SEASONS & FISHING TRIPS ON FLORIDA'S SUNCOAST
TARPON SEASON (MAY - AUG)
TARPON SEASON (MAY - AUG)
TARPON SEASON (MAY - AUG)
Tarpon season is the most exciting time of year. Fishing for the Silver King off the beach is a unique experience with some big rewards! Tarpon migrate along the Suncoast as the water temps get into the mid to upper 70s. These larger migratory fish can offer exciting days with ample opportunities at 100lb+ fish swim along our beaches. The best time of year for migratory tarpon is May through August. Book your trip now
THESE TRIPS ARE 8 HOURS AND TYPICALLY START BEFORE SUNRISE
YEAR-ROUND FISHING
TARPON SEASON (MAY - AUG)
TARPON SEASON (MAY - AUG)
The amazing thing about the Suncoast is that we have an unbelievable fishery year-round! Some species get bigger, some get smaller, but you can catch Redfish, Tarpon, Snook and much more every month of the year.
As a fulltime fishing guide I am on the water almost every day and do my very best to stay dialed in on what's changing and where the bite is hottest. Come out on one of our guided fishing trips and see what it's all about!
MOST TRIPS ARE 4 HOURS BUT CAN BE TAILORED TO YOUR NEEDS
SPRING SEASON
TARPON SEASON (MAY - AUG)
SPRING SEASON
Spring is a great time of year for cobia fishing! The big brownie, Mr. Brownstone himself comes up on the flats to play! These are incredible fish to catch on spin or the fly. On our guided fishing trips as the water warms and the bait rushes into the flats so do these beasts. They swim just under the surface and fight like a freight train. The Sand Bay trip is perfect for this in the spring.
THESE TRIPS CAN BE 4 TO 6 HOURS LONG DEPENDING ON WHERE WE FISH.
SUMMER SEASON
WINTER SEASON
SPRING SEASON
Sumer is when you have the best of everything going on. The big Tarpon are still here, the redfish are happy and the snook are eating everything they can! On our guided fishing trips, you can skip baits under the mangrove lines and fish drop offs as fish look for cooler water. The early morning topwater bit is absolutely electric with some major blowups. This is also a great time of year for fishing dock lights at night.
THE EARLY MORNING 4 HOUR TRIPS TEND TO BE THE MOST POPULAR
FALL SEASON
WINTER SEASON
WINTER SEASON
Fall is an exciting time because everything is eating as much as possible before the big temperature drop comes. Some of these fish mature as fall hits and get ready to move offshore. On our guided fishing trips we target the redfish as they start to school up and the big snook come out on the flats looking for the bait.
As a fishing guide I pay a lot of attention to wind direction and approaching clod fronts this time of year to maximize the bite!
THE 4 HOUR TRIP CENTERED AROUND THE FALLING TIDE IS BEST
WINTER SEASON
WINTER SEASON
WINTER SEASON
Yes, it actually gets cold here in Florida, or at least cold for us. We still run our guided fishing trips in the winter. The nice thing is that water become even clearer, there is less boat traffic and the fish school up. So, this gives us an advantage of being able to find large schools of hungry fish warming themselves on the flats. Great opportunities with the spinning gear and the fly rod! We can also run to a few nearshore spots and fish structure like wrecks & reefs. As a fishing guide and an angler this is one of my favorite times of year.
THE 4 HOUR TRIP CENTERED AROUND THE FALLING TIDE IS BEST
MAIN & SECOUNDARY SPECIES WE TARGET ON OUR FISHING CHARTERS!
THE BIG 3
THESE ARE THE MAIN 3 SPECIES THAT WE TARGET ON OUR FISHING CHARTERS IN TAMPA BAY
REDFISH aka RED DRUM
Appearance:
- Body is copper-bronze, fading to a lighter belly
- One or more dark, ocellated spots at base of tail
- Lack barbels on lower jaw
- Large scales
- Powerful pharyngeal teeth used to crush oysters and other shellfish
State Record: 52 lb 5 oz, caught near Cocoa (1996)
SNOOK
Appearance:
- Large mouth with a protruding lower jaw
- Jaw reaches below the rear portion of the eye
- Sloping forehead
- High dorsal fin that is divided
- Black lateral line extends onto tail
- Pelvic fin yellow in color
State Record: 45 lbs 12 oz, caught near Sebastian
TARPON aka SILVER KING
Appearance:
- Back is dark blue-green or greenish-black, becoming bright silver on the sides
- One dorsal fin; last ray of dorsal fin extended into a long filament
- Very large scales
- Mouth large and points upward
- Size: Up to 8 feet (300 pounds)
State Record: 243 lb, caught near Key West
OTHER FISH SPECIES YOU WILL SEE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
THESE FISH SHOW UP INSHORE DURING DIFFRENT SEASONS. WE ALWAYS KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THEM
FLOUNDER aka FLATTY
Appearance Southern Flounder:
- Bottom-oriented flatfish with both eyes on the left side
- May have five or more dark spots and blotches on the body, but spots are not eyelike
- Strong canine-like teeth
- Wedge-shaped tail, its tip in the middle
SPECKELED SEATROUT
Appearance:
- Back is dark gray or green, fading to a silvery or white belly
- Several black spots on back extend to dorsal fins and tail
- Pair of large canine teeth at tip of upper jaw
- Lack barbels on lower jaw
State Record: 17 lb 7 oz, caught near Ft. Pierce
COBIA aka BROWNIE
Appearance:
- Long, slim fish with a broad, depressed head
- Brown in color, fading to a white
- Lower jaw projects past upper jaw
- Young have alternating black and white horizontal stripes
State Record: 130 lb 1 oz, caught near Destin
TRIPLETAIL
Appearance:
- Upper profile concave at nape
- Elongated dorsal and anal fins give the illusion of three tails
- Head and body typically has blotches of tan to yellow or dark brown
- Edge of preopercle (cheek) very serrated
State Record: 40.8 lbs.
SHEEPSHEAD aka CONVICT
Appearance:
- Body has lightly colored background with vertical black bars on sides
- Prominent teeth, including incisors, molars and rounded grinders
- No barbels on lower jaw
- Dorsal and anal fins with strong, sharp spines
State Record: 15 lb 2 oz, caught near Homosassa
JACK CREVALLE aka JACK
Appearance:
- Back bluish-green to greenish-gold, belly silver or yellowish
- Prominent black spot on gill cover
- Black spot at the base of each pectoral fin
- Second dorsal fin and anal fin almost identical in size
- Body deep, front of head steep
State Record: 57 lb, caught near Jupiter
BLACK DRUM
Appearance:
- Back is highly-arched and gray or black, fading to a lighter belly
- Juveniles have 4 to 6 dark vertical bars on sides (fade with age)
- Barbels on lower jaw
- Large scales
- Powerful pharyngeal teeth used to crush oysters and other shellfish
State Record: 96 lbs, caught near Fernandina Beach
LADYFISH
Appearance:
aka POOR MAN'S TARPON
- Silver color on body, with a blueish back
- Head small and pointed
- Mouth terminal (at the very front of head)
- Slender body with small scales
- Last dorsal ray not extended into long filament
BONEFISH
Appearance:
aka THE GHOST OF THE FLATS
- Silvery color with a bluish or greenish back
- Slender, round body
- Snout long and overhanging lower jaw
- Dark streaks on upper half of body and faint cross-bands extending down to lateral line
- Extremities of dorsal and caudal fins are shaded with black
State Record: 16 lb 3 oz, caught near Islamorada
