Captain Matt Santiago

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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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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November 4, 2011
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on November 4, 2011
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October Wrap Up! Everything is Biting!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The last month of fishing has been one of the best so far this year and I only see the action getting better in November. Offshore fishing has been as good as I have seen it in years, and the inshore action has been strong as well. There has been a great Trout pattern in the upper bay with lots of Trout in the 20 to 27 inch range. The south shore of Tampa Bay has been on fire as well. Captain Robbie Burns has been seeing the Redfish and Snook showing up thick in their normal fall spots. 
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August 5, 2011
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on August 5, 2011
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Offshore Fun with Friends!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last weekend I had some free time, so what did I do, Go Fishing! Courtney was begging me for some tasty fish to eat, so I called some friends and we all headed west for some offshore grocery shopping. We sabikied up some live bait and cruised through calm seas as the sun came up behind us.  We pulled up to our first spot and decided to make a drift before anchoring up. The first bait down got hammered almost instantly and it was non stop action from then on.
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July 27, 2011
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on July 27, 2011
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Offshore for Some Drag Screaming Amberjack!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Last weekend I got a call from Dean who wanted to take his son and his buddies out for some offshore fishing before they all went off to college.  He requested nice weather, a nice boat and some fish that would wear out the boys and I had just the plan.  Sunday we ran offshore on the big Cabo yacht and were greeted by calm seas and sunny weather. After some bottom fishing to put some fish in the cooler for dinner, it was time for the guys to battle some Amberjack,
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July 18, 2011
Published by Capt. Matt Santiago on July 18, 2011
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Summer fishing as hot as the weather!

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s been awhile since our last report, fortunately due in part to long days of great fishing.  The fishing has been great and as we transition from spring to summer patterns,  you never know what kind of action you’ll encounter.  Tarpon are still roaming the Bay, Snook are really active along the beaches and passes, the Redfish bite has been great, and the offshore fishing has been on fire!  
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