Can anybody recommend an Inshore/nearshore guide for Sarasota area?
Last summer (June) I was in the area and fished w/ 2 guides during the week.
Captain Jim Klopfer was good. Very friendly and told us a lot about the fishing etc. I’d say he’s a good guide especially if you have family and children. We fished Sarasota Bay the whole time and caught a variety of fish including trout but no reds. We had a lot of fun but I thought the trip would be better suited to family/kid fun. I think Jim can gear toward more serious angling but the time of year and conditions lent itself to that.
His web site is https://fishinglidokey.com/
We also went with Captain Alan Routh. He put us on some snook out in the gulf by some sea walls that was a lot of fun. We were there in June so it was pretty warm and he was really careful not to harm the fish. i.e. wouldn’t let us hold them for a photo - he held them. He also brought us to a reef near shore near New Pass inlet (between Lido Key and Long Boat Key) where we caught a lot of spanish etc. and lost a couple to sharks. He did what we were looking for. He’s the opposite of Jim Klopfer - not very talkative.
His website is https://www.magic-fishing.com/
I would recommend either.
If you will be going down in the next few weeks Tarpon season is in full swing. We just got back and went 2 for 4 in one day. We fished with Capt. Brock Horner of Tarpon Coast Outfitters. He fished extremely hard and stayed out longer than expected to ensure we had some legitimate shots at fish. Highly recommend him!
This is not really a kid friendly activity though just FYI. He will also do inshore trips for trout, reds, and snook…but why do that when you can catch a 100lb+ pound fish inshore. Plus, you can’t keep any of the above mentioned species right now due to the moratorium.