Tarpon Guide advice in Gulf

[salmo-trutta]

Looking for advice on a Guide for Tarpon in Florida Gulf Coast near Bradenton, Sarasota, Tampa, St Pete... reasonable price and will put me on fish.

Also, if you had to pick one week, a year in advance, in that area, when would you go?

 

[Perkasiezeb]

Russ Shirley in Tampa. June and July are best. May can be good

 

[salmo-trutta]

Sounds good. Thanks.

 

[codym21]

I never fished tarpon with this guy but have done redfish and other species with him. He is a great guide and knows his stuff. He does tarpon trips around the Sarasota area.
Captain
Kevin Chamberlain
http://www.flatsangler.com/

 

[gulfgreyhound]

FYI.
http://www.tampaflyguides.com/guides/ GG

 

[Sylvaneous]

I'll vote for Rick Grassett on the Snook Fin-Addict. He operates out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters.
Soooo many guides are lazy bait-soakers and really not very good fishermen. I know of Rick through a kayak guide that I fish with every year in Sarasota, Steve Gibson. It's really his recommendation.
And, yeah, late may and then anytime you can find tarpon off the beach and around the passes. I went beach snook fishing one June AM on Mansota Key and you could see tarpon happily swirling a few hundred meters off the beach. About 4 boats showed up and they all VAMOOSED. Steve said that if he had the kayaks, we could have paddled out and hooked one. When they're happy like that and undisturbed, they aren't hard to get to eat. When they're NOT, it's nearly impossible. Because there is SOOO much pressure early, some locals prefer August when they're moving out. Its no hotter than June.

Sylvaneous.

 

[STONEMAN]

I second the vote for Rick at CBs on Siesta Key... Orvis endorsed, well respected. Good luck trying to find an opening on his schedule, though.