A fine
example of a very large tarpon.Blackwater Charters
With Capt. Scott Hughes
A fine
example of a very large tarpon.
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Tarpon
fishing Southwest Florida
Fishing ALL of Southwest Florida, Ft Myers, Sanibel, Captiva, Pine Island, Marco island, Naples, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte and Boca Grande.
This page has been built to help you with some questions you may have.
Q: How much does a fishing trip cost?
A: My fishing charter rates are as follows: Rates quoted are for entire boat. Not per angler.
Light Tackle Fishing Rates
(In-Season April 1st - July 31st)
All fishing charters for any species including Tarpon Fishing during the months of April through July are $600 per trip for 1-3 anglers. A fishing trip lasts approximately 6-7 hours. Longer or shorter trips can be arranged.
*Add $75 for a fourth angler. No extra charge for children under 16.
(Off-Season August 1st - February 29th)
Off-season redfish action in
Charlotte Harbor
All fishing charters including Tarpon Fishing during the months of August through March are $500 for 1-3 anglers. A fishing trip lasts approximately 6-7hrs. Longer or shorter fishing trips can be arranged.
*Add $75 for a fourth angler. No extra charge for children under 16.
I do offer customized fishing trips to fit your needs. I fish with a number of qualified fishing guides that can help with corporate groups or when I am not available. Please call me for details. (941-575-2389)
Q: What kind of fish can we expect to catch?
A: We usually target exciting gamefish such as, tarpon, snook, redfish, jack crevelle or sharks from Boca Grande, Charlotte Harbor area south to the Naples, Marco Island, 10,000 Islands area. I have a number of pick-up locations from Boca Grande, Punta Gorda, Pine Island, Ft Myers, Marco Island and Tampa Bay. The one thing about fishing in Southwest Florida is the multitude of fish species available to target with light tackle. Trout, mackerel, ladyfish, snapper, grouper, pompano, bluefish and flounder. Cobia, triple tail and permit are also available during certain parts of the year.
Q: What do we need to bring?
A: All tackle, rods, and reels are provided unless you want to use your personal equipment. Each person is advised to wear a hat and sunscreen. Good polarized sunglasses are recommended for spotting fish. Bring any food and drinks you want. I keep plenty of ice onboard so you don't need to pack a cooler. Canned alcohol is allowed. Please do not bring glass bottles on the boat. Sometimes it gets a little bumpy and if the bottles break, its very hard to clean glass up on a boat deck and in a cooler.
Q: Do we need a fishing license?
A: No. My license covers up to four customers on my boat except for bass fishing trips. All freshwater bass fishing trips require a valid freshwater fishing license.
Q: What months are the best for fly fishing Tarpon?
A: April, May and June.
Q: What is the best time to catch tarpon?
A: Late March - Late September. But my personal favorites are mid to late summer through early fall in Charlotte Harbor. These tarpon are somewhat less predictable, but there is much less fishing pressure then and most of my best days of the year come during these times.
Q: Do you offer any package deals for multiple bookings?
A: No, I work just as hard on multiple day trips as I do on single day trips and my overhead doesn't get any less just because you'll book more than one day.
Q: Do we need to book in advance?
A: Yes, the best chance for you to get a day that fits your schedule is to call about two weeks in advance. The months of April, May, June, and July are mostly devoted to tarpon fishing and should be booked with as much advanced notice as possible.
Q: What about your Duck hunting trips?
A: I guide duck hunting trips from my house on Lake Okeechobee during the season which runs from November 23 to January 26. Limits are shot on most days. You are responsible for all licenses, a gun and at least two boxes of steel shot shells per hunt. Guided hunts are $150.00 per hunter. We mainly shoot ring necks, teal, whistlers and mottled ducks. Duck hunting trips are best with two hunters but I my limit is a maximum of three.
Waterfowl on Lake Okeechobee marsh.
Q: Do you do any bass fishing trips?
A: Yes, I run bass fishing trips off my airboat in the Everglades. I'll also run trips on Lake Okeechobee if I'm not to busy with saltwater bookings. I only use artificial lures on my bass trips. Also, you'll need a freshwater fishing license because Florida doesn't offer a multi-passenger commercial license for freshwater.
Q: Why are the bass fishing trip in the Everglades more expensive than saltwater trips?
A: The Everglades trips have much more overhead costs to me than a saltwater trip. First, its a extended drive towing the boat 70 miles across I-75. Secondly, the airboats runs on high octane aircraft fuel and its a high maintance piece of equipment in general
Q: Why are your rates more expensive than other guides in your area?
A: I have been a full-time fishing guide for 12 years which means that 100% of my income comes from fishing. My rates are priced so that I can continue to make a decent living after covering all of my overhead costs. I have a number of specialized pieces of equipment that can be used do any kind of fishing in our area whether its offshore, nearshore, flats, freshwater or Everglades marsh. I have a 24ft bay boat, 21ft Texas skiff flats boat, 2 airboats, and a 14ft jon boat. This equipment alone is valued at over $130,000.00. My fishing tackle consists of G-Loomis and American Rodsmiths fishing rods and Diawa and Penn reels that range from light tackle flats rods to offshore tackle used to catch tarpon, sharks or sailfish. My tackle and lures is valued at close to $40,000.00. As far as I know there isn't another guided in my area that has tools and knowledge to covers as many types of fishing that I do.
There are a lot of new guides with fancy websites listed on the internet. I suggest that you Google their names and see how well known they are. A well established guide will have countless pages of information linked to their names.
To Book a Fishing Trip Call Me at (941)575-2389 or 941-628-4247 (cell)