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.

My Charter Listing

Excellent
4.9 / 5
(87 reviews)
St. Petersburg
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $300

Fishing Reports

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.9 / 5
out of 5 stars from 87 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (81)
Couple old guys!
Couple old guys!
Couple old guys!
+78
Angler rating
81
1
0
1
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
100%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
94%
Appropriate for children
100%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Caught fish
95%
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5 of 87 reviews
Ray W.

The captain canceled

VERIFIED   March 16, 2025
The charter operator canceled on trip date. This is an automated posting.
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Devon F.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Awesome day on the water

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (AM) on July 2, 2024
Capt Bernie was amazing! Very knowledgeable about the species we were catching and knew multiple places to catch them to ensure...
Devon F. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
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Dennis D.
Grand Rapids, MI
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Wow. Never caught so many fish

VERIFIED   4 Hour Afternoon Trip on April 5, 2023
Bernie was awesome. Put us on the fish right away and we never stopped catching. 4 hour afternoon trip with my wife and two...
Dennis D. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
Dennis D. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful

Robert D.
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience:
Very good
4.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall
Considering all of my communication problems Burnie worked hard to make sure we would meat up for the trip. I had come over...
Robert D. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
Robert D. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful

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

Great trip!

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip (AM) on July 5, 2024
Captain Bernie did great! He was at the dock in the water when we arrived, short boat ride out and he had us on fish right...
Steven W. recommends First Cast Fishing Charters
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1 person finds this review helpful
You and 1 other person found this review helpful
  Bernie Vinoski Captain replied