Saturday 11/27 we found out that the shrimp from Catch EM were half dead and the bait bucket was cracked and wouldn't close. Lesson learned, check your bait before you leave a bait shop and if you don't have your own bait bucket be sure the one you purchase isn't cracked and can close. The Bait Box, one stop shopping for your fishing needs and great customer service! read more

Great guys at bait box. Purchased some bait and we caught two nice snook . Gave my 8 year a cool snook keychain . Good experience . read more

The Bait Box - Fishing Near Me - Sanibel, Florida

Great service with solid recommendations. A must stop if you're new to the area for the tips & any of your needs or if you're a regular to catch up with the staff & find out the current hot spots read more

Wonderful customer service!!! A lot of variety!!! Live bait!!! Highly recommended anytime your visiting!! The only place live pint fish!!!! read more

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Worst place to go, charged me $20 dollars for 2 D batteries. I understand things are slow but that's unethical practices.

Been coming to Sanibel Island for 10 years, bait box is overpriced, there staff didn't say thank you or seem heart warming when i made a purchase. Seems like they are in just for the money, rather then forming relationships with their customers. Shrimp is very small, and not even worth using. (Though to be honest I did catch fish with them). Bait Box has an excellent location, and will always be in business because of their new visitors. But because of poor service, I will be going elsewhere on the island. read more

This place was a highlight of our trip. To call the staff friendly and helpful would be an understatement. They clearly know their stuff and have no problem sharing their knowledge with out of town guests. They sell you exactly what you need without trying to push expensive extras. In fact they even talked me out of buying an expensive set up I was eyeing but turned out to not need. I strongly recommend stopping here for a quick fishing education as the fishing technique is unique to this area. I bought live bait and a fishing license and followed their instructions. Caught 5 fish in an hour. Literally, I was right on the beach. If you need a license, they only take a cash. They have also have Florida snow shovels... I actually found them through tripadvisor. read more

I've been going to The Bait Box for 20 years and for most that time they were very helpful but the past few times I went have really soured me on it. While they have one of the best selection of tackle on the island (though Baileys is cheaper) their service has really declined in the past year or so. On a recent visit I went to The Bait Box to buy some live bait for 7:30 AM incoming tide. I got to the store about 6:45 for their "7:00" opening. Myself and three other customers were relieved to see someone show up about 7:10. Without a word the employee went into the store and messed around for well over 15 minutes while we all waited patiently outside. A little after 7:30 he came out to his truck and started to unload the bait he had brought. Having been there for 45 minutes already, we all gathered around hoping to finally buy bait. At this point the employee told us it would be another 20 minutes or so while he sorted bait. All three groups of customers got in their vehicles and drove up to Whitney's who had been open since 5:00. I can understand running a little late but the complete lack of interest in serving customers who had already waited a half hour past their posted opening time was incredibly frustrating. I hope that this gets taken care of because I have had good experiences there in the past but if I need bait for an early morning tide in the future I'll be going somewhere I can count on being open when they say they will be. I don't get to fish as much as I would like so that time is really valuable - to me anyway. read more

Spring break 2016, 3/25. Stopped in to the Bait Box with my twelve year old son to rent rods, get advice on spots and buy bait. They supplied all of the above for a reasonable price; the rod rental was $12 a day because we rented two and a flow troll minnow bucket was $5. All of the equipment was new and hardly used, functioned perfectly. They sold me the license I needed for the short trip. Their advice on spots was accurate and we caught fish from the Sanibel lighthouse pier. Thanks team for a pleasant experience and a great day of fishing! read more

Came down to South Seas resort. They rent fishing rods for $20 a day, which is alot for a crap rod/reel. Figured I could buy something for the week and then leave it there for less that $140 to rent for a week. Found the bait box, looked like an old school tackle shop I used to go to with my father (i.e. more tackle than clothes!). Lady (can't remember her name, but seemed like a 'real' fisher-woman) was extremely helpful. ended up buying a travel rod and small reel. Also tackle and some bait. Didn't try to sell me stuff I didn't need. All the equipment worked great, caught tons of fish off the dock at the resort. We are going back in January and they have been very helpful in booking a nice charter trip. I'm an avid fisherman and have fished all over the country. Great shop. Highly recommend. read more

The people at The Bait Box were wonderful to work with. We rented fishing poles that were in excellent condition at a reasonable cost. The staff gave great advice on where my young kids and I could fish and what the tidal conditions were. The selection of bait and fishing gear was large. It is a one stop shop for anyone looking for fishing gear on their vacation in Sanibel. I highly recommend The Bait Box. read more