Captain
Patrick Eckelbarger
Member since January 2015
Treasure Island, United States
- Background
- 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!
Hey, I'm Captain Patrick Eckelbarger
- Background
- 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!
My Charter Listings
angler's choice
US$ 125
Customer Reviews
4.71 out of 5 stars from 51 reviews
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, June 14, 2018
Awesome charter!! Captain Patrick is amazing and very knowledgeable. Kept us on the fish all day and a lot of different species. Highly recommend!
Donald Kinyon recommends La Costa ChartersFished June 2018
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Replied to this review on Thursday, June 14, 2018
Thank you! Awesome day and hope you have a great honeymoon!
VERIFIED Went fishing on Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Captain Patrick and his Deckhand Michael were wonderful. They were very friendly, helpful and informative. Captain Patrick was always looking to find a better spot when fishing slowed down. We ended up with many fish for eating, and even better memories. This was the 1st charter I have booked through this website and I would definitely book with La Costa Charters once again.
Edward Smith recommends La Costa ChartersFished May 2018
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Replied to this review on Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Thanks so much and was a great trip and great crew! Look forward to fishing again!
VERIFIED Went fishing on Friday, April 27, 2018
Had a great time with Captain Patrick! Very personable, hard working and knowledgeable. Every species we caught, and we caught quite a few, he gave us a brief rundown of the fish. Best charter me and my family have been on! Thanks Patrick! We will be back!
Seth Calebaugh recommends La Costa ChartersFished April 2018
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Replied to this review on Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Thanks so much for coming out! It was a great trip.
VERIFIED Went fishing on Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Capt. Pat was awesome. Put us right on the fish, were catching grunts, grouper and snapper immediately after dropping anchor.
After returning to the marina he and a mate cleaned and fillet or fish. Capt. Pat hen recommend that if we wanted to eat the fish right away to go down the road to a restaurant called Sea Critters and they would cook out catch any way we wanted it, provide 2 sides fur $8.99 per plate.
That was and awesome call by Capt. Pat, that was as fresh at it could have possible been, 1 hour after catching the fish my son’s and I were eating our catch and it was prepared perfectly, highly recommend. Thanks Capt Pat, we will see you again next time we are in Florida.
Richard Haist recommends La Costa ChartersFished December 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Saturday, August 19, 2017
Never had an empty hook. The crew was very attentive and knowledgeable. We caught a fish within the first ten minutes of arriving to the location. Had a mixed group of avid fisherman to beginners and everyone had a great time.
Lindsay Lapham recommends La Costa ChartersFished August 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, July 27, 2017
Captain Patrick and Mate, Mike were very nice and treated my family with courtesy and respect. Both Patrick and Mike worked very hard to keep the lines with bait and removal of the catch. Couple of things that I would have done differently as I have chartered other boats. When we first went out, Captain Patrick stopped the boat about 1/2 mile or so offshore to catch bait fish. The attempt was unsuccessful and we spent about twenty minutes trying to do. It would be a good idea as done on other trips to have all parties aboard attempt to catch the bait fish to make this process move along a bit faster. Once offshore, the fish were biting but the fish were no bigger than 17-18 inches in which fish this size can be caught near shore. We threw a majority of them back but kept some sort of fish that was legal (5-7 inches). I did catch a Bonita fish however, that’s a trash fish and was used for bait in an attempt to catch a Goliath Grouper in which we were unsuccessful. We fished in three separate locations and brought back to shore about a 1/4 gallon size bag of fillets. We took the fish to a restaurant once onshore for lunch and the fish tasted horrible. My kids did have fun and caught several small fish, my daughter was slaying the fish but as indicated, they were not big enough. In conclusion for being Offshore 20 miles, I was a little disappointed on the quality of fish that were brought aboard. The fishing equipment could be upgraded as well.While heading to the third stop, we were boarded by the US Coast Guard. Captain Patrick did pass inspection and I was glad he did! All in all, upgraded equipment and better fishing stops would have made this a five star rating. If your looking for just to go fishing for the experience and a boat ride, this is for you.
Thank you.
Brian From TexasBrian Kaminsky recommends La Costa ChartersFished July 2017
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Replied to this review on Thursday, August 10, 2017
Brian,
I’m sorry that you felt this way about the experience. If you want bigger fish you must run the distance and we only went 15 miles. On half days, this is the haul that you can get sometimes. Most of your keeper grouper are 30 miles or more offshore this time of year which you cannot do on a half day. I always say that as I don’t want my clients to get the wrong impression of what the catch might be.
Thanks again
VERIFIED Went fishing on Wednesday, August 2, 2017
The weather chased his away first day he was nice enough to try it again another day. And we were clobbered again with bad weather.. tough luck for u s but Patrick was awesome.! Will come back again next year..!
Joe Sinchek recommends La Costa ChartersFished August 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, July 13, 2017
caught nine different types of fish including a puffer and trigger fish that you only see in the aquariums. Crew knew where to go to get the action going. Sight seeing on way out a bonus. My big one had its back three quarters shredded by a shark or barracuda when reeling in. Recommended local hook and cook very inexpensive fish tasted great! Thanks Capt Pat and First Mate Mike.
Peter Simons recommends La Costa ChartersFished July 2017
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Replied to this review on Thursday, July 20, 2017
So glad you enjoyed the trip and will look forward to fishing with you again!
VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, June 22, 2017
Captain Mike is an excellent captain. We had extremely rough seas, and didn’t get to fish, but he was very attentive to our party, and tried to fish for shark. Will book again when we get to go back to Florida!
Bill Crites recommends La Costa ChartersFished June 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Wednesday, June 21, 2017
The trip was good. We enjoyed ourselves. The only thing we would have wanted to be better was the quantity of fish. We caught a 39.5 in cobia and 2 Bonitas. There were three people total so that was one fish a piece. We understood the fishing was affected by the latest tropical storm. The water was merky and therefore the fish had a hard time finding the bait. We could see all the big fish swimming so we knew we were in a good spot. This was out of the captains control so we would try them again as he was knowledgeable and knew what he was doing and was a nice guy. Overall a good experience.
Brittany Brandau recommends La Costa ChartersFished June 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, June 29, 2017
Wow!!! What can I say? Capt. Patrick is a true professional along with his first mate, he put us on the fish right away. We couldn’t stop catching fish, we caught numerous species, but besides that he was very helpful to everyone on the boat and very informative on what to do, he help us a lot. The end of the trip was the most unforgettable part of the trip when we caught a 200+ plus Goliath Grouper it was an awesome experience that we all enjoy.. Thank you Capt. Patrick we are for sure to use you again in the near future.
Alfredo Arroyo recommends La Costa ChartersFished June 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Friday, June 9, 2017
Our trip was everything we could imagine. Patrick was excellent and fun with the kids. He put us on fish all day. His mate Michael was on the ball. We waited for nothing as he worked his tail off. Book your trip with La Costa Charters. You wont regret it. Hogfish, Grouper, Snapper, Grunt. We had the time of our lives!
Melissa Christian recommends La Costa ChartersFished June 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Saturday, June 17, 2017
Captain Patrick and First Mate Michael provided our family with a memorable celebration of Fathers Day 2017. Three generations were on the boat ranging in age from 11 to 72 and all had a great time catching many fish. Patrick and Michael kept the action going and moved quickly when the bite slowed down. I would recommend this charter to anyone looking for a good day of fishing with the family.
Alek Albach recommends La Costa ChartersFished June 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Saturday, June 3, 2017
We had a fantastic day with Captain Patrick and Michael. They were so determined for us to catch fish and Michael never stopped baiting hooks and helping us out. We caught plenty of Red Snapper and Grouper and one person on the boat was able to land a black fin Tuna. On the way back Michael grilled some snapper and grouper that was caught the day before. It was delicious. You can’t go wrong with these guys. I’ll definitely repeat next time I’m in the area.
Andy Thompson recommends La Costa ChartersFished June 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Sunday, June 4, 2017
Patrick and Micheal were nice, and worked hard, but…
I’ve been fishing many times, including several all day party boats, but had never been out very deep. We went on this trip (at considerable expense), hoping to catch many memorable fish. Out of our six man party, 3 of us did not caught one or fewer keepers.
The boat only goes 17.5 MPH, so going out takes 2.75 hours (with absolutely no fishing), and 2.75 hours back (with absolutely no fishing). Once we reached our destination, we spent half our time pulling anchor and repositioning. I guess these long waits are OK if you catch great fish at your destination, but we did not.
The boat had nice shade, but was too slow for a trip like this.
The equipment was not the best , making it difficult to know if you were on the bottom.
The bathroom was just a plastic port a potty inside the very rough cabin.
If the boat ride is what you are after, this is the trip for you. If you would like to spend more time fishing, explore other options.Lorraine Kirk does not recommend La Costa ChartersFished June 2017
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Replied to this review on Monday, June 5, 2017
Im sorry that you were this dissatisfied. We did everything to catch fish and did. The growth this time of year has been bad for the bottom of the boat as we usually run a little faster. We have to run far to catch the fish you wanting to catch. We actually stayed out for more then 11 hrs in total as I wanted to try and see if we could catch some more fish and did. An extra 2 hours. The wind was changing the anchor heading all day and would blow us off the spot ( something I cannot control). The equipment is the same equipment we always use for our customers. The porta potty is clean and flushes and has toilet paper just like another other toilet in a enclosed cabin. The bite was also tough that day and we did everything we could to catch fish and did.
VERIFIED Went fishing on Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Took some friends from Orlando including 2 first timers had an awesome time. Caught a bunch of fish grouper snapper and even ran in to some mahi! We are already planning to go out again in June. Capt. Patrick and Micheal are awesome got us on fish and kept us fishing all day! Thanks again guys and hope to see you soon for more!!
Dan Murray recommends La Costa ChartersFished May 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Sunday, March 26, 2017
Captain Patrick and First Mate Michael did a great job. We had a group of 5. Which included 7 year old twins. Captain and crew are very knowledgable and taught everyone about the fish we caught. Fun was had by all.
Luann Mularz recommends La Costa ChartersFished March 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Saturday, March 11, 2017
Great trip with young kids. Capt Patrick and his deck hand were very good with the kids. I was happy with the overall experience! Caught a lot of fish, amberjack, grouper, porgy and snapper. I am looking forward to booking another trip with them!
Marc Hanscom recommends La Costa ChartersFished March 2017
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Friday, July 15, 2016
I have been looking for an awesome memorable trip for my children. We chose a 3/4 day in hopes of catching a red snapper and keeper grouper. Well, we not only landed these, we landed two huge black fin tuna - sushi grade and if it were not for the skill and quick thinking of the crew, we would have not ever done that on our own. They were so obviously experienced to land two at once and we were thrilled. We went to a local dive called willeys and had they fry, blacken and sear the fish. We have it packed in ice and plan to eat it for next few days. The boat is great and has shade but be sure to ask for the bean bags. The captain is first rate and mate is a joy to be with and work with. They let my teens have much autonomy but ensuring they didn’t lose a fish. We are so so happy we had this experience and we will return
Carole Inge recommends La Costa ChartersFished July 2016
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Friday, July 22, 2016
I wanted to create the same experience for my youngest son and daughter as I had as a child. Going deep sea fishing with the captain and crew made the experience lasting and amazing
Jerome Schulz recommends La Costa ChartersFished July 2016
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Saturday, July 2, 2016
Excellent trip. Cap and crew always had a line ready for us. Even caught a very rara African Pompano. Thanks Cap we’ll be returning customers for years to come.
Eduardo Fajardo recommends La Costa ChartersFished July 2016
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Replied to this review on Wednesday, July 6, 2016
What a great day out there! Thanks again Eddie
VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, June 23, 2016
Captain Patrick and his first mate Michael were both incredibly friendly knowledgeable and helpful. They assure that we caught fish and had fun at the same time. Would highly recommend for anyone looking for a good charter fishing experience.
William Moberly recommends La Costa ChartersFished June 2016
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Our group had a great time fishing with La Costa Charters. Captain Patrick and his first mate Will were terrific. Patrick laid out a game plan for our trip at the docks and stuck to it. At our first stop we were catching fish as soon as we dropped our lines in the water. Our group caught Grunts, King Mackerel, and black tail Tuna. I would go with these guys again next time we are in St. Petersburg area.
Adam Hurd recommends La Costa ChartersFished May 2016
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Great day out at sea. Caught fish right away even a black finned Tuna which was rare. It was a family trip with three teenagers! Lots of fun! Captain Pat and First mate Ryan were the best. Fish were cleaned at the dock for us to take if we wanted. :) Collins Family
Wallace Collins recommends La Costa ChartersFished April 2016
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Sunday, April 3, 2016
It was nice, we caught more than enough fish. Everyone we went with had a great time. Very relaxing. Thanks guys!
Sompratana Sisombath recommends La Costa ChartersFished April 2016
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Replied to this review on Thursday, April 7, 2016
Thank you for coming out with us. You guys were a blast!
VERIFIED Went fishing on Monday, March 28, 2016
Captain Patrick and Ryan provided myself, my daughter and son-in-law with a fantastic experience. None of us have fished very much and they were very helpful in instructing us and helping us to be comfortable with the scene on the ocean. A great time was had by all!
Paul Hammarberg recommends La Costa ChartersFished March 2016
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Sunday, January 10, 2016
Capt Patrick and Mate Will took us out today and put us right on the fish we were interested in catching. They’re both very knowledgeable and took care of everything we needed, so you could focus solely on the fish. We’ll definitely be choosing them for our next Charter, had a great time.
Brian Dunn recommends La Costa ChartersFished January 2016
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Went fishing on Friday, November 27, 2015
Captain Patrick and deckmate Michael made our family outing very relaxing and fun. The trip was so easy for us because Patrick and Michael did all the hard work. We just relaxed, had fun, enjoyed the beautiful day and caught fish all day. We highly recommend La Costa Charters.
Kerry Hogan recommends La Costa ChartersFished November 2015
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Replied to this review on Sunday, November 29, 2015
Thanks we had great trip and look forward to another!
VERIFIED Went fishing on Saturday, September 5, 2015
This was by far the best charter I have ever used. Captain Patrick and his deck hand Michael we very professional, knowledgeable, and know all the good fishing holes. We had 6 people in our group and in our first stop we almost caught our limit of red grouper. All total we caught 12 Red Grouper, 1 Gag Grouper, 3 Snapper, and 2 of the largest Grunts that the captain had ever seen. The boat was very spacious and comfortable. It was probably the smoothest running boat I have ever been on which is saying a lot because I used to have a 23 foot Contender. I will definitely be booking with La Costa Charters again and will recommend them to everybody I can.
Matthew James Richardson recommends La Costa ChartersFished September 2015
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Monday, August 17, 2015
The boat was great for fishing from, also got us to the spots quickly so we did not just have a long boat ride. We had five in our party. Not sure I would have liked fishing one more. Captain knew the right spots for the species of fish we were interested in. He worked hard as he did not have mate.
The only negatives I would comment on: Before we left dock, the captain announced we should use the shore bathrooms before we leave as the head on the boat stopped working the day before. The head was one of the boat features that was important to me as my wife was along with my two sons and one grandson. Not a real inconvenience for us guys, but so for the wife on an eight hour trip. The second item was the anchor wench broke while we were out. Captain had to spend some time getting the anchor line unraveled which ate into some fishing time. He also then had to deploy and retrieve the anchor by hand after that. Made it more difficult for him. But he endured and we caught some nice grouper.
I would not let the difficulties we encountered stop me from booking with them again. All in all, it was a great day and experience.
Have not downloaded pictures to the computer yet to attach here.
Charles Besecker recommends La Costa ChartersFished August 2015
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, August 6, 2015
Took wife and two daughters out for a half day. 20 miles out, we caught red grouper, yellowtail snapper,and grunts. TONS of fun. Afterward, we went to Willy’s and had the fish cooked up…blackened and fried. Delicious! Would do it again in a heartbeat.
Matt Campbell recommends La Costa ChartersFished August 2015
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Friday, July 3, 2015
The fishing was a lot of fun. The Captain and deck hand were great and I would recommend them to anyone that asked. We did catch fish but not anything large enough to brag about. But that’s fishing. My experience with FishingBooker was really good and I will use this service again in the future.
Thanks
William J. Walsh recommends La Costa ChartersFished July 2015
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Great fishing experience with Captain Patrick and his mate Michael. They know where to go and guarantees you will catch what you are aiming for. We caught all the species we wanted to catch specially the American red snappers. Awesome trip. Will certainly hire Captain Patrick again. Thank you for your recommendation. Photos attached as a testament to our experience.
Gerry Balallo recommends La Costa ChartersFished June 2015
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VERIFIED Went fishing on Thursday, April 2, 2015
There is no other boat to charter except for La Costa! She’s the best on the sea with a knowledgeable, fun and professional Captain to go with her. Our family of five had the BEST TIME EVER last week with Captain Patrick from start to finish. We could not have envisioned a more picturesque day of reeling in more fish than we knew what to do with. By and far, this is the Captain, the boat and the rigs you want for your one of a kind experience on the crystal sea waters. Our many thanks to Captain Patrick & his 1st Mate for starting our vacation off with more incredible memories and fun that we continue to share with family, friends & colleagues!
All the best -
The Carey FamilySusan Carey recommends La Costa ChartersFished April 2015
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