Sarasota FL fishing?

[Ryan W]

i'm going to visit my grandmother in a week or two and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for a partyboat out of the Sarasota FL area. One-day trip for bottom fish or something would be great.

Only lead I've got is the flying fish fleet, saw their boats when I was last down there 6 years ago. Other than that, I know nothing.

Thanks a bunch guys, feel free to shoot me a PM if you'd like.

[zeus991]

Heard of the flying fish part boats and there are also some up on Cortez Rd in Bradenton - http://cortezdeepseafishing.com/.

Only "Party" boats I have been on that area are up in Tampa at Madeira Beach(Hubbards Marina) there are some boats that specialize in long trips far offshore. There they have livewells sectioned off so you can rent a slot & get 1-2 dozen pinfish(Saltwater Sunny) & fish way offshore with live bait for Grouper, Amberjack etc ? Went on one of the 8-10 hr trips few years ago & was catching Amberjack in 80-100 ft of water & you could see the fish like 50-60 ft down in the water.

http://hubbardsmarina.com/

[Bucktailboys.com]

Fish Galore in Venice...one of the BEST that I have fished with down there. It took me 6 years to find the right guy down there as I usually vacation in Fort Myers. Thanks to a fellow board member who recommended him to me. PM me if you want additional details.
Keefe

[frugalfisherman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=c4UxzAilylM

[CaptJohn]

I use to live in Bradenton, the cortez boats are good.
If you can find a reasonable charter, the inshore action was always alot of fun, Trout, Redfish, Snook and if your lucky tarpon!
Enjoy your trip!
John

[Chico]

Capt. Joe Miller fishes out of Venice, Fla. and runs an open boat charter, cost is about $200. each, you don't have to charter the whole boat. Just let him know how many and when you are available, he will fill in the charter when possible. Diehard fisherman, simple basic boat that he also fishes commercially from, a 33' CC with two 250 out boards. Does not fish with a mate, unless you tell him you need one. He KNOWS where the fish live, and he will burn the gas to get to them!!! Nice guy as well!!! fishgaloreoffshore is his charter business name. Up North, Tarpon Springs, Hubbards Marina has partyboats that have all day and longer trips, some out to the middle grounds. I have heard some good things about them, never done their trips. Another charter that I forgot about who also does open boat trips is The Hog Hunter, Capt. Bob Breton, also out of Venice. More comfy boat than Capt. Joe, and he uses a mate. Always my choice if Capt. Joe is not available. Have fun!!!

[Sharkyispy]

Capt. Joe Miller fishes out of Venice, Fla. and runs an open boat charter, cost is about $200. each, you don't have to charter the whole boat. Just let him know how many and when you are available, he will fill in the charter when possible. Diehard fisherman, simple basic boat that he also fishes commercially from, a 33' CC with two 250 out boards. Does not fish with a mate, unless you tell him you need one. He KNOWS where the fish live, and he will burn the gas to get to them!!! Nice guy as well!!! fishgaloreoffshore is his charter business name. Up North, Tarpon Springs, Hubbards Marina has partyboats that have all day and longer trips, some out to the middle grounds. I have heard some good things about them, never done their trips. Another charter that I forgot about who also does open boat trips is The Hog Hunter, Capt. Bob Breton, also out of Venice. More comfy boat than Capt. Joe, and he uses a mate. Always my choice if Capt. Joe is not available. Have fun!!!

Risk of being redundant, Flying Fish fleet does a nice job for a party boat out of downtown Sarasota. Also have been using Capt Joe from Fish Galore for several years now. Great fisherman who you won't be disappointed spending the extra money on to go with. Tell him Sharky in PA says hello when/if you go.

[Ryan W]

Went out yesterday on Flying Fish Fleet, as I really could only go today and Capt. Joe was booked. Did their half day trip, 3/4 day and full day both didn't have enough to go. Nice boat and Crew, Capt. was a NJ transplant and we shot the shyte for a little while about fishing in the garden state. Boat had about 50 people, seemed to attract a lot of vacationers out for a day on the water. They include pole rental. Capt took the long ride to the grounds, hour and a half. When we got there, we had nice action on a wide variety of SMALL snappers and perch in about 45 feet of water. Pops and I combined for 26 fish between the two of us for an hour and a half of fishing. Never really had a lull in the action. If I had to guess, maybe 150 fish for the large crowd? Mate said it was a slower day. Still had plenty of fish to give to my great-aunt.

Boat had a $5 "Jackpot" that pops and I won with a 1 1/4 lb grey snapper. Mates keep a third of it down there. Still left us with 60 bucks, not half bad. When mate collected at the beginning of the trip, it seemed like most people didn't get in. They also give you a $25 off coupon for a future trip if you win. I'm looking forward to getting to use it. Overall, had a bunch of fun and would definitely recommend these guys for a nice day on the water. Next time, I will try to see if I can get out with Capt Joe in addition to a day with these guys. Thanks to all for their help with fishing down there.

I will post pictures when pops emails me them. They give you the pool in 1's and 5's to make for a nice shot on the dock :D.

[Chico]

Glad you had a fun trip!! congrats on winning the pool! I once won the pool on a Fla. partyboat by trolling between spots, landed a VERY nice cero mac.