Are you a full time guide? Yes! I am available more than 300 days per year and I am quite often on the water more than 200 days per year. Chartering is my main source of income.
What type of fishing do you do? The type of fishing that I do for fun as well as charter for is called inshore fishing. It is always done within sight of land and is quite often done in water shallow enough for you to get out of the boat and walk to shore.
What kind of fish do you target on your charters? We target inshore species such as redfish, snook, trout, tarpon, cobia, and jacks.
When can we catch tarpon? We target Tarpon during the months of May, June and July. Those are the best months. We can also have shots at tarpon during August and September.
What do you provide, what should I bring, and are there any rules?
Provided
-Live Bait
-Lures
-Tackle
-Rods/Reels.
-All Fishing Licenses and Stamps
-Cooler with Ice
-Cleaned and bagged fish (when certain species are in season)
-Photos of your trip emailed to your email box
You Might Want to Bring
-Hat
-Polarized Sunglasses
-Sunscreen
-Food and Drinks
-Appropriate Clothing (check weather forecast the night before the charter)
-A Happy You
Rules
-Beer is okay
-Liquor is not okay
-Intoxication is not okay
-Illegal Substances are not okay
What do you charge for your Tampa Bay Area Fishing Charters? Rates are seasonal so please call for current rates. 813-300-2147.
Where Do We Meet? We’ll discuss boat ramps and times when we talk, but you can CLICK HERE to see some of the possible pick up locations.
When should we arrive for our fishing charter? I suggest that you arrive no less than 15 minutes before our agreed upon start time. Often times I will catch bait prior to picking you up so I will build in a buffer when setting the time for pickup to make sure I have enough time to catch plenty of bait should bait be hard to get that day. However, more often than not, bait doesn’t take long to get and I spend valuable fishing time waiting on you to arrive at our agreed time. So, I suggest you get there early in case bait is easy for me to catch. That’ll get us on the fish earlier.
Do you have a cooler or do I bring one? I keep a YETI cooler on board stocked with ice for you to keep what ever drinks and food you brought cool.
How will we fish? Depending on the availability of live bait and your fishing experience we may use either artificial lures, live bait, or both on a fishing trip.
Will you teach me how to fish the area? Absolutely! Teaching you the area waters and how to fish them is one of my greatest joys.
Where will we fish? Depending on the the type of fishing you like to do and the time of year that you schedule your charter, we may fish grass flats, creeks, rivers, beaches, and even residential canals.
What species will we target? It could be up to you. Again, depending on season, tides, etc, we could fish for reds, trout, snook, tarpon, jacks, ladyfish, pompano, or any of the many fish that live in the Tampa Bay area.
Can I keep my fish to eat? Will you clean them? Yes and Yes! However I do like to release as many fish as possible to insure that you have fish to catch the next time we fish together. It’s perfectly fine for you to keep your limit we just can’t include me when calculating the boat’s limit.
I’m buying a boat soon. Can I book you to teach me the area? Absolutely!
Can I bring a GPS?
Absolutely.
I’m a local resident. Are you going to ask me to not fish the areas you show me? Absolutely not. Hiring a guide is expensive and part of what you are paying for is the local knowledge. Everything I show you is information you are free to use. If you go back and fish a spot that I showed you on a charter, and you see me on the water, I will not interfere with your fishing, I won’t ask you to leave, and I won’t encroach on the spot without asking your permission first.
I see that a lot of guides say that I can’t wear black soled shoes. Can I wear them on your boat? Yes you can. I will not tell you what you can and cannot wear on my boat. However, do know that I wash my boat after every trip and black soled shoes (ie… tennis shoes and boots) have a tendency to leave black streaks on the boat that are very hard to remove. If you would do me a favor by not wearing black soled shoes, I would be very appreciative but again, this is your charter and you are welcome to wear what you would like.
Are you going to yell at me if I do something “wrong” on your boat? Absolutely not! A fishing charter is supposed to be a fun excursion that you will talk about for years with fond memories. Getting yelled at is not part of that recipe.
If I break something will I be expected to pay for it? Accidents happen. With that being said, a broken rod and reel setup will eat up all of the money I make on one charter. Other broken equipment can equate to the loss of weeks worth of charters. Unless it’s very obvious that you were inconsiderate or careless, I will not ask you to replace the equipment. But it is very much appreciated when you do.
Can I get drunk on a charter. A few beers are fine but the moment you start slurring words or stumbling on the boat, the charter is over. Your safety is my main priority.
I have younger children who I want to teach to fish. Can I bring them along? Absolutely! I have small children myself and love taking them out fishing as well.
Is there a bathroom on board? No bathroom, but there are places between fishing spots that we can stop. We also have the “bucket” method for those that are not shy.
I’m experienced, but don’t bait fish. Can we throw artificial lures and have good shots at fish? Absolutely!
Will we use up quality fishing time trying to catch bait? No. If you choose to go with me to catch bait, this is “free time” on the water for you and will not count towards your charter. If you would like to learn how to catch bait, I can accommodate you. Let me know if that’s something you would like to do prior to your charter. If you go with me to catch bait, that time is not counted towards your fishing time.
Is gratuity expected and how much? I do not expect gratuity and you should not feel burdened by the thought of having to offer it. However, if I, or another captain that I referred you to, did a good job, made the trip enjoyable and you had a good time you might consider rewarding those efforts. 10%-20% is not unusual for a great day on the water.
Why are fishing charters so expensive? Many expenses of operating a fishing charter business are never seen by our clients. Commercial boat insurance is about 10 times the cost of regular boat insurance for one thing. Add to that the huge increase in gas as of late, boat ramp fees, annual licenses, and boat, motor, and tackle maintenance and you can begin to imagine the ongoing cost. Oh… not to mention the cost of advertising (it’s likely you found me through this cost) and the cost of website hosting and management. Also, what may be an 8 hour fishing trip for you is a 12 hour work day for a guide. We get on the road 3 hours before we meet you, go catch bait, pick you up, run the fishing trip, drop you off, clean fish, go home, wash the boat, put the boat away, and then do regular maintenance on the fishing equipment.
Can you accommodate large groups Yes we can. With our network of skilled, qualified, licensed, and insured captains, we can accommodate almost any size group. We can even organize your own private fishing tournament. Call me for details.
