I'm Capt. Scott Hughes and I am the owner and operator of Blackwater Charters. I first became interested in tarpon fishing as a youngster. I grew up on the shores of Lake Okeechobee and I would commonly see tarpon rolling in the Calusahatchee River where the river connects with the lake. My fist trip to Boca Grande was around this same time period.  My dad and I would camp on the beach next to the phosphate dock and we would dream of hooking the monsters than would lay under the lights at night. I didn't land my fist tarpon until I was about 20 year old.  I've been hooked on tarpon fishing ever since. For the past 13 years I've made a living as a fishing guide specializing in tarpon fishing on the west coast of Florida. I have successfully pursued tarpon from the Florida Keys, Florida Bay, 10,000 Islands, Southeast Atlantic Ocean and Charlotte Harbor and Boca Grande. In 2001 I relocated my business to Charlotte Harbor from the 10,000 Islands because of the quality and length of the tarpon run in Southwest Florida.  Although I can successfully target tarpon all year, I mainly fish for them from April until November.  The rest of the year I fish for snook, redfish, speckled trout and a variety of other species that inhabit the flats of Charlotte Harbor,  Pine Island Sound and the 10,000 Islands.

Beach fishing for tarpon near Boca Grande

     Catching a large adult tarpon is the catch of a life time and anglers from all over the world will travel great distances to accomplish this dream. Florida is a top destination for trophy tarpon fishing.  Southwest Florida from Tampa to the 10,000 Islands and the keys are the mot popular.  This website is designed to help anglers learn more about fishing for tarpon on the west coast of Florida.  I will cover fishing for tarpon in Boca Grande Pass, Charlotte Harbor, Tampa Bay and the 10,000 Islands in detail and will compare and contrast each estuary as well as touch on the biology and history of fishing for tarpon in Florida.  Browse each page for more in depth details on how to fish for tarpon in the 10,000 Islands, Boca Grande Pass, Charlotte Harbor, and Tampa Bay. This website is a work in progress and I will try to update the pages form time to time. Please feel free to give me a call or check out my fishing charter websites if you have any questions or if you would like to book a tarpon fishing charter or flats fishing trip. Here is my fishing charter info:

Fishing for tarpon in Southwest and Central Florida

 

 

Fishing for tarpon in Southwest Florida

Fly fishing for tarpon in Boca Grande and Charlotte Harbor