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

Make sure to bring sunscreen or some variation of a long sleeve shirt to wear— we were only out for 4 hours and got FRIED (our own faults, not the captains or company’s). Also, if legally you can— bring alcohol. Helps a lot with the sea sickness… like A LOT. Being on the water in a lake versus the Gulf is a totally different beast— so just bring it. Sunglasses are also a good idea, since the sun is beating off the water it can make it hard to see.

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.

Captain Andy taught us Dramamine should be taken night before and hour before trip. Although inland we didn’t need it. But great tip I never knew! Bring cooler with snacks and drinks. Captain has cold water. Sunblock sunblock for kids. Don’t forget camera! Great experience. Be early by 15 minutes! There is a safety review and if you’re too late your canceled. We made it by 4min.

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.

Know that in shore is basically lake fishing Near shore will result in larger, though less frequent , fish

August is hot as hell, LOL. By 10am the water temp is so hot, I recommend waiting for fall or book after Easter when Season dies down. Either way, Captain Tony has you covered.

Go with this company. Listen to the advice before hand. Know your limits and the people that are going to be fishing. Everyone will have a great time.

Nice easy protected inshore fishing trip, family friendly. We were able to catch several different species.

The longer you can book for will give you more oppertunities to catch more fish!! Expect a great time!! Mark P.

The inshore trip made for a great half day trip w plenty of bites and managed to limit out on mangrove snappers

Wear sunglasses that help you see in the water. I didn’t have them on and I think it would have helped.

From talking to our captain fishing was tough due to hot weather and hot water temps

Absolutely highly recommend booking with Captain Tony and TNT Freedom Charters.

With Chasin tales you just need to show up prepared to be outside and enjoy the bay!

I would 100% advise folks to use reel tight charters if they’re in the area. Couldn’t be happier with our trips with them.