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

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).

I heard that May and June are the best months to catch a tarpon. Is that true?

Absolutely not. May and June are good months to fish, but we have lots of tarpon here April thru October. My favorite month is August.

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.

Do you do sunset cruises, bird watching or shelling trips?

That would be a no...

What do we need for the trip?

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

What shouldn't we bring?

No black soled shoes, aerosol sunscreen or bananas.

Is alcohol allowed on board?

I have no problem with a couple beers, but no liquor. At the first sign of intoxication, stumbling, slurring, etc. the trip will be over and you will be charged the full price for the day. I am in this business to take people fishing, not to babysit a boatload of drunks. If you are looking for a "Booze Cruise", please look elsewhere.

NO BANANAS ALLOWED ON BOAT DURING TARPON SEASON!!!

This also means banana muffins, trail mix, etc. This is no joke. I am not kidding!

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.

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. The best 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, coasters, mouse pads and more with all of the top notch photography found on my site.

All New 2011 Photo Journal

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. The picture to the right is Boca Grande Pass in June. It looks like these guys are waiting for a shotgun start for a tournament, but believe it or not these guys are already "fishing" (term used loosely).

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 crowded Boca Grande Pass (see photo above right).

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.

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, anyone can talk a good game. Can they prove it?

I can.

I have state verified proof, do they?

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 guys 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.

This business is not regulated by anyone. Anybody can get a captains license and a website. Then they can make any claim they want. Some outright lie to people just to attract clients.

Believe it or not, there are a couple that get a signed contract when you book a trip with them. You think they have had a few problems in the past? Maybe?

If you notice everyone advertises tarpon fishing, but very few have up to date pictures. A lot of guides book tarpon trips only to switch to another species early in the morning because the bite is supposedly "off".

There are very few that actually catch tarpon on a regular/daily basis.

Many of them claim to hook 10 or 20 tarpon a day, but in reality don't catch that many all season.

Beware of prices below the going rate and guides that have multiple websites all over 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 and even 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 and 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/guiding 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. I know one that claims well over 20 years full time guiding experience that hasn't even owned a boat 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 no guides in my area 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 (such as Spanish Mackerel or ladyfish) 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 are two or more tournaments every weekend in May and June, they are all held in Boca Grande Pass, combat fishing at it's finest (see photo above right).

A lot of guides use tournament wins as a marketing tool. Unfortunately for them, tournament wins only show who was the best for one day in the limited area that the tournament was held.

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 or don't have the time, right...

How many people do you know that catch 100#+ fish daily and don't take photos?

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.