Re: Boca Grande Tarpon Fishing

How’s the tarpon fishing there did they start to run yet?  Can you tell me some good guides/ Captains there?  You have a note from Hubbard on your Boca Grande Page About his head boats! Someone is coming to visit me and they want to go Fishing at Boca. Could you please send me a E-Mail and let me know.

K.Swider
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For some expertise on the subject, I have asked Boca Grande guide, Capt. Jon Zorian to respond:

Dear Mr. Swider, 

Thank you for your inquiry to Capt. Mel Berman's world famous Florida fishing web site! I will try to answer your questions. 

Yes, the tarpon are here at Boca Grande Pass.  Our season will continue to mid July.  A charter trip any time from this date on will put you in the prime of the season. 

Regarding fishing guides, the membership list for the Boca Grande Fishing Guides Association (BGFGA) can be accessed through Capt. Mel's site.  Go to charters, then to "southwest Florida".  You will see a link to the guides web site.  In addition, I specialize in tarpon charters and would be glad to help you in any way. 

You mentioned heads boats.  There are no heads boats that fish for tarpon at Boca Grande.  Our guide boats are hired by small groups,

anywhere from one to six people.  Most of us prefer four clients.  We all fish two people in the fighting chairs at a time...so while two are fishing, the other two can relax and enjoy the surroundings. 

Our charters at Boca Grande Pass are within sight of the beach.  We will vary from as close as 40 to 50 yards from the beach out to about a half mile.  Our boats are not big...special open custom tarpon boats that work well.  Inboard powered for underwater quietness, covered with bimini tops for shade and with wide beams.  Most of our boats are 24 to 26 feet in length and about ten feet in beam. 

Charter rates for most of us are as follows...half day for the boat is $375 and full day is $650.  A full day trip consists of two individual trips, one

early and one later in the day.  There are no other costs.  Our Florida Saltwater Charter Fishing License covers all clients aboard.  There is no charge for the special bait and tackle we use. 

I hope this helps...please feel free in emailing me back with any more questions. 

Keep up the watch on Capt. Mel's web site.  It is one of the most popular internet fishing sites in the world. 

Thank you, 

Capt. Jon Zorian

Vice-Pres. (BGFGA)
Phone = 813-681-8908
Email = mailto:jzorian@bocagrandetarpon.net
Web site = www.bocagrandetarpon.net

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Greetings Capt Mel,

My Brother is an East coast off shore pleasure fisherman, and is coming over to my place this weekend with his boat (23' key west).

We plan to put the boat in near Palmetto, and would like to do some off-shore fishing. I know nothing about off-shore fishing, and my brother only knows about East coast fishing, trolling for Dolphin and the like, consequently were not sure how to plan our day :)

For background we are definitely the catch and release type, just looking for an entertaining trip. Were not really into bottom or flats fishing, from what I gather, we'd like to do some trolling.

Any tips on for a trip like this? What should we be angling for? How deep of water should we be in?

From my maps, it looks like east of Egmont key might be a decent place to start, we just don't know what to do when we get there :)

Thanks for any advice!

Take Care,

James Lerch
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Dear James:

If you intend to troll off Egmont Key, you best bet would be to launch at the huge free ram at Ft. Desoto Park and then head out the pass due west of the ramp. I believe it’s a bit early for the dolphin (mahi-mahi) to show up in nearshore Gulf waters. However, In and near the Main Shipping Channel, you can troll for abundant Spanish and king mackerel this time of year. You can pretty much put out your trolled baits as soon as you get out into the Gulf.

You could use small planers or a downrigger ad troll with spoons. Look for bait schools and diving birds.

Mel 

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Captain Mel,

I am sorry to be a complainer, but I cannot believe how rude the fishermen are in this area.  I mostly wade or use a canoe, and many times I have had fishermen in large flats boats that will come right up and fish next to me, run over the flat I am fishing, or start cast netting within a 100 feet of me.  Maybe I am being too critical, but since I am wading or canoeing I cannot go very far, but they have the whole bay to fish and if I had a boat (or could afford one) I certainly would not be crowding a wade fisherman.  I would never do this to anyone else and I just cannot figure out why boaters cannot have respect for land bound fishermen.

Beside the rude boater, Monday and Tuesdays where great fishing days, I caught a 31' snook, 3 redfish (one barley legal), and trout by the ton around 5-6 legal ones and a couple close to 20 inches. All were caught on drop-offs, some sand mixed with grass and mud bottoms.

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I think some sage once wisely said – “it’s a shame that common sense is not all that common.”

What a wonderful world it would be if all of us fishing addicted would cut each other copious amounts of slack.

Mel