OUR FACILITIES
What We Bring to Enhance Your Experience
Vessel
We run a 2007 Ranger 2400Bay with a 2019 Suzuki 300 4-Stroke outboard. She’s equipped with Garmin fishfinders, a Humminbird Solix fishfinder, Minn Kota self deploying trolling motor, Lowrance MFD and Garmin Livescope for inshore fishing. We’ve made a significant investment in and use Strikelines Hard Bottom and 3D Contour mapping to get us to unmarked spots that other fisherman and charter services don’t know about and don’t get to thereby increasing you odds at getting to unpressured fish. Our trolling motor is Ethernet compatible and linked to the Humminbird fishfinder to allow for precise location maneuvering which minimizes waypoint setup time and maximizes fishing time. Since the trolling motor is self deploying, the captain can concentrate on getting you to the next fishing spot rather than trying to muscle in a trolling motor every time a location change is needed should the fish not be cooperative at a selected location. The Livescope is used for inshore, river, creek and boat dock fishing to help locate fish for you to catch. As fish move and aren’t always in the same spots, this forward facing sonar helps to make sure there are fish in the chosen spot. Then it’s up to us to entice them to bite.
Fishing Gear
We use Penn Squall II conventional level wind reels and Penn Spinfisher VI 5500 spinning reels for our Offshore Charters and Daiwa BG spinning reels for our inshore work. If you are proficient with a bait caster we use Diawa and Quantum reels on Daiwa rods. We fish primarily live and cut bait on our charters but do offer anyone who prefers artificial bait the opportunity to cast a lure. All of the reds , mackerel and trout featured in the pictures on this web page we caught on artificial lures
Safety Gear
Each vessel has the safety gear required by the Coast Guard: Type I PFDs, Fire Extinguisher, First Aid Kit, Horn, Whistle, Type IV Throwable Cushion and Emergency Signal Devices for day and night. In addition to the gear required by he USCG, we have an EPIRB satellite distress beacon that immediately notifies the Coast Guard should the extremely unlikely event of sinking of our vessel occur. Each trip is preceded by a safety briefing which includes how to operate the VHF radio, understanding and response to situational emergencies and identification of emergency gear and their storage locations. You will be asked to don your lifejacket each time the boat changes location and is run on plane but you may remove your PFD when the boat is idling or stationary.
When To Fish
When to charter is a pretty good questions to ask. We can start with “You fish every and any time you can.” And that’s how we approach the subject for ourselves. But the answer can be a little bit nuanced for customers. The best seasons to fish offshore are spring, summer and fall. The fish are still there in the winter but there are few places to hide out there in the Gulf when the winds are blowing and the temps are low. Inshore is good any season but becomes a bit less reliable as winter transitions to spring and the fish move from winter holes to nearshore flats. Nighttime inshore fishing is best from spring to the end of fall. Our favorite times to fish are winter for inshore species, especially 2+ days after a cold front; spring/summer/fall for nighttime fishing and spring/summer/fall for offshore fishing. If you can get out on a week day, the fish are less pressured and you’ll have more spots available to fish with your party. If the weekend is the only option, we’ll go with that.
Pre-Trip Prep
There’s a little bit of preparation needed on our clients’ part before they head out on a charter. If you get sea sick, take a sea sickness medication per the directions before you get on the boat. We’ll be running about 9 miles offshore and that can be a long trip back if you get sick. Most people end their trip when one of the party gets miserable enough. So medicate if needed and enjoy the full length of the service. Wear sunscreen! 4 hours+ in the Florida sun will leave you sunburned, at least, and while you won’t necessarily feel it during your charter, it can make for a rough time for the rest of your vacation. Please bring enough sunscreen for all members of your party. If you think you’ll get hungry or thirsty during your trip, bring your lunch or a snack and a drink. We’ll have bottled water on the boat for you if you need it. Wear a hat, shoes with non marking soles (no black soled shoes on the boat), and if you can, a long sleeved, wicking shirt that will keep you cool and dry in the summer time.
What Does a Charter Include?
Charters include your fishing license! No need to buy a license when you hire a charter. That is granted by the state for all charter services. We also provide all the tackle needed for the trip and all bait and artificial lures to be used as well If you have favorite tackle, you can bring it along. We’ll set up and bait all the gear, handle the fish from the net to the cooler or if you are so inclined, place it back in the water. If you decided to keep fish, we’ll clean and bag them for you (where permitted by park, facility or marina).