It’s the prime fishing season in Florida. Great tides, good weather, and many species make for BIG fish stories and excellent take-home fare. With over 1,000 charter Captains in the Tampa Bay area, you’ll have your pick of boats, styles, and adventures. We’re here to provide tips on how to pick the best charter for you and your fishing buddies.
Because there are so many charters available in Tampa Bay, a simple search on Google or one of the many charter sites can leave you with analysis paralysis. All Captains will post their best catch photos, and most reviews are going to be fair to excellent. These people are on vacation and fishing after all. So, where do you start?
DETERMINE YOUR GOALS AND PARTY SIZE
What are you looking for in a fishing experience? Do you want a one-on-one experience with your Captain? Do you like to learn something while you catch fish? Or do you want to catch as many fish as possible?
Many options range from one-on-one kayak charters to head boats that stack up forty anglers at a time. For this reason, we would first become clear on your goals and party size. This will determine the extent of boat you need and the type of Captain you choose.
Most standard charters range from 4 – 6 anglers at a time. This could be your entire group if you’re traveling with that many people…or it may be you and another group you’re paired with to fill the boat for the day. If intimacy is what you’re looking for, this will be important to address as you speak with schedulers about charter details.
DECIDE HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO SPEND
Charters can range from $100 up to $2,000 or more, depending on the type of experience you choose. Private fishing, and sunset dinner cruises being some of the top-end experiences. Regardless of how deep your pocketbook goes, we can guarantee you’ll get what you pay for. So it’s vital to choose whether quality, price, or service are of value.
Most standard fishing charters range from $300 – $450 for a half-day and include take-home fare for anything you catch within regulation. Check out social media sites to see more information and get a better idea of what sort of experience you may be in for.
CONSIDER SOMEONE LOCAL
The size of the boat and marina regulations can limit what charters are available in your area. Although there are many options to choose from, you could spend hours driving to and from your fantastic venture. It may be worth finding someone local who can get you on and off the water with ease. Not only will your significant other be happy you’re still planning on spending time with them, but you’ll have local fishing knowledge in the instance that you want to buy or rent some gear and get out there again!
Our favorite local charter Captains in Terra Ceia include:
Kayak Charters – Fishlikeus.com
Inshore Charters – Slotmachinefishingcharters.com
Regardless of your price, party-size, or location, we guarantee you’ll have a good time just getting on the water in the fishing capital of the world! And here at Fisherman’s Cove Resort, we’re smack-dab in the middle of the myriad of choices! We hope you fish, we hope you catch, and most of all, we hope you enjoy your time here.
We look forward to fishing with you soon!
