Near shore fishing has been pretty exciting lately. Large bait schools are roaming around a few miles out along our Gulf beaches. These large schools of fish attract all kinds of hungry fish from Bonito tuna, spanish mackerel and king fish to sharks. We fish these schools using artificial weighted jigs and top water plugs.

Inshore fishing is HOT around Boca Grande and Charlotte Harbor. Temperatures pass 90 degrees by lunch time, but I know just where these inshore fish are cooling off and searching for an easy meal. On recent charters this week, guests have hooked into plenty of snook and redfish. These fish are devouring live bait and are keeping cool underneath the bushes. School starts up again before you know it! Plan a fishing trip today and get the kids out for some fun on the water.

In my line of work, you fish will all kinds of people. I can truly say the Fleming family was a blast to fish with. They were vacationing here for the holiday weekend. We had a trip set up but they were eager to get out a day early. I picked them up after my morning trip and ran them a few miles out to hook into some goliath grouper. There had been big jacks out here earlier in the day, our plan was to hook up on a few using artificial baits ( metal jigs and a popper ) and turn them into something bigger! Dad and Swope hooked up on some huge jack crevalle. The perfect bait for giant grouper down below! The guys really gave it their all, hooking and catching multiple goliath grouper. Swope even jumped IN the water with his catch for a memorable photo! ( click on photos to enlarge ) These guys also help me wrap up the first set of fin clippings for FWC. They have a study going on using this species dna Day two we were on the search for tarpon. We cruised the beach until we found a pod of fish. Every spring/ summer these migrating fish begin to flood our beaches. This is my favorite place to fish tarpon. Its quiet, not as chaotic as fishing in the pass. Anglers seem to enjoy it as well, there is thrill in the hunt. Tarpon fishing is sight casting on a whole other level. The guys were true fishermen and hung in there during a slow morning bite. We must of fished this school for about an hour before they finally began to eat. Their patience paid off, and they were rewarded. Mac landed a nice tarpon, it put on a show. Getting in plenty of jumps making for a memorable catch. James (dad) captured these incredible photos of his fish. We sent him home with a scale, hook and leader he used in landing his tarpon. Theres nothing like catching your first tarpon, especially in Boca Grande.

My guests today were excited to hook into their very first tarpon. We had a morning of fishing a few different schools along our beaches. It was a tough bite, their persistence paid off! Poncho hooked into a tarpon as they were crossing the sandbar. In about 5 feet of water he got to watch his fish "slurp" his bait off the top of the crystal clear water. What a rush! I always cast a rod but it makes the catch even better when the angler gets the bite and hook up all on their own. It came together for him today and he landed his very first tarpon in about 30 mins. With tarpon season slowing down in July, anglers are trying to figure out what to hook up to next! The heat of summer is here. Temperatures in Florida soar to over 90 degrees in the summer months. Although water temperatures are on the rise, we know just where the fish like to hang out during our warmer months. Like any species they move and change with the seasons. Some species following their food sources and a few cooling off in deeper holes. Inshore snook are prevalent and a fun catch on live bait. Season is closed but they are an exciting catch and release. We actually just had a recapture on a snook we tagged in April of this year. All anglers have the options of tagging their catches. Redfish are hanging around the mangroves and begin to move around in smaller schools. Grocery shopping? We can help with that. Fish our natural and artificial wreck sites along our gulf beaches. Snapper ( Mangrove and Lane ), Cobia, King Mackerel and the occasional Grouper. A large cooler and ice is provided to keep your catch fresh. Captain also cleans your catch dockside. These trips are weather dependent with seas two feet or less. Looking for something bigger? Goliath Grouper spawn during the warmest months of the year. These XL fish hang out on our nearshore wrecks. Common size range is 80-500lbs. These fish pull some serious drag. If you can get one boat side, we send you home with the 20/0 hook you used to catch it. Are you strong enough?!

Our guests today were father and sons looking to hook into some big fish. We fished nearshore for Goliath Grouper. These fish are especially active during the warm summer months. They stick to our nearshore reefs in large numbers to spawn. Giving anglers the opportunity to hook into multiple fish and really test their strength. The brothers hooked into a few getting them boat side for photos and fin clippings for FWC ( Florida Fish and Wildlife) We are helping them with a study on Goliath DNA to access their local population. Contact me today to book your summer fishing charter! Check my calendar for available dates.

I was joined this week by Andrew Huynh from the popular Youtube channel NoobAngler, and his friend Oz Sittipon Chanarat. Oz is a Fisherman/TV Host for Discovery Channel. He also has a popular Youtube channel, Bangkokhooker Fishing. He is joining us all the way from Thailand. We had our sights set on tarpon. Hoping to help these guys out with some Florida fishing footage. They made the staggering 2am wake up and three hour drive over from the east coast. Yea they have tarpon over there, but its nothing is like experiencing the migration in Boca Grande FL. The guys actually beat me to the dock, eager and ready to hook up to some BIG fish. We set out about 5:45am. Another gorgeous sunrise and rolling pods of fish. There are mornings I've sat and tried to count them, just as the sky is lightening but the sun has yet to come up, but they seem endless. A sight I'll never tire of seeing. We get in a good position and set up, bait hooks and hope these fish are hungry. Toss a live blue crab rigged to a 6/0 trokar circle hook into the school. It only was a few moments before Oz had his fish hooked up! I throughly enjoy guiding anglers to land their very first tarpon. Its such a tenacious fight and feeling of victory when you get that fish boat side for a quick snapshot an release. He will put a video together of his catches to post on his youtube channel. I am excited to watch and relive this moment with him. We headed off to the next location to try to pull up a few beasts from the deep. Goliath grouper fishing has been a long time favorite of Andrew's. He obviously enjoys the punishment of being taken to the rail by an ocean giant. We caught some live jacks and sent them down to the bottom, Andrew didn't have to wait long for a bite. Hanging in there and using the Deck Gear stool, he was able to keep control and pull this fish out of the wreck. Recently we have started working with FWC to collect fin clippings from these fish. They are using the data to collect DNA and access our population. They have been a protected species since the 90's. As we released his grouper we had a few surprise visitors hiding under the boat. Barracuda and Cobia! The guys threw a cuda tube and a live bait at the cobia. Oz hooked, up bringing this bonus fish to the boat at record speed using a Penn Slammer. The fish was pretty lively, and I didn't have my fish bat. Oz looks at me and says " Do you want me to punch it?" I replied with something like ... "only if you want to hurt your hand". As those words left my mouth, I watched him knock out a cobia in one punch. Don't mess with Oz! Want to catch your own? I have limited dates available in June! Check out my calendar today and get on the schedule. I look forward to seeing you on the water! -Captain Andrew Herzog