Captain
Bernie Vinoski

Member since November 2018 St. Petersburg, United States
Background
I have been addicted to fishing for most of my life. My father and grandfather, both Miami natives, put a rod in my hand at a very young age. I have 20+ years of solid experience fishing the Tampa Bay, Florida Keys, East Coast, and have traveled many times to Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico fishing with some of the most well-known guides in search of trophies. I've fished professionally since my late teens when I joined the Pursuit Fishing Team on the SKA Circuit and FLW King Fish Championship Series. I worked as a Chef for 17 years, fishing as a hobby through my twenties, and became a full-time, licensed captain in my late 20s. I have owned and operated many different boats over the years, from Mavericks and Shearwaters to Pursuits and Jupiters. I recently acquired my favorite boat yet, the Aeon 23 DLX. I love fishing more than just about anything else. Moreover, I love taking people fishing and teaching them about our local species and ecology.
Techniques
I specialize in light tackle fishing using spinners for just about everything. I fish live bait almost always but don't be surprised if I break out an artificial. I love fishing soft plastics and spoons on the flats and targeting Tarpon with hogies and paddletails. I use some conventional tackle when trolling for Kingfish and targeting large predators such as Cobia and sharks.

Hey, I'm Captain Bernie Vinoski

St. Petersburg, United States
Background
I have been addicted to fishing for most of my life. My father and grandfather, both Miami natives, put a rod in my hand at a very young age. I have 20+ years of solid experience fishing the Tampa Bay, Florida Keys, East Coast, and have traveled many times to Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico fishing with some of the most well-known guides in search of trophies. I've fished professionally since my late teens when I joined the Pursuit Fishing Team on the SKA Circuit and FLW King Fish Championship Series. I worked as a Chef for 17 years, fishing as a hobby through my twenties, and became a full-time, licensed captain in my late 20s. I have owned and operated many different boats over the years, from Mavericks and Shearwaters to Pursuits and Jupiters. I recently acquired my favorite boat yet, the Aeon 23 DLX. I love fishing more than just about anything else. Moreover, I love taking people fishing and teaching them about our local species and ecology.
Techniques
I specialize in light tackle fishing using spinners for just about everything. I fish live bait almost always but don't be surprised if I break out an artificial. I love fishing soft plastics and spoons on the flats and targeting Tarpon with hogies and paddletails. I use some conventional tackle when trolling for Kingfish and targeting large predators such as Cobia and sharks.
Anglers Choice
Verified

My Charter Listing

Excellent
4.9 / 5
(74 reviews)
Angler's choice
St. Petersburg
 Instant Confirmation
trips from US $600

Fishing Reports

Big Tarpon and tons of Snook!
Big Tarpon and tons of Snook!
Jun 16, 2019 St. Petersburg
The fishing has been fantastic this Spring and May and June are no exception! We have been blessed with some really great weather (until recently) which allowed Captain Bernie to run a ton of trips and catch some incredible fish! The Tarpon bite has been great and fish are being caught in the passes, at the bridges, and off the beaches. It pays to come prepared for a day of Tarpon fishing with a line up of different baits and tactics to get these fish flying all over the place and this is how we do it at First Cast. Dead bait, live bait, crabs, shad, cut bait, it all plays an important roll in hooking into a monster Tarpon. Angler โ€œScottโ€ featured in the photo below fought this 200lb Class fish for almost 2 hours before we landed it, grabbed a couple quick photos, and sent her off swimming to fight another day. We will be targeting these fish for the next couple months until they eventually leave our area. Give us a call and book a Full Day Tarpon Trip to have the best chance and getting up close with one of these amazing fish. In between stellar Tarpon bites, Captain Bernie has been running trips on the flats and back in the mangroves producing high numbers of Snook in the 20-30in range. The fish are most active early in the morning and have been feeding on mainly pilchards and pinfish. Flounder have also been making an appearance on many of our trips and they provide an opportunity for clients to take some fish home for dinner. These fish are fantastic table fair and put up a pretty good fight. Tampa Bay flounder are most abundant in the 8-12in range so catching a big one is always a welcomed catch. The Redfish should start getting fired up her in the next month or so, so be on the lookout for some big ones in our next fishing report!
Continue reading

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.9 / 5
out of 5 stars from 74 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (52)
Wonderful trip!
Wonderful trip!
Wonderful trip!
+49
Angler rating
69
1
0
1
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
100%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
95%
Appropriate for children
100%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Caught fish
94%
Sort by:
Featured  
Showing:
5 of 74 reviews
Steve D.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Cold front moved in but Capt found some fish

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (AM) on November 28, 2023
Front moved in and dropped the temp to low fifties. Water temp dropped 3 degrees and had a extreme low tide.ย  Started out...
Steve D. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
Steve D. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful

Dan D.
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Very good
4.0 / 5
Overall

Florida slam completed!

VERIFIED   NEW  Half Day Trip (AM) on March 25, 2024
It was SUPER windy, but Bernie work hard to get us in some good spots to catch fish. Other captains probably wouldโ€™ve cancelled...
Dan D. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
Dan D. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful

Jackson K.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Amazing Experience

VERIFIED   3/4 Day Trip on August 9, 2023
Captain Bernie was very knowledgeable about the species and habitat fished. It was an honor to spend quality time with my wife...
Jackson K. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
Jackson K. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful

Jeff W.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall
What a great time today but the fishing was really slow. Bernie did his best and worked really hard to get us on some fish.ย ...
Jeff W. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
Jeff W. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful

Eugene R.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing with Bernie

VERIFIED   NEW  Half Day Trip (AM) on April 7, 2024
Eugene R. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful
Eugene R. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
Mark review as helpful
You found this review helpful