Snook Fishing In Tampa Bay, Florida

We went fishing in Tampa Bay, Florida, catching mostly Snook.

The boat was captained by Carlos Bueno, assisted by his First Mate was Ty and, I must say, we wanted for nothing while on the boat!

We set out at 9 AM from the marina right across the street from the hotel and headed further into Tampa Bay. Within 15 minutes, we were pulling up to islands lined with Mangrove trees which, as I learned, provide a cool shaded area for the Snook to hang out.

I was the only experienced fisherperson in our group, but Bueno and Ty kept the others baited and in the water while, at the same time, explaining each move and why it was important (Give a man a fish...).

The Snook (pictured above) is a great sport fish in that it puts up a fun fight. The schools are fairly reactionary when they feed, so if you see one break the surface, cast your bait in that area and it'll usually be "FISH ON!". (We were using live sardines as bait, btw.)

While we each caught a few Snook, one person had the magic pole: she caught more fish than the rest of us, including this nice Speckled Trout!

It was a great day on the water, enhanced by the stories of Captain Bueno (be certain to ask him about his boat - the backstory is amazing!).

This is the first chartered fishing excursion I've taken in Florida and I highly recommend doing it! If you find yourself in the St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay area, hit up Captain Bueno for a muy bueno fishing trip!