Hello fellow anglers! June can be a fun time in the fishing community. The large schools of Tarpon are here for your enjoyment, along with the tax collectors in the grey suits - yes I'm talking about the sharks - all makes and models. All these along with the snook on the beaches, AJ’s and permit on the offshore wrecks, many snappers -  mangrove, yellowtail, lane’s and even some red groupers. Also in June youv'e got your red snapper’s that the season is so short and you can only harvest two per angler (not including your captain for hire). It usually a long run of 30 miles plus to get to the red snapper grounds. The most current information I have is that the recreational season in Florida is June 11th through July 12th.  Don’t take my word as the gospel truth as things change so you should check for yourself what the regulations are before you head out offshore. Be prepared to move away from your red snapper spot if you catch your limit as the law reads you are not to cull these fish. If you do not, it will affect our future crop. These fish can't survive being brought to the surface and released, so please be a good steward and limit your catch. Most of the areas that will be holding the reds is from one hundred to one hundred sixty feet of water, which is thirty to sixty miles out into the gulf. Today there are lots of boats, mostly center consoles, that will make short work of this task. From the thirty to forty foot range with twins up to quads made just to go fishing. Speed and ride as well as fuel capacity for those long runs are two of the most important factors. All the big name boat builders have one of these in their production line that will fit most budgets. Getting there is half of the battle. Having the proper fishing gear is another factor, some like the big spinning reels, and some like the conventional style. Then you have your two speed reels that retrieve up to five feet of line in a single crank of the handle. And if you have the big stud hooked, you down shift into granny gear and keep cranking til you win the tug of war. This is helpful when the water is one hundred and sixty feet deep and you have nice fish of twenty plus pounds. We like to use braided lines these days, nothing wrong with that. We have found that you can add a top shot of one hundred fifty feet of monofilament for your fishing pleasure. This gives you the stretch that you need and the abrasion factor. Mono can take more abrasion than braid when fishing the hard bottoms for the reds, etc. You can use an old school knocker rig or a chicken rig - they both catch fish.  Just so you know, most of my fishing is anchored up for the snappers you can chum them to your boat. If you do it right, you can pull them off a wreck a hundred yards away. We plan to have our SCARAB permitted for red snapper season. If you are interested in a offshore trip give Capt Bart Marx a call 941-979-6517 or e-mail me at captbart@alphaomegacharters.com and always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{

Hello fellow anglers! June in S.W. Florida and the fishing is starting to explode. The Silver Kings aka Tarpon, are here in full on feeding mode. This season they have been up into the Harbor early in the twenty foot holes where normally it is September when they venture up that far. There have been several large shark catch and release’s of tigers, bulls and hammerheads. Those are the ones that are just for fun while for some, you would rather spend time fishing for something for the dinner table. NOAA has just set the times for red snapper in Federal waters. The rule is For Hire Guides with Gulf reef permits can harvest red snapper starting the first of June. This means you could pay a guide with the proper licenses to take you red snapper fishing before you can go on your own boat to harvest red snapper. There is an amount of harvested fish that will close the season though, and this needs to be watched very closely, so we can stay in compliance with the law. I have done research and the law reads there is no culling red snapper. This means after you have caught your limit of two per ANGLER, you should go find something else to harvest so as not to kill red snapper by releasing them after reeling them to the surface from one hundred feet plus. Very few would make it back to the bottom in whole healthy condition. Also, on a for hire guide boat, the captain and crew are not allowed their limit of red snapper. There are plenty of other species to target after that limit has been met. There are several snapper that are great eating as well as grouper, mahi-mahi, king mackerel, AJ’s, black fin tuna and a few others. In S.W. Florida it is close to thirty miles offshore to reach one hundred feet of water. That is where you start fishing this time of year to get these types of fish. Some boats are set up for comfort and travel at a slow pace so you may have to hire a guide for ten hours on a more comfortable boat to reach these depths. There are some boats that are set up to travel faster and can reach these areas on a eight hour trip that are center consoles and lots of power. Most all of the bigger boats have bathrooms available/porta potty available so the females can come along too. The guys don’t like to hear it, but the ladies catch most of the fish when they are onboard. So with that said ladies you could even set up a just ladies trip to go offshore and catch your own red snapper to bring home. On our trips we supply bottled water and all your gear and licenses. You basically walk on the boat with you favorite beverage and some lunch and you are all set.  Things change often, so using your own license and boat, you are responsible for knowing all the rules so keep track if they should happen to close it early and you have red snapper on your boat, as there is no ignorance to the law defense it you are busted. If you would like to book a offshore trip with Capt. Bart Marx call for availability 941-979-6517 for a quicker response or e-mail me at captbart@alphaomegacharters.com.  And always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{