Last Updated on January 7, 2010 by Capt. Jason
Looking to plan your fishing trip around catching a certain species of fish? Need to know where to stay? Want to know when the best time of year to catch just about everything is? Check out my 2010 Tampa Bay area Fishing Charter Planning Guide. Just about everything you need to know is here!
Tarpon:
When:
Best Bet = May – July
Next Best = August – September
Where:
St. Petersburg
Bag limit:
Capt. Clay Fishing Charters practices “catch and release” only with tarpon.
Snook:
When:
Best = March – June and October – November
Next best = December
Where:
St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay, New Port Richey, Tarpon Springs
Open Season:
March 1st – April 30th and September 1st – November 30th (note: We are allowed to target snook year ’round but we can only keep them for dinner during “open season”)
Bag limit:
1 per person per day. Fish must be no less than 28″ long or more than 33″ long.
Redfish:
When:
Best Bet = February – June and October-December
Next Best = The rest of the year.
Where:
St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, New Port Richey and Tampa Bay
Open Season:
Year ’round
Bag Limit:
1 per person. No less than 18″ long or more than 27″ long
Spotted Sea Trout:
When:
Best Bet = January – March
Next Best = The rest of the year
Where:
Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, New Port Richey, Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg
Open Season:
South Region (South of Tarpon Springs, including Tampa Bay) Jan-October
North Region (Tarpon Springs North) March – January
Bag Limit:
South Region = 4 per person per day. No less than 15″ long and no more than 20″ long (one per person may be over 20″)
North Region = 5 per person per day. No less than 15″ long and no more than 20″ long (one per person may be over 20″)
Best of the rest.
Mangrove Snapper: Best Bet = May – September
Spanish Mackerel: Best Bet = March – November
Cobia: Best Bet = March – October
Grouper (inshore): Best Bet = November – March (call for current regulations on harvetsing)
Jack Crevelle: Best Bet = All Year
Sharks: Best Bet = April – November
Where to stay.
Tampa Area: Embassy Suites Tampa Airport (Special rates for my customers, call me for details)
St. Petersburg: Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort Marina Cove (within 1 mile of pickup location for all St. Pete charters)
Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey: Hampton Inn
Included in your charter.
- Use of rods, reels, tackle
- Live bait (available 99% of the time)
- Use of cooler with ice
- Cleaned and bagged fish
- Fishing Licenses
- Photos of your catch (emailed to you after charter)
You should consider bringing.
- Sunglasses
- Check the weather and wear warmer cloths that you think you’ll need. You can always peel off a layer or two if you get warm.
- Sunscreen
- Hat
- Cooler (for the car, not the boat) to take you catch home with you.
When you should book you trip.
As soon as you know the date(s) you would like to book, don’t hesitate, book them. Many of my repeat clients use my online reservation system and they book dates months in advance. Don’t procrastinate and miss out on the only date you could go.
How you should book a trip.
Call me for current rates and specials and then place you reservation by phone or by using my online reservation system. Click Here