What would you recommend to anglers fishing in San Juan for the first time?

Follow instructions to meeting location carefully. Uber and maps don't always recognize the dock location.

Captain Cleary with backwaters tarpon adventures. A1 operation. I’m a licensed fishing guide in the Northwest and will vouch and recommend Captain Cleary.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t land a lot of fish. Enjoy the hook ups as much as possible. Hard fish to get landed.

6 hour or more trip. This allows for a great time with zero rush. The Captain really utilized the time to search for the right spots and delivered!

I have no experience to compare October to other months of the year, but the Tarpon were biting in the lagoons just East of San Juan.

Those tarpon are really hard to land, don't be discouraged we lost at least 5 or 6 fish near the boat, they spit hooks really easy or dive and run under the boat and snap lines a lot lol!!

Book a morning trip if possible, afternoons can be brutal with the humidity. Otherwise, definitely recommended

June is more focused on heavy tackle which means fewer bites, but bigger fights. I would probably leave the kids at home on big fish days and bring them out for light tackle days.

It's all about the Captain. Find a good one, trust he or she, and don't look at your watch. Just fish!

The fish can be spotty in June but if you keep a good attitude it will always be a great day on the water.

Not much the captain had everything we needed from cold non alcoholic drinks to gear and even sun block

This was our first trip. Captain rated sea roughness at 4. For us it was a 9 almost 10. Check Sea Condition don't forget your motion sickness meds. Do it.

If you go in not expecting to catch any fish it will let you enjoy the fishing trip better. You get a really cool view of old San Juan

Keep in mind that covid regulations are in affect. So the experience might be a little different than you would normally expect. Bait shops are closed and you have to catch your own bait.

Beginners stay in shore. Off shore is for experienced anglers with patience to hope for a hit on a big sports fish.

Definitely use this company. Make sure to stay hydrated. Enjoy yourself. It is hard not to when you fish with Captain Luis.

This was our first tarpon fishing trip and we had a great trip so I would highly recommend Bayside Charters 2 and Carlos Torres as your guide.

Save your money and not use bayside charters. Boat was not what they said and the captain didnt even have bait ready. Spent almost 2 hours trying to get bait on a 5 hour trip

Go early. Short ride off the coast. Deep water in 1 mile. Never out of sight of land. Watch the weather closely. Changes quickly.

If you are booking in the PM, stay patient and trust your guide the bite usually picks up late in the day.

If you want to catch tarpon, trust your guide. If you want to catch tarpon your way then bring lots of patience.

Be prepared for the short rain showers that can come up quickly and the inland bay and canal fishing was a much more adventurous and fulfilling experience than i expected!

Catch and release is only in the bay. Meat fishing is outside of the bay. The website should specify.

Wait until you get really close to yor trip to book. The weather/winds can be a factor, and should be taken into account.

Give yourself a long enough trip to hook up multiple time. Tarpon are very allusive.

I would definitely book at least 4 hours as the captain sometimes needs time to find the fish.

Be prepared for weather. Sun and possible rain. And talk with the captain of your expectations.

Go with Clery! This was our first time to San Juan, the fishing exceeded our expectations!

Bring sunscreen and sun shirts. Always a good idea to bring your preferred snacks/food.

Go to Luis. He was awesome. It was a little slow at first but it got exciting after a while.