Ruskin
Instant Confirmation
Trips from
US $375
Captain
Ken Tutalo
Ruskin, United States
25+ reviews
I have been involved in fishing all my life. For over 24 years I have been a fly fishing guide and a fly fishing outfitter. I own Baxter House Fly Fishing Outfitters and offer destination fly fishing trips in New York State and in the Tampa Bay area of Florida.
From November through April I am chartering shallow water fishing trips in the beautiful estuary of Tampa Bay.
I am also a regular at the Winter Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Shows. I regularly demonstrate fly tying techniques and gives seminars on topics pertaining to Fly Fishing.
I am also a published writer with articles in many major publications. I have also had several appearances on television, working with Discovery Channel, CBS News, New York Department of Tourism, Discover America, On the Water TV, and more.
Charter
Rating
5.0
28 reviews
4.9
Boat & Equipment
5.0
Captain & Crew
5.0
Fishing Experience
Anglers' gallery (35)
All reviews (28)
Showing 1 – 5 of 28 reviews
Isaac Fitzgerald
Wisconsin, US•Member since 20265.0VerifiedNever a Dull Moment
3/4 Day Light Tackle Trip • 2 adultsI don’t think we went 5 minutes without a fish. Could not recommend this trip more. The spots were loaded with fish that fight like crazy and opportunities that I’ve never had with other charters. If you’ve never been to the bay or fished in saltwater, there’s not a single trip I recommend more than this.
Response from Captainthanks for the great review! was a pleasure having you and Hayden on the water.
Neal DonnerFlorida, US•Member since 20265.0VerifiedNEW OR OLD TO SALTWATER FISHING!! KEN CAN SHOW YOU THE WAY!!
Half Day Fly Fishing Trip - 2:30 PM • 2 adultsvery patient and excellent instructor for learning the ropes of saltwater fishing. knowledgeable of the area and fish.
Response from Captain
Jonathan EggersNew York, US•Member since 20265.0Verifiedknowledgeable local captain.
Half Day Light Tackle Trip • 2 adultscaught fish good conversation saw wildlife
Response from CaptainThanks Jonathan! Enjoyed having you and Jason on the water.
Christian DunnRepeat anglerJohnstown, PA, US•Member since 2018•4 trips5.0VerifiedFishing with Ken
Half Day Light Tackle Trip • 1 adultReported catch:
Response from Captainthanks!
Koji KurokawaRepeat anglerSouth Carolina, US•Member since 2025•2 trips4.7VerifiedFishing with Ken
3/4 Day Light Tackle Trip • 1 adultReported catch:Response from CaptainThanks for the review. It was a pleasure showing you my fishing area. Look forward to seeing you again!
Real catches shared by our community
- Ken Tutalo's Fly Fishing and Light TackleRuskin, FL
- Ken Tutalo's Fly Fishing and Light TackleRuskin, FL
- Ken Tutalo's Fly Fishing and Light TackleRuskin, FL
- Ken Tutalo's Fly Fishing and Light TackleRuskin, FL
- Ken Tutalo's Fly Fishing and Light TackleRuskin, FL
- Ken Tutalo's Fly Fishing and Light TackleRuskin, FL
- Ken Tutalo's Fly Fishing and Light TackleRuskin, FL
- Ken Tutalo's Fly Fishing and Light TackleRuskin, FL
- Ken Tutalo's Fly Fishing and Light TackleRuskin, FL
What's biting with Ken Tutalo's Fly Fishing and Light Tackle in Ruskin
Top catches for September
Fishing reports
Great day on the water for Koji!
Mar 2, 2026 • Ruskin
The water is warming up and the action is hot! The fish are chasing flies that imitate shrimp and baitfish.
Show more
Hot fishing in February!
Mar 1, 2026 • Ruskin
All od my recent trips have been great! Lots of Redfish, Trout, Snook and Sheepshead on both Fly Rod and Light Tackle. Moving into March warming waters should improve the action!
Show more
Cool Weather but Decent Action!
Jan 26, 2019 • Ruskin
This report covers the fishing over the last weeks trips. Last week I was on the water every day. All of my recent trips have been fishing Fly Tackle except one day where we did light tackle.
A few cold fronts have moved through recently which dropped water temperatures. As always this has made the Trout fishing very reliable and most days we can run the numbers up a bit with this species. In recent days most of the Trout have been pretty small. 12" to 14" is about the average but every day we'll find a few good ones.
With the colder water temperatures the flats fishing for snook and redfish has chilled off. This week we have been running up into the rivers and residential canals to chase these species. In these areas the water is much warmer and the action is good. My guests have worked the fly around and under docks to connect with some great Snook lately.
At times some big schools of Jack Crevales have pushed up into the canals and provided some crazy action. The size of the Jacks has ranged from the size of your hand up to about 12 - 15 pounders. I always keep 2 lightweight fly rods on the skiff for when I find small Jacks and Ladyfish. These smaller fish are excellent sport on light tackle.
Recently the afternoon hours have produced the best bite. 6 and 8 hour trips have been the right choice lately.
Give us a call today to book your next Tampa Bay fishing adventure
Show more
Cold front spurs Trout Bite
Nov 25, 2018 • Ruskin
Had several trips recently with both Fly and Light Tackle. The recent cold front combined with the low daytime tides has spurred some great action.
I had 2 recent trips where my anglers had several dozen Trout each on soft baits. Most of the fish were on the small side but we have had a few 20" + each day. We also fished this same action with the fly rod and killed it. All of my recent trips have offered great Snook fishing as well, The Snook have been feeding well on the moving water leading up to and following the low tides.
Redfish have been a target of opportunity lately. We have been taking a few but mostly single fish here and there. Our best day recently saw 6 reds come to the boat but most days it has been one or two.
Give us a call today to plan your next Tampa Bay fishing adventure
Show more
Great Week of Action on Tampa Bay!
Dec 2, 2017 • Ruskin
Over the last week my guests have had lots of action. Every day we have been keeping the rods bent.
There are still huge schools of bait on the flats and finding fish blowing up on them has been a daily event. Over my last few trips we have stopped on big pods of feeding fish and have taken a variety of fish both on the fly and on artificials.
There have been Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Ladyfish, Jacks, Trout and Snook feeding in the bait pods. The fish have been mostly on the smaller side but they are super exciting on the light rods I currently have rigged. Every day we have also managed to find a few larger fish mixed into our catch.
This week we have found quite a few over slot Trout and some nice Snook roaming the flats.
This action is pretty stable now and should continue for as long as the water temperature stays in the same range.
If you are new to Fly Fishing now is a great time to get out. The fish species that are most abundant now are very aggressive towards flies fished in the upper water column.
We have some openings now through Dec 21. At that point I will be taking a week off for some Holiday visiting.
Book your next fishing adventure today!
Show more
Lots of Options On The Fly or Light Tack
Nov 18, 2017 • Ruskin
Right now the fish are taking advantage of the abundant bait in the area. Recently it has been game on with fish blowing up the surface. This is perfect for action on the fly!. On recent trips I have been fishing both the Fly Rods and Spin Rods with surface baits.. The action is good with plenty of Bluefish, Macks, Jacks and Ladyfish readily taking on or just below the surface. These hard fighting fish take the fly well and will give light tackle a workout! I only have a few openings left in November **hidden content** Book your next fishing trip today!
Show more