Last Updated on October 14, 2025 by Capt. Jason
Epic Tarpon Trip: A Hill Tide, Giant Silver Kings, and an Unforgettable Day
Twenty-five years ago, the Hill family and my family became fast friends. I grew up spending my summers with Josh, Travis, Mandy, and Lindsy Hill (the Hill children). Thirteen years ago, the New York Yankees drafted me, and I moved to Tampa to play baseball. Tampa Bay just so happened to be the Hill family’s favorite place to vacation. When baseball didn’t work out, I chased after my second passion, fishing, and became a full-time fishing guide. The Hill’s, who love the outdoors and camping, found out I was guiding and have chartered me every year from day one of my fishing career.
Over the years we’ve caught Redfish, Snook, Trout, and Snapper—but yesterday, everything changed. After a slow day fishing for the usual inshore targets, I called the Hills and asked them if they would like to chase after BIG fish. They were game.
Fishing the Full Moon Hill Tide at Skyway Bridge
The full moon this week was producing a rare “hill tide” in the afternoons. A hill tide is a phenomenon where the tide has only one big outgoing period in a day. I told the group there was no reason to start fishing until after 2 PM because the current wouldn’t start moving well until late afternoon.
I picked up Bobby, Travis, Jeff (the dad), and a new guy named Landis (Mandy’s fiancé) a little after 2 PM. We made a quick stop at a small bridge to pick up some threadfin herring to use as bait until the crabs—the preferred meal during a hill tide—started showing up.
Once we had about five dozen threadfins, we headed off to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in search of Tarpon.
The First Strike: Landis vs. 115 Pounds of Silver King
We fished for an hour with nothing really going on. I kept telling them to be patient because when we started seeing the crabs floating by, the bite would instantly turn on. Just then, a buddy came by and gave us some crabs he had caught the day before. We tied a few on immediately.
The first drift with our precious cargo on the line produced the first heart-racing scream of drag on Landis’s reel. Fish on! Landis didn’t know what he was getting himself into when he signed up for this Tampa Tarpon Fishing Charter. As the 115+ lb Tarpon jumped and made long runs, he was grinning from ear to ear—at least for a little while. Ten minutes into the fight, he realized this was going to take some serious work. Finally, after a gallon of sweat and a lot of muscle fatigue, we had the first fish boat-side for photos.
The Hill Tide Turns On
As we idled back to the bridge, we started seeing the actual crabs passing by. We grabbed the net, scooped up eight or so, and threw them in the well. On the very next drift, I heard Jeff say, “Uh oh!” I turned to see his rod bowed over and the drag screaming again.
The fish jumped and made its way through and around a few pilings. Jeff fought hard but was recovering from surgery, so he handed the rod off to his son Travis, who expertly whipped the fish in about twenty minutes.
Bobby’s Redemption: The 125lb+ Silver King
We hooked three more fish over the next couple of hours, and each time the rod was handed off to Bobby, who had yet to feel the power of a Tarpon hold. Each time he took the rod, the fish jumped and spit the hook. Everybody started ragging on him, saying it just wasn’t meant to be.
But Bobby made up for it at the end of the day. Travis hooked a final fish and handed it off to Bobby, and this fish took him for a ride! One hour, three bridge pilings, two cargo ships, and two miles later, Bobby successfully boated the biggest fish of the day: a solid 125 lb+ Silver King. We took a couple of quick pictures, revived the fish, and headed for the dock.
The True Reward of a Tampa Fishing Charter
I’ve known Jeff and his family since I was eight years old. Each and every time I take them fishing I urge them not to pay me, but they always insist. The money is always appreciated and it truly is a blessing to me and my family, but it isn’t worth anything compared to the words he shared with me at the end of the day.
As we idled the boat back to the dock, Jeff said, “Clay, I think this just might be the most exciting and fun day of my entire life. I’ll remember this day as long as I live.”
That is why we guide.
Ready for your own unforgettable Tarpon adventure?