Boca Grande - Charlotte Harbor, Florida - Tarpon, Snook and Redfish - light tackle and fly fishing Charters with fishing guide Capt. Mark Bennett-FAQ

Boca Grande - Charlotte Harbor, Florida - Tarpon, Snook and Redfish - beach and backcountry tarpon charters - light tackle and fly fishing charters with fishing guide Capt. Mark Bennett

Other Fish

What is flats and backcountry Fishing?

We fish the calm shallow bays, beaches and barrier islands with light tackle. The endless maze of tidal creeks and mangrove islands holds a host of large game fish. Tarpon, snook and redfish are just a few of the species that we encounter.

Are tarpon the only species of fish you target?

Absolutely not! I make a living year round fishing for all of the species of game fish this area has to offer. Snook, redfish, cobia, tripletail and seatrout just to name a few. However, during tarpon season (May- early October) I do not fish for anything but tarpon. Unless windy/rough conditions keep us from tarpon fishing (and that rarely ever happens).

Why do mullet jump?

Mullet jump because they are happy.

Where are we located?

Boca Grande/Englewood area is about one hour south of St. Petersburg/Tampa. Two hours southwest of Orlando and one hour north of Ft. Myers. We usually depart out of Boca Grande. Either at the Placida boat ramp at the base of the causeway or at 5th street Boca Grande at the Pink Elephant docks. We also launch at several other locations, in order to be closer to the fish. If you are staying on Boca Grande on the water (bayside), Little Gasparilla Island or Palm Island Resort we can also pick you up there.

What do we need for the trip?

What ever you might eat and drink. We supply tackle, fishing license, bait and a cooler full of ice. Polarized sunglasses and sunscreen are recommended but not necessary.

What type of tackle do you use, do I need to bring my own?

All of my tackle is state of the art. Mostly spinning tackle, but we use a few conventional reels. All of my rods are provided by St. Croix rods. Whatever the species we are after we will be rigged to the hilt for them. If you want to bring your favorite rod talk to me and I will tell you what you need as far as line size etc.

NO BANANAS ALLOWED ON BOAT DURING TARPON SEASON!!!

This also means banana muffins, trail mix, etc. I am not kidding!

How do we book a trip?

Give me a call or email. We can discuss and recommend best dates/seasons or check availability for your dates. We can also recommend lodging in Englewood or waterfront on Boca Grande island.

How do we reserve a date or dates?

I take a deposit to reserve a date. All deposits are 100% refundable for cancellations due to bad weather or rough seas at my discretion. For customer cancellations, if I can re-book the dates with someone else I will refund your deposit in full.

The Photography on your site is great, how do you get so many great shots?

That is easy, for me anyway. My wife Jenni Bennett is a professional photographer. 90% of the good tarpon photos you have seen over the last few years in Sport Fishing Magazine, Saltwater Sportsman, Texas Fish and Game and Florida Sportsman are hers. Being on the water during tarpon season with me full time over the last 14 years and 500+ hookups a season means lots of opportunities. Jenni averages well over 4000 photos per season. The only hard part is choosing from the hundreds of unbelievable shots Jenni gets every season. This translates into magazine quality memories for all of my clients. She has her own website: www.jennibennett.com , where you can purchase prints, calendars, mouse pads and more with all of the top notch photography found on my site.

All New '09 Tarpon Photo Galleries over 200 new images!!!

Why don't you fish for tarpon in Boca Grande pass?

Crowds, crowds and crowds. During the daytime hours the pass has 150+ boats crowded together all racing around trying to fish one spot. Fighting between boats is common. Plus the tarpon fishing in Boca Grande Pass is highly overrated at best.

I prefer to fish for tarpon in a more natural state, as far away from boat traffic as possible.

Do you fish any of the tarpon tournaments?

No, I do not fish the tarpon tournaments, because the tarpon tournaments are all held in Boca Grande Pass.

Why do other guides say that Boca Grande Pass is the best bet to catch a tarpon?

Because that is where they like to fish.

We talked to another guide that does morning and afternoon trips. Which is better? Do you do afternoon tarpon trips?

As a rule I don't. A lot of other guides try to double up with 2 charters a day making double the money. As a full time guide double the income sounds good to me, but it is not worth shorting my clients and hurting my reputation just to make a few extra bucks.

I fish 7 days a week during tarpon season. My tarpon season is 6 months long. When you hire me for a full day, catching you a tarpon is my only goal. You will not be rushed back to the dock so I can take someone else out, or miss the early bite because you were talked into an afternoon trip.

What about "Hill Tides"? I heard 15-20 hook ups are common in one afternoon.

15+ years ago the "Hill Tides" were as special to me as Christmas is to a 6 year old. Now with the increased boat traffic in Boca Grande Pass, the boats never let the tarpon settle into a feeding pattern till after dark. A few boats will hook a few fish, if they are around. What they forgot to tell you was in 2009 there wasn't any good or even marginal "Hill Tides".

Don't take the "Boca Grande bait and switch"!

Most all tarpon guides advertise "sight fishing", "fishing the flats and beaches" etc. When in reality they only fish in Boca Grande Pass. If they mention fishing the pass, that is where you will end up. Trust me some things never change.

We talked to another Captain, he said that the beaches and flats are just as crowded as Boca Grande pass. Is this true?

How brain dead is that statement? Or that Captain for that matter? This shows you first hand the dangers of breathing excessive outboard exhaust fumes, caused by fishing in over crowded Boca Grande Pass.

One look at any of my photo galleries or Video Page will answer that question over and over again.

I was told that the largest tarpon only live in Boca Grande pass, and the fish on the flats and beaches are much smaller and less abundant.

Another false statement, in fact they are the same fish. Weeks before the tarpon start to gather in Boca Grande pass I am catching them all along the way. Giant pods of tarpon rolling and feeding on the surface is a sight to see. Once fish start to show up in Boca Grande pass that is the time to fish along the beaches. Casting to pods of tarpon finning, rolling on the surface and daisy chaining in the clear water is awesome for sure. Something you won't forget. The fish along the beaches are all coming and going from the big pass and other places. They have to get to the pass somehow, don't they? When they start to leave the big pass is even better. Overall boat traffic subsides, the fish are "happier" and so am I.

As far as numbers go, check out the Tarpon DNA tagging/research page on this site:

Other guides tell me that they fish where the "bite" is best whether it is in the pass, on the beach or the flats. What if the fish are only in the pass?

There are two kinds of tarpon guides in our area, ones who fish the pass and ones who don't. There are only a few guides that fish the flats and beaches everyday. I don't know any guides that fish the pass who also fish the flats and beaches on a regular basis no matter what you hear. With miles of coastline, beautiful beaches, mangrove lined islands, grass flats, shoals and rivers, why would all of the fish be in a 2 acre hole. While sitting in the pass everyday, unless these guides are psychic, how would they know anyway? Tarpon roam throughout our area, to think that all of the fish will be in one spot is crazy.

What if we want to fish in Boca Grande Pass or get involved in the many tournaments held there? Are you telling us it is a bad place to fish for tarpon?

No, not at all. The point I am trying to make, fishing in the pass is not my cup of tea. I mean no disrespect to the many guides who make a living fishing there. If you want to fish the pass or get involved in the many tournaments held there call or email me anytime and I will try to point you in the right direction. There are lots of guides that fish the pass everyday and I know some of the ones that have proven the test of time. I will be more than happy to refer you to one of them.

Also, if you are thinking of trying tarpon fishing on your own in your boat. Boca Grande Pass is the place to start. It is easy to find and doesn't require a lot of the specialized tackle and equipment (specialty boats, trolling motors etc.) to get started.

There are so many fishing guides advertising "Giant Tarpon" and "Tarpon fishing in Boca Grande", how do we choose?

Notice most of them don't even live in this area code. Go figure...

Just on the internet alone there are hundreds to choose from, but when you cut through the bull there are only a few. Here are a few things to help narrow your search.

Beware of prices below the going rate and guides that "spam" the net.

There are a lot of part-timers in this business. If you pay for a cut-rate guide that is exactly what you will get, expect cut-rate service as well.

There are several guides in this area claiming lots of experience, the best in the area etc., that were themselves clients of mine or other established guides in the area just a few years ago.

Over the years there have also been several guides in the area that are all over the internet, they come off as legit only to run off with people's money or worse ruin their vacation. Either by not showing up at all or sending some new guide in their place when it is time to fish.

There are many booking services on the internet posing as fishing guides. Some are fishing TV show hosts or they claim to be the best in the area or to have the best guides in the area. Actually, they just make a finders fee and then look to pawn off the clients to the lowest bidder.

Almost every one of them claims 20+ years of fishing experience and/or claiming to be the best in the area.

How many of those years were spent as a professional captain, actually guiding clients for money? Most didn't even live in the state of Florida that long.

Most of them claim to be a full time guide, actually very few make a living at it.

Beware of guides that claim to do everything.

Fishing the entire coast, Tampa to Key West etc. Inshore, offshore and everything in between. It is impossible to stay on top of the best fishing everywhere. They pump you up with stories of fabulous fishing, then are full of excuses when the fishing on your day is sub-par.

A lot claim to be I.G.F.A.* certified or holder or breaker of multiple world records.

*I.G.F.A: International Game Fish Association

Ask them these questions:

What does it take to be I.G.F.A. certified? (answer: $150 a year).

What records? Which species?

According to the I.G.F.A, none of the guides that fish this area holds or guided someone to a I.G.F.A World Record tarpon, snook or redfish.

The only World Records taken in this area were a couple hammerhead sharks recently and two women's record snook back in the 80's.

There are only a few that actually have "I.G.F.A. World Records" for desirable species. A lot of them go for open categories (records that no one has wanted to claim or brand new line classes) and Junior records (made for kids) of undesirable species just to say they have a "World Record".

Notice a lot of them claim to hold world records, but very few have listed which species or even have that species listed as a targeted species on their website.

A lot of them claim tarpon tournament wins as a reason to hire them. There is a tournament every weekend, they are all held in Boca Grande Pass, combat fishing at it's finest.

The horror stories I have heard from past and present clients actually is what prompted me to write the above section.

True story:

Last season, 2009, a gentleman and his two sons came over from Texas. He told me that this trip was a once in a lifetime trip for them. He booked two days in May, the first one with a new inexperienced guide (with a nice website) in the area and the second with me. He called me the night before our scheduled trip and asked what were we going to fish for the next day. I was caught off guard at the question. I said we would be going after tarpon of course. He sounded worried. He said the previous day his guide brought them in early because there were no tarpon around to fish for and kindly offered to take them out in the afternoon bottom fishing. Overflowing with confidence I had from the outstanding fishing that day, I told him to make sure he and his boys ate their wheaties and were at the ramp at 5:30 am sharp. The following are pictures from their trip the following morning.

I could fill several pages with stories just like this one.

I am a full time guide. Fishing is how I have made a living for almost 20 years, my entire adult life. I have been saltwater fishing my entire life.

I am not a booking service. When you hire me, I will be the guide taking you fishing.

Photos don't lie. You can tell when they are old, new, good or bad. How big and how many. They might say they don't take many photos these days, right... How many people do you know that catch 100#+ fish daily and don't take photos?

It is easy to talk the talk, but to walk the walk...tough for most. One day out will let you know,

I live for this!!