I am talking about the canals maintained by the SFWMD and/or the County.

Is it legal to canoe and/or fish in them?

I dunno bout canoeing, but I've fished some of them. Cant wait to do so again.

Probably full of Snook this time of year.

Most have weirs in them so it is unlikely that they would have snook in them.

Not sure which specific canals you’re referring to in Collier, but I pretty much grew up in the SFWMD C-51 canal in W. Palm Beach.  Lived in a house on it, boated, fished, skied, swam, every-single-day...damn fine childhood I was blessed with. Hell I even had a tradition of mooning the SFWMD Headquarters every time I passed by on my kneeboard. They had a nice little lunch patio that overlooked the canal...it was too easy to pass up.

Sorry I can’t help with Collier, but the mere fact that they’re maintained by SWFMD doesn’t mean they’re not open to the public. There may be other local restrictions though, so you might want to check with local authorities.

Might be able to find something here (SFWMD)