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My husband and I have a son coming to Florida to do shark fishing. We live in the Tampa area. What fishing group would you recommend as they want to do charter fishing.

Thanks as I'm not real knowledgeable about fishing.

Sandra Howard
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Dear Sandra:

It really depends on what time of year he'll be coming down to the Tampa Bay area. Sharks are mostly found on local waters during the warmer times of the year. so here in mid winter there will be very few sharks traversing our local waters.

This is not to say that many other species are available during the cooler months. Most popular are the large winter "gator trout," whiting and silvertrout, sheepshead and good grouper fishing offshore.

As for whom to select for a possible charter, we have a listing of recommended skippers on our Tampa Bay Area Charters page at http://www.capmel.com/tampa_bay_guides.htm

Thanks for listening to my 970-WFLA radio show and for making our CapMel.com site one of your Internet fishing destinations.

Capt. Mel Berman

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I am an AVID fisher and would consider it an honor to go out with you sometime. I'm not looking for a TV program, but a learning experience in perfecting my angling skills.

I've been a fisher since I was about 8 years old, fishing in California streams for trout, the Pacific Ocean for salmon, sea bass, sturgeon and of late the Gulf and bayous of Louisiana. I'd love to hear from you and see what we can do. It would be fun as well.

God bless!

James Garrison
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Hi James:

If you want to advance your fishing skills, the very best way would be to go fishing with someone who knows how to do it. This could be a fishing guide (see our listings at http://capmel.com/charters.htm ) who will not only provide a very productive day on the water, but it will also be an excellent learning experience for you.

-- Or you could join one of our local fishing clubs (http://capmel.com/Fishing_clubs.htm) where you could meet up with some very skilled anglers who might even invite you to go out fishing with them.

And certainly, signing up for our free CapMel.com Fishing Forums (http://forums.capmel.com/) -- boating some 5-thousand members, many of whom are real experts at fishing our Florida waters. It's like a giant fishing club that’s available 24/7 -- a place where you can meet up with many others who might invite you to go fishing with them.

Certainly, with your own fishing skilled that you learned at such an early age, you should be able to become quite a skilled angler in no time.

Best regards,

Capt. Mel Berman

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Hi.

I am writing this e-mail from Chesterfield in Derbyshire, England, at the moment we're in the mist of winter and I have about 2ft of snow outside my back door? But I will be going fishing next week all being well?

I’ve been to Clearwater Florida for the last 4 year and have loved every minute of it, And as all true fisherman I take a rod where ever I go. I've mainly fished from beaches and piers in the area and had one or two good fish, This year we’re staying near Clearwater Beach in Caladesi area, I was hoping you could give me some advice on fishing the Beaches and water fronts in the Caladesi area, I would be grateful for any hints or tips such as rods to use, line, rigs, hooks size bait etc.

I thank you for you kind attention

Colin Shortland
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Dear Colin:

Since you will be staying near Caladesi Island, you will have access to several good shore fishing locations, including the Dunedin Causeway, which leads to the very productive Honeymoon Island. You should also consider taking the ferry to Caladesi Island and try your hand there.

Also, if you will be here the beginning of the month, it would be worth one of your evenings to attend the Hurricane Pass Angler’s Club (http://www.hurricanepassanglersclub.com/) – which meets the first Tuesday evening of the month. There you can meet lots of skilled anglers who should be able to offer you some additional fishing suggestion – and maybe even offer to take you fishing.

Finally, from you home in the UK, you should sign up (it’s free) for our website CapMel.com Fishing Forums where you can converse with many of our 5-thousand members 24/7 about fishing our Florida waters.

Give us a call to my 970-WFLA radio show when you get here,

Best regards,

Capt. Mel Berman

And Colin, here’s an additional reply to your email from one of the experts, top Suncoast kayak guide (who you might want to hook up with) – Neil Taylor:

Colin,

That's an area I really like to fish. There are some really good months coming up for fishing the northern part of the county. As a visitor, I'd imagine that you are doing a lot of your fishing "on foot." Kayaks open up a lot of water to me for my charters. The shop on the Dunedin Causeway rents them. I provide them for the people I take fishing.

Going from the causeway, there are a lot of opportunities. Medium size spinning tackle with a short piece of fluorocarbon leader is all you need. You could toss shrimp or other baits with a 1/0 hook for redfish, up near the shorelines for redfish at higher tides. To me, for kayak-fishing, using artificial lures is the way to go. Get 1/8 ounce Mission Fishin' jigheads and 12 Fathom 3" Fat Sam Mullet. Cast those around that area and try to keep the lure just above the bottom. Trout and redfish will eat that lure

Caladesi is a shorter paddle. Honeymoon is just a little farther but worth the extra effort. Trout: Stay out "deeper" near the Combustion Motor Exclusion signs. For redfish, do your searching in shallower, all the way up near the shorelines at the highest tides.

If you are landlocked, there are a couple of options for you:

Top choice: Drive out to the park on Honeymoon Island and fish Hurricane Pass. A little bit of everything goes in and out of that pass.

Second choice: On days of lower traffic, wade fishing the causeway can really produce. North or south will get action. Rule of thumb: Fish the side that is out of the wind. Another thing to watch for: Stop and fish areas where you see hovering or diving birds. If you can get to those areas where there is a food source along that causeway, you should also get into some action.

Third choice: Big Pier 60. Since you are already on Clearwater Beach, the pier is right there and that's a fish magnet.

That's your best bets for this area given the information you provided. Enjoy your next trip and I hope the advice pays off for you.

Neil Taylor

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Hi Mel,

I was surfing Facebook and came across your page. Seeing your page brought back a lot of wonderful memories of my father and I fishing every weekend off of Longboat Key bridge for over 10 years. And if it was nasty outside on a Saturday, my Dad would always have you tuned in on Newsradio 97 WFLA.

That kinda shows how long ago we listened to you. Even on our way out to the bridge, you would be on the radio, and if he didn't turn you on right away, then I would be right there to make sure we didn't get past 6am too far.

Unfortunately I lost my Best Friend, Best Fishing Buddy and Best Dad a few years ago, but I just wanted to say Thank You for being there every Saturday morning for a kid and his Dad who love to fish. You're an inspiration to all fishermen. Keep up the GREAT JOB and MAKING MEMORIES FOR ALL OF US!!

Chad Coulter
Adrian, Michigan
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First of all Chad, my deep condolences for the loss of your dad. He sounded like a marvelous person and great father.

And thanks for the kind words about my 970-WFLA radio show. Though I’ve been hosting that program for the last 25 years, I always appreciate hearing about the wonderful experiences our listeners take way from the show.

Kindest regards,

Capt. Mel Berman

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