HI there,

My youngest son (9 y.o.) is wanting to go shark fishing something awful. We will be going to Tallahasee later this summer and I was wondering if anyone could tell me what my options would be. I've googled it and haven't found anything too close, I'd rather not have to drive a hundred or so additional miles once we get there, but I'll do whatever needs to be done.

Anyone know of a charter close to the area that offers shark fishing?

Thanks!

Mark

A google search for Apalachicola or St. Marks and fishing will give some results like this:

http://topknots.com/

Here's a photo from 26 years ago of a Jewfish from 40 miles out in the gulf from St. Marks. We were on a friend's 28 ft sportfisher and fishing on the bottom in about 150 ft. My 17 y.o. neice hooked this thing when it tried to swallow the 5# grouper she had hooked. She and her Dad,brother,2friends and I all took turns reeling it in on 30# line. It was 5-6 hours later that we finally got back to the dock to weigh it (we went thru a torrential storm and were all soaked). It was leaking white fluid from its vent the entire time. It weighed 314#. Later, we discovered the women's world-record Jewfish on 30#line was 317#! It wasn't a shark, but we thought it was till we got it to the surface. Good luck to you and your son.

Steve that is one huge grouper!

How did you get it in the boat?!

And thanks for the link, I'll check it out tomorrow.

Mark

The only sharks in Tallahassee are around the capitol and are not only boneless, are very much so spineless, particularly those with an interest in not having an interest in reducing excess PO4 in the Everglades.
You need to go to Panama City as the curvature of the Gulf and the number of charters with experience can assure you and your son a great trip. Catch and release is now vogue due to PETA, etc.

Used to fish a bunch with a guy originally from Greenville, MS, who ran a sportfisherman charter out of Destin. Sullivan Barry was his name, and his boat was "the Climax". He may still be in business.
We just tied the Jewfish onto the swimming platform. The friend who owned the boat at St. Mark's was Jerry McAlister, but he has since passed-away.

Look up the website for the Florida Sportsman magazine, as they have an extensive area by area breakdown of fishing activities. I dropped my subscription to the magazine after we decided not to move down there after 3 hurricaines in 3 months hit all 3 of the areas, Charlotte Harbor, Stuart and P'cola I was looking for houses in! LOL! but the website used to be fantastic for local info.

Another Gulf Coast oriented site I used to study pre Katrina used to be www.RodNReel.com, based out of New Orleans. Dunno if they are still up or not.

Have a buddy who was lookin' at movin'to Gulf Port, wife had a MRI tech job offer in her purse from the Hospital, and they were waiting for a realtor to show up for a house showing while visiting the NASA museum outside of Pass Christian 'bout noonish the Sunday before Katrina hit...and when he observed the janitors taking down the artwork at the museum...they boogied for Dallas...but he's back down there lookin for a house again, to become a offshore guide with his 200ton License, prolly out of PCity. Sez Elk guiding in the Rockies is TOO cold for his old bones these days. but I keeeep telling him "Western Montana doan't have no Huurricanes" and is lookin' much mo better and better to me...'cept from Novemebr to May!
Ron