Cheers from Tampa Bay to New Castle England

Incredible! That's the word that first comes to mind when I think back to the last three charter fishing trips we took with Neil Watson and crew. The beauty of it was that all three trips were in the last 7 days. This crew from New Castle, England-Neil Watson, Fergus Watson, Phil, Phil Jr., Chris, William, Kim and Mick-were too cool for words...but read on anyway.

Day one went a bit slow. We wanted Kingfish. First mate-Jon West did a fantastic job of filling the livewell with big Threadfins and Scaled Sardines. We went on and did our thing, but the fish were unwilling after stuffing themselves the previous nights, post full moon effect. We did manage a few huge Spanish mackerel to the ice box, fillet knife and then to Sea Critter's restaraunt on Pass-a-grille. The boys said that Sea Critter's did a smashing job with the vittles.

Day two was better. Calmer seas in the Gulf of Mexico allowed for a run out to our 4-hour fishing grounds...and actually, a bit beyond. The Grouper were willing and everyone on board caught their fair share, in little time. And of course, many snapper were reserved as well for another round at Sea Critter's. The flatline was also quite active at first. Fergus Watson cranked in a 30 pound reef shark on 20 pound test line, but this kid was waiting for that big Kingfish to strike...and so was Ferg! All other hits on the flatline either got cut off or cut in half.

Day three was "off the chain"! Our goal was Kingfish, Barracuda, Sharks...."anything big"! Well, we hit the jackpot! After another round of collecting some of the most prime Kingfish baits, we headed down to the Egmont shipping channel that leads into Tampa Bay. Most locals know to hit the 'ditch' for Kingfish this time of year. Every year is different regarding the numbers of fish, and the best places to find them, but the channel is usually a good place to start. We were into some serious action as soon as baits hit the water!!..

Fergus and Philly were on the mark. These guys were already pros by now and their skill made my job easy. In a couple of hours, they put 4 huge mackerels, 4 big Kingfish and a solid 25 pound Barracuda in the box...check out my new mate Fergus, and first mate Jon, with a super-sweet Florida Barracuda!! You da man Ferg! We ended the day with young Phil hooking up a 7-8 foot shark....Yikes!!!.. Even with Jon helping the young lad through it, this massive beast was too much for the tackle we hooked him with. The one that got away...after a 30 minute battle. Ouch!

Happy Days again folks. It's as easy as 1-2-3 days of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, off the beautiful beaches of St.Petersburg and Tampa. To my new good friends back in New Castle...Cheers, and happy fishing to ya! Capt.Dan