# Looking for a guide (Florida)



## fishngolf

Was wondering what is the best time of year to go to florida and location for a trip for tarpon and also a trip for marlin.Also those that know any guides or could suggest any guides that would be good for my first trip to florida? Any help would be appriciated.


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## Bill C

I don't know about marlin fishing but I have enjoyed tarpon fishing with Captain Jim Bourbon at Bahia Honda in the late spring.

It's a hoot and a half fishing around the bridges there. The bonus aspect to fishing there is the 5 minute run to the fishing grounds.

His site: http://www.thinktarpon.com/


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## steelrain202

these guys are more fly fishing guys but pretty stand up guys. www.worldangling.com Will Benson, Bryan or Travis Holeman


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## Nathan C

Check out killintimecharter.com My brother-in-law owns this boat and charter service it is a great boat. you will have a blast


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## Dawg

I went with Capt.Troy a few years ago & had the best time of my life fishing for tarpon with him. My first time out with a guide,he was great,hope to go back soon to the keys. Caught 4 tarpon that day.www.reelmello.com


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## ssteel069

Capt. Bouncer Smith.


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## fishinKat

We fished with Capt. Jim Hale a couple years ago. We spent a lot of time in the bays and glades and caught a lot of tarpon and big snook.


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## REELING 65

Capt.Larry Mastry will put you on Tarpon or whatever else that you would like to fish for. http://www.tampabay.com/sports/outdoors/article1014714.ece 
Good luck on your trip. :cheers:


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## Blackwater21

I wouldn't come to Florida to fish for marlin. I'd go to Cabo or Panama.

Its hard to beat Charlotte Harbor/Boca Grande May-July for numbers and size of tarpon. Our tarpon average quite a bit larger than the average tarpon caught in the Florida Keys. The middle of May has the largest tarpon. Most days in May you'll hook a fish over 150 lbs. We average a couple of fish per week over 200lbs for the month of May. Early June is good also but the boat traffic gets worse as the fish get closer to the spawn and gather in the passes.


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## mozingo1952

http://www.fishinkeywest.com/

Captain Paul is excellent , I have fished with him for the past 2 years,
I have also fished with Captain Jim Bourbon. Great guy, but the fishing is
better in Key West, IMHO. You will hook up and land many more fish 
in and around Key West and not have to worry about losing fish to the bridges.

good luck
MO


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## StangGang

Our friends fish for tarpon in Marathon every year and they highly recommend Captain Jack Callion (305) 987-8952. They fished him two days in July and landed 9 up to around 110lbs. If you are interested in wreck or offshore fishing in Marathon I would definitely recommend Captain Dave Schugar (305) 610-4778. We had a blast fishing with him this summer and caught a boat load of big tuna and mahi. Capt. Dave is also a trained chef so we were treated to some of the freshest sushi while he was cleaning our catch.


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## Max Flipper

Capt. Steve Partain with Brahma Fear Outfitters is one of the best. He has several different packages ( half- day, full day, VIP packages) . The package I recommend is the VIP. He will pick you up at the Key West airport and take you to a private house on the water with a private dock in Sugarloaf Key for your lodging. The boat will be at the dock when your ready to go. His rig is a 24ft Sterling Bay boat w/ a 250 Optimax. His specialty is big tarpon and permit but he can put you on any and everything ( Grouper, Snapper, Cuda, Shark, ect...). Best months for the big tarpon are March, April and May. Summer is still good but the large tarpon start migrating up the coast in July and are few a far between in August and Sept. Check him out. I guarantee you will have the trip of a lifetime. I've been twice and I'm going back in April or May.


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## Max Flipper

Here's just a few picks for my trip in April with Capt. Steve Partain


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## MikeZ

Capt ED Walker. Tarpon, Snook, inshore grouper. He is the man. 
 www.lighttacklecharters.com


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## REELING 65

Capt.Larry Mastry. http://www.tampabaycharter.com/mastrys/


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## marc

*Boca*

captain Mark Bennett www.tarponsnook.com


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## pipelayer2

I would suggest a late March or Early april trip with Cpt. Bouncer Smith in Miami. My (then 9 yr old) boy and did a combo (sails and tarpon) and in 2.5 days of fishing he caught 3 sails, 1 white marlin, and 11 tarpon to 120 lbs, along with other assorted species. The tarpon fishing took place at night not 5 minutes from the dock and we maybe tarpon fished a total of 5 hours for those numbers.

www.captbouncer.com


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## Down South Lures

Man, I had a really good time with Capt. Steve Alqueza. He is real knowlegeable about a lot of species in Florida. We went for inlet snook the first day, and he put me on some nice ones. One that was 20 lbs or so.

Then we went for sails and mahi mahi the next day. I did not land a sail, but we had a blast out there in the blue water. He is suppose to be a hell of a Tarpon guide as well. He is always posting pics of them. Check out his website. www.redfinatic.com

Give him a call, and tell him I sent you. 386-295-9452


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## Miles2Fish

I used to live in Orlando two other guides to try....Captain Jim Ross and Capt. Eric Ciocher.


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## chris33

i fished w/ Capt Randy Towe on my honeymoon to the keys. we fished a half day in the evening in islamorada and hooked up with two giants in no time. here's a link to his site. great guy who knows his stuff and even does reports for news. very good reputation.
http://www.quityer*****in.com/


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## Capt. JT

Brian Harman and his brother, Travis! I became friends with them fishing the O'Boy O'Berto redfish tournaments, Very good fishermen! Not sure where in florida, but they could help you find a reputable guide. if you want his contact # PM me


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## chasintail2010

i fish each summer with Capt. Craig with skinnywatercharters.com for tarpon.. always puts us on fish. very reasonable pricing! Awesome days, never lets us down. highly recommend him. Clearwater Beach


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## BaitGuru

Don't tell anyone, but there is an updated fishing report (recorded voice) from guildes around Florida at http://www.floridainsiderfishingreport.com/

Rick Murphy will start a new season of this show next month.

A friend of my brother is a fishing guide on the West coast and has a fishing program 'reelanimals.com (and two radio programs on the weekends). He also offers a service of locating guides in Florida, the number to contact Captain Michael Anderson is 1-866-GAMEFISH.

I fished with Billy Nobles in Tampa Bay and he did a great job of putting us on Fish, but he is not a Tarpon Guide. Mike Anderson does the Boca Grand Tarpon thing, when it's active, and can put you in touch with great fishing guides throughout the state of Florida.

Good luck.


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## JBob

I fished with Capt. Brent Gaskill in early May last year in Tampa Bay. We only went after tarpon for a few hours before moving on to catch snook and trout. We didn't catch any tarpon but they were rolling all around us. He's a great guy and native to the area. 

I am planning on scheduling a trip for a weekend when the tarpon fishing should be better either with him or someone else in FL. We happened to be in Tampa for a wedding, so that's how we ended up fishing there. Where would the ideal location be for planning another trip? Keys? Boca Grande? Or back to Tampa?


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## reddrum

I'll 2nd Mark Bennett. He put us on a lot of tarpon when no one else in the area was. He knows his stuff.


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## marc

*where and when*

Bennett can put you on fish anytime of the year outa Boca. He says his favorite time is later in the summer when most give up on tarpon fishing. Zero pressure means happy fish. Tarponsnook.com

I'll go ahead and second Thinktarpon.com. We jumped 30 fish with captain Jim Bourbon in June a few years back. He works together with captain Alex. Bahia Honda is great from May and June.


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## stuhastings

Capt. Gavett Tuttle out of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area, www.backformore.com . Went with him last May and landed 3 sails, numerious snook and 4-80 lbs plus tarpon on an afternoon/evening trip out of Miami. Super guide, one of the best trips I have ever booked.


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## dmharris

what is the key to landing the big Tarpon? I have fished Pine Island and Cabbage Key in SW Florida, I never had a guide just family friends. I have hooked up 4 monsters with live pin fish and worked them for hours just to get them 5 feet from the boat then have them jump 4 feet and smile and spit my bait out. VERY FRUSTRATING!!!


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## Scott

dmharris said:


> what is the key to landing the big Tarpon? I have fished Pine Island and Cabbage Key in SW Florida, I never had a guide just family friends. I have hooked up 4 monsters with live pin fish and worked them for hours just to get them 5 feet from the boat then have them jump 4 feet and smile and spit my bait out. VERY FRUSTRATING!!!


If you are really interested in tarpon fishing, you should really invest in hiring a guide for at least one trip. There are too many things about tarpon fishing that can't be explained in an email or posting. Hire a guide, watch, listen and learn. It will benefit everybody. There is a good chance you are doing some things that could hurt others who are fishing around you and you just don't know. It's not "rocket science" but at the same time, there are lot of things you wouldn't think of on your own.

Also, if you hire the guide more than once and over a period of time, he'll get to know you, trust you and probably help you even more. It's all a matter of investment.....


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## Miles2Fish

I woudn't think Forida for both those species.....Marlin, my number one recommendation would be Panama Sport Fishing Lodge. If you want to be in Florida and catch Tarpon and aren't a fly fisherman...the best numbers and odds for tarpon is Boca Grande pass starting in May and running through July.....


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## henry-dean

If you are looking for Tarpon, my friend Captain Campbell Burton works from Boca Grande but will chase fish up to Tampa (left coast of Florida). His number is 941-276-0997. And just like Miles2Fish said, may to july are your best Tarpon times.

If you want some Florida marlin, your best bet is the Miami, Ft. Lauderdale area or down to the Keys.


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