Fishing Reports

August 15, 2016
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on August 15, 2016
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Tarpon Tune Up Tampa Bay

April will mark the beginning of our tarpon season.  Consistent reports of poon sightings and hookups start to spread quickly, and everyone starts to feel symptoms of tarpon fever.   You know tarpon fever is spreading when tackle shops start to run out of heavier Fluorocarbon leader, bigger circle hooks are disappearing of the racks, and guys are flooding in one after another with big dusty spinning reels to get them reloaded with heavier braid. 
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February 9, 2015
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on February 9, 2015
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Wintertime Fishing off the Flats – Fishing Guide Ruskin

As water temps drop, moving off the flats may be all you need to do to keep your rods bent all day.It’s no secret that the fish that roam Tampa Bay’s flats don’t like cold water.   Lower water temps mean fish are more lethargic, eat less, and move less.  Water temperatures on the clean shallow flats of Tampa Bay fluctuate a lot throughout the day.  As the sun sets water temps in shallow water can drop drastically and take several hours of sunlight to start warming back up.   Conversely, water temperatures in deeper water stay much more constant. 
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January 25, 2015
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on January 25, 2015
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Flounder Fishing Charter Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay’s flounder fishery has been dramatically improving over the past few years. Fortunately for those of us that like to catch and eat these tasty flat fish, flounder populations are strong enough to exclusively target them during the cooler months of the year. Two species of flounder call Tampa Bay home. The Gulf flounder is the most common and can be identified by three distinct dark spots on its back. The southern flounder is less common and usually covered in spots.
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July 21, 2014
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on July 21, 2014
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Hot Summertime Action – Tampa Fishing Charters with Captain Matt Santiago

The weather is not the only thing that is hot right now.  The summer heat is here but with it comes some of the best fishing action of the year.  Fishing the flats and mangrove shorelines for snook, redfish, and trout is still consistent, but the best action has been for tarpon, cobia, sharks, snapper, and grouper. Fishing for big snook has been really good, especially early in the mornings before the sun starts to heat things up too much.  
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April 17, 2014
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on April 17, 2014
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Tarpon Season 2014 is upon us!

TARPON SEASON IS HERE!!!Tarpon fishing in Tampa Bay is perhaps the most exciting light tackle fishing the world has to offer in one of the worlds most productive tarpon fisheries.  This season is sure to be a great one and I still have a few good tarpon days available for May and June. Ever since I was very young and caught my first tarpon I have been addicted to chasing and catching these amazing fish. 
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February 27, 2013
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on February 27, 2013
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Spring is in the air!

Our recent fishing charters on Tampa Bay have been fair to excellent over the last month and things are really about to heat up.  We have been fishing from the Skyway Bridge and Fort DeSoto all the way up in the bay to the Gandy Bridge. The redfish and trout fishing have been good, but it’s the snook action that has really stolen the stage lately. We have caught many snook over 30 inches lately, and lost some even bigger ones to the bushes and docks.
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October 24, 2012
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on October 24, 2012
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Fabulous Fall Fishing!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Fall weather is here and with it brings some of the best fishing of the year.  Almost every part of the bay is holding good numbers of gamefish and the near shore and offshore fishing is red hot as well.  Inshore fishing for Snook, Redfish, and Trout has been excellent and a Florida Inshore Grand Slam which consists of one of each of the above mentioned species is almost a guarantee, even on a half day of fishing. The Snook have started to move into the rivers, estuaries, and small bays, and are feeding almost 24/7 to fatten up for […]
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March 22, 2012
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on March 22, 2012
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Everything Is On Fire!!!

It’s one of my favorite times of the year again and the fishing gods must be in a good mood because they sent us some great fishing targets ahead of schedule.   Tarpon, Kingfish, and Cobia are three of my favorite fish to catch and all three have already started to show up much earlier than expected.  Thanks to the warm weather and influx of bait, these three pelagics are definitely moving in to our area’s beaches and bays.
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February 14, 2012
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on February 14, 2012
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Cold Front Fishing!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Fishing around the cold fronts is the key to making a great day!  The fishing out of the Gandy area has been on fire!  Trout in the 17-24 inch class  and multiple slot redfish being released as well as those over 27 inches.  The smaller redfish are also easy pickings with a 1/8th oz jig and a piece of shrimp slowly moved along the channel edges and drop offs! The Snook bite has been on fire with whitebait readily available to the hard working individual!
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