La Costa Charters specializes in trolling and bottom fishing for a variety of species inhabiting the offshore waters of Florida. Heading offshore from Johns Pass, you’ll hit spots of between 15 and over 40 miles in the Gulf of Mexico, to bring home some exotic and delicious fish. Captain Patrick Eckelbarger always wanted to be a captain, and now that he is one, he won’t let you down! He promises a professional, yet personal service with lots of fish.

You’ll be casting off a 32’ Sabalo pilothouse vessel, custom-designed for offshore trips. She comes equipped with a range of navigational gear and fish finding electronics, such as GPS, radio, and fishfinder to get you on the fish. The boat has a bathroom on board and plenty of comfortable seating to accommodate up to 6 anglers, along with a multimedia system, and a cooler with fresh ice. You’re in for a luxury treatment.

Depending on the duration of your trip, you’ll be bottom fishing and trolling the deeper waters to reel in as many fish as possible. You’ll mainly be going after Groupers, Snappers, Amberjack, and Kingfish. However, Barracuda and Hogfish can be found near wrecks and reefs, and you may even catch a Tuna on a longer trip. All rods, reels and terminal tackle are waiting for you on board, along with a range of lures and live bait to trick them onto your line.

With a qualified first mate on board, you’ll be looked after throughout the day. The action is great all year round, so you’re in for a memorable day on the water whenever you’re free. The captain will clean and fillet your catch, so you should just bring a cooler and leave it in the car ready to welcome the delicious fish. Pack food and drinks, put on a cap, sunglasses, and bring a camera to mark this unforgettable day. Hop aboard and get on the fish!



Select date to see available trips and rates:

  • Private trip
    Half Day Trip (AM)
    In demand! Last booked: 4 days ago
    FREE Cancellation 3 days notice
    4 Hour Trip, starts at 7:00 AM
    US $650
    This morning trip is a good way to explore the waters of Florida. The trips run year round and there are many species to catch. You can get Grouper, Snapper, Amberjack, Hogfish, Kingfish, and more. All gear is waiting for you on board. Less experienced anglers will benefit a lot from this trip – it's not way too long and offers great action. It takes about 30 minutes to the fishing grounds, and you'll go up to 15 miles. Pack food and drinks, a cap, sunglasses, and sunblock. Come for a trip to remember!
  • Private trip
    Half Day Trip (PM)
    FREE Cancellation 3 days notice
    4 Hour Trip, starts at 12:00 PM
    US $650
    These fisheries offer fine catches year round, and you'll be able to get the likes of Grouper, Snapper, Amberjack, Hogfish, Kingfish, and more. The captain will provide the gear on board. This package is suitable for novice fishermen. Bring food and drinks, put on a cap, sunglasses, and sunblock. Make room for your camera to get a good shot of your catch. It takes about 30 minutes to the fishing grounds, and you'll go up to 15 miles.
  • Private trip
    Extended Half Day Trip
    In demand! Last booked: 4 days ago
    FREE Cancellation 3 days notice
    5 Hour Trip, starts at 7:30 AM
    US $750
    Follow the same trip as you'd expect on a 4-hour trip, but make the most of the extra hour aboard to get even more fish on board. Head up to 15 miles offshore, which will take around 30 minutes, then spend a full 4 hours on the most productive fishing spots, hunting for Grouper, Snapper, Amberjack, Hogfish, Kingfish, and more. Just bring food and drinks, and a camera, to immortalize what's sure to be a memorable day.
  • Private trip
    3/4 Day Trip
    Just booked! Last booked: 10 minutes ago
    FREE Cancellation 3 days notice
    6 Hour Trip, starts at 7:00 AM
    US $850
    This trip will give you more time to cast the lures and enjoy the view as you wait for the fish to bite. These hot spots offer action throughout the year. You can target Snapper, Grouper, Kingfish, Hogfish, some Cobia, and maybe even an Amberjack. The captain will provide all the fishing gear and the license. You need to bring snacks and drinks, a cap, sunblock, and put on comfortable clothes. Pack your camera and get going.
  • Private trip
    Full Day Trip
    FREE Cancellation 3 days notice
    8 Hour Trip, starts at 7:00 AM
    US $1,250
    This full day trip will give you enough time to explore various spots teeming with fish. You can choose whether it's bottom fishing or trolling, and the crew will recommend the most productive method. It takes about an hour before you reach the fishing grounds. You can target Kingfish, Snapper, Grouper, Amberjack, and more. All the gear is waiting for you on board. You should pack a cap, sunblock, a camera, and food and drinks. Bring a cooler to transfer the cleaned catch after you leave the boat.
  • Private trip
    Extended Full day
    FREE Cancellation 3 days notice
    10 Hour Trip, starts at 6:30 AM
    US $1,450
    A true deep sea trip where we are running 40+ miles and are filling the box with Grouper, Snapper, Amberjack, pelagics, and much more! This is a true "fill the freezer" trip! It will take between one and 3 hours to get to the fisheries, and you will have enough time for some nice fishing. It's a good choice for more experienced anglers. Pack food, drinks, a cap, sunblock, and a camera. Bring along a cooler to carry your fish after you leave the boat.
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FAQs about La Costa Charters

La Costa Charters offers the following trips to customers:
  • US $650 per group - Half Day Trip (AM) (4 hours)
  • US $650 per group - Half Day Trip (PM) (4 hours)
  • US $750 per group - Extended Half Day Trip (5 hours)
  • US $850 per group - 3/4 Day Trip (6 hours)
  • US $1,250 per group - Full Day Trip (8 hours)
  • US $1,450 per group - Extended Full day (10 hours)

When you book a trip with La Costa Charters, you can expect the following amenities onboard:
  • Toilet
  • GPS
  • Fishfinder
  • Bed
  • Snorkeling Equipment
  • Live Bait Well
  • Multimedia System
  • Ice Box
  • Radar

Trips booked with La Costa Charters include:
  • Rods, reels & tackle
  • Live Bait
  • Lures
  • Catch cleaning & filleting
  • First Mate
  • Fishing License

La Costa Charters offers the following types of fishing:
  • Nearshore Fishing
  • Offshore Fishing
  • Reef Fishing
  • Wreck Fishing

La Costa Charters offers the following fishing techniques:
  • Light Tackle
  • Heavy Tackle
  • Bottom Fishing
  • Trolling
  • Spinning
  • Jigging
  • Drift Fishing
  • Handline
  • Spearfishing
  • Deep Sea Fishing

Top targeted fish species with La Costa Charters include:
  • Amberjack
  • Barracuda (Great)
  • Cobia
  • Grouper (Gag)
  • Grouper (Goliath)
  • Grouper (Red)
  • Hogfish
  • Shark (Bull)
  • Snapper (Mangrove)
  • Snapper (Red)

Meet the Captain

Patrick Eckelbarger
Treasure Island, Florida, United States
ID & license verified
357 Customer reviews
Response time 1 hour
Member since January 2015
I specialize in offshore bottom fishing and trolling in the abundant St. Petersburg and Madeira Beach fishing grounds. I always wanted to be a captain since I was a kid and was lucky enough to live my dream. I love targeting Red Grouper, Amberjack, Hogfish, Gag Grouper, Snappers, Kingfish, Tunas, as well as various pelagics inhabiting the offshore grounds. This is my passion and we will do everything to show you what La Costa Charters is all about and why you are in good hands with us. We guarantee it!

About this listing

Targeted species

Amberjack Amberjack
Barracuda (Great) Great Barracuda
Cobia Cobia
Grouper (Gag) Gag Grouper

Boat specs

Sabalo (Pilothouse) originally built in 2006. Powered by a 330HP Cummins engine.

Length
32 ft
Capacity
6 persons

Types of fishing

Nearshore Fishing
Offshore Fishing
Reef Fishing
Wreck Fishing

Fishing techniques

Light Tackle
Heavy Tackle
Bottom Fishing
Trolling
Spinning
Jigging
Drift Fishing
Handline
Spearfishing
Deep Sea Fishing

Amenities

Toilet
GPS
Fishfinder
Bed
Snorkeling Equipment
Live Bait Well

Trip includes

Rods, reels & tackle
Live Bait
Lures
Catch cleaning & filleting
First Mate
Fishing License

Cancellation policy

Free cancellation up to 3 days prior to trip

You can cancel or modify your booking up to 3 days before the trip date, free of charge. If you cancel or modify your booking later, or fail to show up, you'll forfeit 100% of what you've paid.

Listing policies

Pickup not included
Transfer to/from departure site is not included in trip rates.
Child Friendly
You Keep Catch
Catch and Release Allowed

Payment

Book with 10% deposit, pay rest to captain

When the captain confirms your trip, FishingBooker charges your credit card a 10% deposit to guarantee your reservation.

The remaining balance is to be paid directly to the charter operator on or prior to your trip date in one of the following payment methods:

Cash
Visa
Mastercard
American Express

Treasure Island Fishing Calendar

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Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.9 / 5
out of 5 stars from 346 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (498)
Great trip!
Perfect relaxed fishing trip
Perfect relaxed fishing trip
+495
Angler rating
319
17
7
0
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
96%
Friendly captain
99%
Recommend this charter
97%
Appropriate for children
95%
Satisfied with the boat
99%
Caught fish
91%
Sort by:
Featured  
Showing:
5 of 346 reviews
Caren V.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great trip!

VERIFIED   NEW  3/4 Day Trip on March 20, 2024
Captain Patrick and Brad were fantastic!  They were patient with a group of mainly novice fishermen and made sure we were...
Caren V. recommends La Costa Charters
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Caren V. recommends La Costa Charters
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Alexandra W.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Perfect relaxed fishing trip

VERIFIED   NEW  Half Day Trip (AM) on March 5, 2024
A couple friends and I went out with them and had the BEST time! They had everything ready to go and made sure we had an amazing...
Alexandra W. recommends La Costa Charters
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Alexandra W. recommends La Costa Charters
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Phil K.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Excellent trip with Captain Patrick

VERIFIED   Extended Half Day Trip on January 15, 2024
Met up with the captain and first mate and Captain Patrick ran us out to his first location and after the Captain and first...
Phil K. recommends La Costa Charters
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  Patrick Eckelbarger Captain replied

Jay W.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Excellent experience

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (AM) on February 7, 2024
Captain Patrick was great. Not only did he take us to great fishing spots he also gave great advice on local business,  restaurants...
Jay W. recommends La Costa Charters
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Jay W. recommends La Costa Charters
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Bruce G.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing with Patrick

VERIFIED   Full Day Trip on July 3, 2023
Bruce G. recommends La Costa Charters
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
Bruce G. recommends La Costa Charters
Mark review as helpful
1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful