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Health & Fitness

Go Fast Fishing

WHAM!

If you like going charter fishing in the Tampa Bay area, specifically Treasure Island, but don’t like the crowded feeling that you get on party boats (I sure don’t), then look no further than “Go Fast Fishing Charters.”  Captain Sam Maisano or Captain Joe will take you out on the water on their 32 foot custom made outboard with twin 300 hp mercury engines.  The boat has a top
speed of 64 mph, which means that you’ll reach your destination in less time,
and have more time to fish.

With more than 30 years of experience, Captain Sam has some extremely productive spots.  My dad and I just recently took my brother-in-law out on his first ever deep sea fishing trip, and we caught somewhere around 40 fish in four hours, mostly consisting of red grouper and grey snapper.  We ended up keeping a 20.5 inch red grouper and seven or eight grey snapper.

If there was a hall of fame for fishing charters, this guy would be in it.  I highly recommend him.  I’m actually a repeat customer.  My dad and I used him last
year, and I caught my first Spanish mackerel, black grouper, and my first,
second, and third shark.  Yes, shark.  I even got to do battle with what
Captain Sam estimated was a 7 ½ ft., 500 lb. goliath grouper, which I’d never even heard of until that day.  What happened was, I was reeling in a 30 inch black grouper, and the goliath grouper swallowed it like it was a minnow.  The
sad part is, I was so intent on fighting the ferocious beast that I never even
got to see the fish before the behemoth broke the line and swam away.

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Captain Joe has been working with Captain Sam for several years.  I even asked him if he’d ever been skunked (You know, not caught anything), and he said “No.”  He even patiently taught my brother-in-law basic ways to hold the rod, and how to pull it up and then reel as you lower it.

Everything is provided except for food and drinks, so you won’t have to load yourself down with equipment and bait.  We even got to have the fun experience of watching them catch the pinfish we were going to use for bait.

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I’ve been charter fishing on lakes and in the ocean since 1997, and, excluding party boats, Captain Sam is one of only two men that I’ve given the pleasure of having my repeat business.  Captain Sam was recommended to us by several
other fishermen that we know who have homes in both the Darien and Tampa areas.  Also, last year there was a front of storms in the area, and Captain Sam was proactive enough to call us to delay the trip until the bad weather had passed.

As I just said, I’ve been doing this for about 15 years, and Captain Sam is one of only a few people I would use again.  Of course, there are also two charter fishing
companies THAT I WOULD NEVER USE AGAIN! No, I won’t mention any names.  In 2003, my family and I were in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and dad and I went fishing on a party boat. Not only did they overbook the boat, but the boat we were on was so crowded that we were literally fishing shoulder to shoulder.  My dad was also so busy helping the crew untangle people’s lines that he didn’t even get to put his own pole into the water for the first hour of the trip.  To
make matters worse, half of the people on board got seasick, including me.  I’d never gotten sick on a charter fishing trip before.  Of course, you have to take
into account the fact that there were 10 foot swells, which constantly rocked
the boat.  It was also 95 degrees, and really humid.  I also didn’t take any Dramamine before we went, and my dad and I were stuck standing right above the motor.  That trip was also the first charter fishing trip where we’d came up empty-handed.  I had such a bad experience that I wanted my money back.  I STILL DO!

Two years later, my family and I were vacationing on Maui, and my dad and I booked a deep sea fishing trip on a small fishing boat, and I don’t even remember the name of the company.  We were joined by a young couple who had
never been deep sea fishing before.  Anyway, we spent hundreds of dollars for a four hour trip, AND DIDN’T GET A BITE THE ENTIRE TIME!  In other words, we spent all that money and got nothing more than a four-hour boat ride.  We didn’t even see the crew most of the time, except for when one of them changed a lure and got himself a drink.  Though, we did get to see some dolphins.  Hopefully, that novice young couple didn’t get their spirits dampened because of a bad first experience.  Also, the two guys running the boat wanted us to give them the customary tip when we got back.  Why should we give them a tip when they
didn’t deliver? That’s when you really don’t feel liking obliging.

One time while dad and I were fishing in Florida on a party boat, the captain offered to give us HIS FISH!  Now, when the captain offers to give you what he caught, then you know you’re not doing well.  We also went on an eight-hour
fishing trip on a party boat, and got ONE fish. I didn’t even get a bite!  I even
dropped my bait right into the middle of a school of fish, and got nothing.  I don’t like getting skunked.

Captain Sam is also a full-service business.  You won’t have to bait your own hook, or take your fish off the hook, because they’ll do it for you.  All you have to do is put your line in the water, and reel it up when you feel a fish. He’ll even clean your fish for you, and tell you to go to “Gators” where they’ll cook up your catch for you.  We did that, had other diners tell us that it looked good, and ask us what we’d ordered.

Being on both party boats and small six person boats definitely taught us that you get what you pay for.  It’s also worth it to check with people that you know that know the area.  If we go back to Tampa next year, we’ll definitely use Captain Sam again.

For more information, call (727) 320-8070, (727) 480-6408, or visit www.gofastfishing.com.

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