What would you recommend to anglers fishing in Sarasota, Florida for the first time?

Booked a certain day from a specific location. After deposit, they said they couldn’t do that day. Picked different day and then they switched pickup location to double the distance we initially had. It was a long ride. Initial captain who promised extra time did not come but replacement captain was very nice. Boat was plain. Locations were odd. Mostly at other people’s private docks. Lots of travel time to get there. Would rather of just spent 3 hours by the pickup dock then half time traveling to boring locations. Caught 3 fish in 3 hours. Price with tip was over $500. Was promised extra time and to be taken care of because of scheduling changes. Got a little extra time but it was spent under a drawbridge by drop off location while bridge was opening g and closing with boat traffic. Weird. Wish we kept the money and did more jet skiing. Was not what I had in mind for a private charter in scenic Sarasota.

Definitely get a local guide to put you on to some fish. It may seem expensive. However, once you factor in fuel, wear and tear on the boat, live bait, the Captains experience/knowledge, etc. it is well worth it. Even those that did not care about fishing still enjoyed the trip.

This was very fun, but it is advertised like you will catch alot of fish. Nothing is specified on tge website about better times of day to catch. But that being said, we had a wonderful time and caught 2 fish

Book a great boat like I did. Reel Tight made a great day out of a tough one. Fish we wanted weren’t biting so we switched plans and had an exciting day catching jack Cavale. Dress warm if it’s chilly, or switch to an afternoon trip. We did have a lot of fun.

Book as early as possible. These trips book fast. Four hour trips are perfect in July. They start at 8am and end at noon right when it starts to get really hot, then the cool breeze of the trip back is very refreshing! Although there no guarantees you’ll catch fish, these Captains will go over and above to make your fishing experience as best as possible so tip them generously. We look forward to fishing here again next year.

Make sure you hydrate before and during your fishing trip. Wear appropriate clothing for being exposed to a lot of heat and direct sunlight (hat, glasses, light clothing, etc.). Don't forget the sunblock. If you get seasick easily take some Dramamine. I also recommend taking a few snacks like crackers or chips if you are feeling nauseous.

I thought that FishingBooker was the way to go to book a charter, but given him my experience and getting a different boat and Captain, I would not consider this website or booking service again. I will only book directly with a professional chart. I don’t feel that I got my moneys worth for this experience.

There was nothing Tony did wrong. He tried hard but fish just were not biting. Anyone who has fished much knows you have these type of days sometimes. No what we expected but still a good day on the water.

I would say the family fishing trip was a great mix of fishing and shark tooth finding but if you want to just fish you might want to book just the fishing excursion. But no matter you won’t be disappointed

Trust your Capt to know what is bitting. They are on the water and know what to target and where to go. Some days are very good and some a little slower. Thats why it's called fishing and not just catching.

2nd year in a row with Captain Bryan. He's a class act with a ton of knowledge. Hammered the fish last year. Fish did not cooperate but not from lack of trying. Anyone who fishes knows that sometime the fish don't cooperate. Plan on coming down again next year and will not even think about getting a different Captain or guide. Want a great fishing experience pick this outfit

Josh is a great guide. Caught alot of fish in many different areas. Ask him to take you to the "honey Hole" dock fishing. Caught a fish on almost every single cast. This is a true review..Mark Gleisner, Oconomowoc, wisconsin.

Captain Scott was great, he put us on the fish. At each stop he took the time to explain what type fish we may catch but also the technique that we should be using. We had a great day, catching snapper, catfish and a tripletail. This trip truly had the fish that got away, a giant tripletail that got away as it neared the boat. We definitely would recommend him and looking forward to future trips.

It was pretty windy while we were there. There were some storms in the Gulf that probably threw the captain some curveballs to deal with. It was a good trip, but the captain seemed a little disappointed with the results. We are from the North, so the fishing still was excellent by comparison.

Go out into the Gulf--more likely to catch good fish. Better yet, head a little north to Brandenton where Grouper, Red Fish etc. are legal to catch this time of year. Farther north, as I've been told, allows for fishing in deeper water closer to shore in the Gulf.

The only problem with May is the love bugs but they really weren't that bad, though we didn't hit them at the height of their season. After a couple of months of enforced lockdown due to the virus, this was a more than welcomed diversion.

4 hour trip was fun, good overall experience.great boat and crew. But I would suggest the 8 hour trip next time. Hour ride to fishing spot, hour ride back. Moving from spot to spot to where the fish are. Seems like we only fished for 30 minutes.

We were first timers and the captain took care of everything. Baits, shoes how to cast, advice on reeling in. Cleaned the fish for us.

Wanted to spend a morning catching fish and everyone did. Fishing offshore in the Gulf was a great experience with the right boat and captain.

You don't have to know anything about fishing. The captains help with everything. Just relax and have fun.

Captain Chris was very accommodating to my wife that wasn’t feeling well. Made my daughter feel better when her cobia broke off.

Do not hesitate to book a charter with Captain Scoot, very reasonably priced and great experience! Caught a lot of fish!!!

Great time overall which dealt with some with conditions in the pm time, but manage a great day

Great weather and the fish were active. Mostly caightsheepshead, but they are delicious.

Absolutely recommend fishing in Sarasota in March. We had a beautiful day and caught quite a few keepers.

Be sure to bring something light weight and long sleeved so you don’t get too much sun exposure. Hat is important too.

Small charters are my favorite. Local captains that know the area and which techniques and baits work best keeps me coming back year after year.

Little chillier than we expected but we know for next time to dress warmer if we are fishing in the winter months.

Set up with this option! We’ve done a few fishing trips in different places and this was by far the best! So fun and so many fish. We even saw a dolphin too! <3

Don’t set your expectations too high, Fishing is gambling and on any given day, you could lose and not catch anything. Nothing in life is guaranteed