Captain
David McPeak

Member since May 2023 Matlacha, United States
Background
I started fishing like most people do when I was just a kid, around 4 years old. Some of my favorite childhood pictures were of holding fish bigger than me! One day (around 12 years old), I tied some old deer hair to a random hook, and my dad said, "Do you want to learn how to really tie flies?" That was the beginning of a life-long obsession and passion for fishing. Since then, I've traveled all over the US and South America to fish. Most of the trips revolved around fly fishing for Trout. I've been to British Columbia, Alberta, Arkansas, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Idaho, New York, Pennsylvania, Argentina, and now, most importantly, Southwest Florida, where I live. In 2018 I decided it was finally time to teach other people how to catch the many Trout and Bass species found in the rivers and tailwaters of Upstate NY, so I started my own guide service. At the time, I had a full-time job, and I was only able to guide part-time, but it was enough of a challenge and thrill to ignite my passion for teaching/coaching, and I soon had as much fun helping others catch trophy fish as I did catching them myself! I've been fishing in the Matlacha area a lot over the last several years, and I have managed to catch a number of different species both on the fly and also on traditional lightweight spinning tackle. I've hired multiple guides myself in order to learn how to target each species, and I have developed great friendships, and I continue to learn from them every day. It’s critical to stay up on what the trends are and learn about how the tides affect your odds of catching fish effectively and consistently. It’s probably the most important thing that I realized long ago, you can always learn something new. Let's stay safe, have fun, learn and catch fish!
Techniques
Fly Fishing has always been my preferred method to catch anything that swims, however, I have also become a fan of using light spinning tackle and artificials to connect with some over-slot predators. So, whether you prefer to fly fish, spin fish or a combination of both, we can have a great day on the water!

Hey, I'm Captain David McPeak

Matlacha, United States
Background
I started fishing like most people do when I was just a kid, around 4 years old. Some of my favorite childhood pictures were of holding fish bigger than me! One day (around 12 years old), I tied some old deer hair to a random hook, and my dad said, "Do you want to learn how to really tie flies?" That was the beginning of a life-long obsession and passion for fishing. Since then, I've traveled all over the US and South America to fish. Most of the trips revolved around fly fishing for Trout. I've been to British Columbia, Alberta, Arkansas, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Idaho, New York, Pennsylvania, Argentina, and now, most importantly, Southwest Florida, where I live. In 2018 I decided it was finally time to teach other people how to catch the many Trout and Bass species found in the rivers and tailwaters of Upstate NY, so I started my own guide service. At the time, I had a full-time job, and I was only able to guide part-time, but it was enough of a challenge and thrill to ignite my passion for teaching/coaching, and I soon had as much fun helping others catch trophy fish as I did catching them myself! I've been fishing in the Matlacha area a lot over the last several years, and I have managed to catch a number of different species both on the fly and also on traditional lightweight spinning tackle. I've hired multiple guides myself in order to learn how to target each species, and I have developed great friendships, and I continue to learn from them every day. It’s critical to stay up on what the trends are and learn about how the tides affect your odds of catching fish effectively and consistently. It’s probably the most important thing that I realized long ago, you can always learn something new. Let's stay safe, have fun, learn and catch fish!
Techniques
Fly Fishing has always been my preferred method to catch anything that swims, however, I have also become a fan of using light spinning tackle and artificials to connect with some over-slot predators. So, whether you prefer to fly fish, spin fish or a combination of both, we can have a great day on the water!
Verified

My Charter Listings

Excellent
5.0 / 5
(5 reviews)
Matlacha
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $395
Excellent
4.9 / 5
(6 reviews)
Matlacha
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $395

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
5.0 / 5
out of 5 stars from 12 reviews
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (10)
Fishing with Capt Dave
Found some hungry Jack Crevalle in the shallows
One day with Captain Dave
+7
Angler rating
9
0
0
0
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
100%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
75%
Appropriate for children
89%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Caught fish
100%
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Showing:
5 of 12 reviews
James M.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing with Capt Dave

VERIFIED   Full Day Trip on March 29, 2025
Capt Dave is an awesome guide, extremely nice, gave all the instruction you will need to catch fish, started out with top water...
James M. recommends Salt Bay Charters โ€“ Cape Coral
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Tim H.
Johnson City, NY
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

One day with Captain Dave

Full Day Trip on October 10, 2023
I noticed there were virtually no other boats on the water.ย  Captain Dave explained that the day was too cold, and the non-stop...
Tim H. recommends Salt Bay Charters โ€“ Cape Coral
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Sandra W.
Endicott, New York
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half day trip with Captain Dave

Half Day Trip (Morning) on July 9, 2023
We booked Captain Dave of Salt Bay Charters through FishingBooker.com. We live out of the area so we wanted no stress of trailering...
Sandra W. recommends Salt Bay Charters โ€“ Matlacha
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Larry K.
Fort Myers, FL
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Full day with Capt. Dave

Full Day Trip on September 23, 2023
We fished many beautiful locations with fast moving water and had great action with soft bait, spinners, popping corks and...
Larry K. recommends Salt Bay Charters โ€“ Cape Coral
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George K.
Cape Coral, Florida
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Full day with CPT David

Full Day Trip on June 24, 2023
Spent a full day with CPT David, was absolutely amazing. From the first stop he had us on fish. Very knowledgeable and patient....
George K. recommends Salt Bay Charters โ€“ Matlacha
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1 person finds this review helpful
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  David McPeak Captain replied