A fine example of a very large tarpon.

Permit and 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: Do you have a "No Fish No Pay" policy?

A: Yes. If we do not catch a game fish on a backcountry or flats trip there will be no charge for the day. I'm also the ONLY guide that has a NO TARPON NO PAY policy for tarpon charters. If we don't "jump" a tarpon on a 10hr or 12hr split-day tarpon fishing charter then there will be no charge for the trip. 6hr tarpon charters are excluded from this policy.

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 Charter Rates for 2011

(October 1st - April 30th)

Inshore/ Flats Fishing Rates (No Fish, No Pay!)

4hr inshore fishing charter: $350 for 1-2 anglers.

6hr inshore fishing charter: $500 for 1-2 anglers.

8hr inshore fishing charter: $600 for 1-2 anglers.

Offshore Fishing Charter Rates (No Fish, No Pay!)

4hr offshore fishing charter: $450 for 1-3 anglers.

6hr offshore fishing charter: $600 for 1-3 anglers.

8hr offshore fishing charter: $750 for 1-3 anglers.

*Add $50 for each additional angler up to a maximum of four. No extra charge for children under 16.

Tarpon Fishing Rates for May, June and July 2011

No Tarpon, No Pay!

*If we do not jump a tarpon on a 10hr or 12hr split -day Tarpon Charter there will be no charge for the trip. The No Tarpon, No Pay policy doesn't apply to 6hr Tarpon Charters.

10hr Split trip: 6hrs fishing before lunch followed by a lunch break and then 4 hrs of tarpon fishing after lunch   No Tarpon, No Pay! $1100.00 1-3 anglers

The whole day: 6:00 AM start with a 1 hour lunch break at a local marina during the slow period and a return to the dock a little before dark which is around 8:00 PM during the summer months.   No Tarpon, No Pay! $1200.00 1-3 anglers

6hr AM trip: 6hrs of tarpon fishing starting at 6:00 AM and returning at 12:30 PM          $600.00 1-2 anglers

6hr PM trip: 6hrs of tarpon fishing starting a 1:30 PM and returning at 7:30 PM               $600.00 1-2 anglers

*Add $50.00 for each additional angler up to a maximum of four. No extra charge for children under 16.

Tarpon Fishing Rates for August and September 2011

 6hr inshore fishing charter: $500 for 1-2 anglers.

8hr inshore fishing charter: $600 for 1-2 anglers. No Tarpon, No Pay!

*Add $50.00 for each additional angler up to a maximum of four. No extra charge for children under 16.

Off-season redfish action in Charlotte Harbor

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:  I usually target exciting game fish such as, tarpon, snook, redfish, jack crevelle or sharks from Boca Grande, Charlotte Harbor area south to Pine Island, Captiva and Sanibel Islands. I'll also fish Marco Island and the upper 10,000 Islands area.  I have a number of pick-up locations from Boca Grande, Punta Gorda, Pine Island, Ft Myers, Marco Island and Cape Coral. What's great about fishing in Southwest Florida is the multitude of fish species available to target with light tackle. Trout, redfish, mackerel, ladyfish, snapper, grouper, pompano, bluefish and flounder are common catches during the winter months. Cobia, triple tail and permit are also available during certain times 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.  My personal favorites are mid to late summer through early fall in Charlotte Harbor. These tarpon are somewhat less predictable because of weather, but there is much less fishing pressure and most of my best tarpon fishing days of the year come in August, September and early October.

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 you offer shared charters with other customers?

A: I run private fishing charters and don't usually try to split a fishing trip with another group. However, I do have a few local clients that will split a fishing charter with one other person. You will need to call with as much advanced notice as possible to try to schedule a shared fishing charter with one of my local clients.

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 several months in advance or 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.

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 13 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 tarpon charter boat, 21ft Texas style flats boat, an airboat, and a 14ft jon boat. This equipment alone is valued at over $160,000.00. 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. You can also check some of my customers say about my charters. Follow this link for Testamonials