One of our top picks in Palm Harbor. When it comes to fishing guides in the Tampa Bay area, few can compete with Captain John O’Hanlon. With over 30 years of fishing experience to his name, Captain John has been at the helm of larger boats as well as several skiffs, working both for himself and learning from other charter operators. Having lived on the water most of his life, John has garnered extensive knowledge of how the fish of Tampa Bay behave and how weather and water conditions affect your chances of catching one and is well prepared for catering to all your nearshore, inshore or flats fishing desires.

Captain John operates a 23’ Mako center console, powered by a single 200 HP Mercury. The boat features a trolling motor and a fighting chair for handling those trophy fish and comes equipped with the standard array of marine electronics, such as GPS, radio, and Fishfinder. It can comfortably accommodate up to 4 anglers per trip.

Though he has now retired from tournament fishing, Captain John is proud to be a member of the Mercury PRO team, having both claimed and placed in various grouper and kingfish tournaments. Apart from spending time on the water virtually every day, John has also spent several years extensively scuba diving the waters of Florida. All of that has helped him better understand how bottom structures affect fish feeding patterns and migration patterns, making him one of the best inshore fishing guides in the Tampa Bay area.

Some of the species you’ll be targeting on your trip include Redfish, Snook, Sea Trout, Mackerel, a variety of Shark species and many more. Captain John will supply all the fishing gear you’ll need, as well as both live and artificial bait. Guests are welcome to keep their fish following the trip, after which they’ll receive a complimentary cleaning and bagging of the catch.