Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Paul flew down from Rhode Island with one goal in mind—to cross a tarpon off his bucket list. He booked a two-day trip between ICAST, and the action started almost immediately.
On the first morning, it took only about 10 minutes before Paul hooked the fish of his dreams. After an exciting 30-minute battle, a beautiful, healthy tarpon finally came boatside. Paul was absolutely ecstatic.
With the bucket-list fish checked off, the mission shifted to completing a Tampa Bay Grand Slam. We moved onto a nearby grass flat where Paul quickly added a couple of quality speckled trout, along with mangrove snapper and silver trout. Next on the list were a redfish and a snook. The water was high, so we pushed back into the mangroves in search of both species. It didn't take long before we found a nice redfish, and, as luck would have it, the snook was sitting in the very same pocket. Mission accomplished! Paul completed his Grand Slam and capped off the day by putting together a limit of mangrove snapper for a fresh lunch.
I took a day off to attend ICAST, and the following morning we were back on the water. This time, Paul brought along his lifelong friend, Bob.
We arrived at the Sunshine Skyway before sunrise, and just five minutes into the trip Bob hooked into a trophy tarpon. After an incredible 30-minute fight, the fish found something on the bottom to wrap around, ending the battle before we could bring it boatside. That's tarpon fishing.
While waiting for the next bite, we filled the cooler with a limit of mangrove snapper. Eventually, everyone agreed it was time to switch gears, so we headed to a nearby flat where the action stayed hot. We caught trout, snook, and more snapper to wrap up an outstanding couple of days on the water.
Paul and Bob, thank you for choosing Salty Scales Fishing Charters. It was a pleasure fishing with you both, and I look forward to seeing you back on the water again soon!
Paul flew down from Rhode Island with one goal in mind—to cross a tarpon off his bucket list. He booked a two-day trip between ICAST, and the action started almost immediately.
On the first morning, it took only about 10 minutes before Paul hooked the fish of his dreams. After an exciting 30-minute battle, a beautiful, healthy tarpon finally came boatside. Paul was absolutely ecstatic.
With the bucket-list fish checked off, the mission shifted to completing a Tampa Bay Grand Slam. We moved onto a nearby grass flat where Paul quickly added a couple of quality speckled trout, along with mangrove snapper and silver trout. Next on the list were a redfish and a snook. The water was high, so we pushed back into the mangroves in search of both species. It didn't take long before we found a nice redfish, and, as luck would have it, the snook was sitting in the very same pocket. Mission accomplished! Paul completed his Grand Slam and capped off the day by putting together a limit of mangrove snapper for a fresh lunch.
I took a day off to attend ICAST, and the following morning we were back on the water. This time, Paul brought along his lifelong friend, Bob.
We arrived at the Sunshine Skyway before sunrise, and just five minutes into the trip Bob hooked into a trophy tarpon. After an incredible 30-minute fight, the fish found something on the bottom to wrap around, ending the battle before we could bring it boatside. That's tarpon fishing.
While waiting for the next bite, we filled the cooler with a limit of mangrove snapper. Eventually, everyone agreed it was time to switch gears, so we headed to a nearby flat where the action stayed hot. We caught trout, snook, and more snapper to wrap up an outstanding couple of days on the water.
Paul and Bob, thank you for choosing Salty Scales Fishing Charters. It was a pleasure fishing with you both, and I look forward to seeing you back on the water again soon!
