Flounder Fishing Charters St Petersburg | Tampa Bay Flounder Trips with Capt Matt Hilliard
Hey everybody, it's Captain Matt Hilliard here with Daybreaker Inshore Charters out of St Petersburg, Florida. Sixth generation on these waters, and I've been chasing flounder in Tampa Bay longer than I can count. Born and raised doing this. My family commercial fished these bays for decades before charters even took off. I know where those flatfish hide, and I hate seeing folks waste a trip drifting the wrong spots or fighting the wrong tide.
Down here flounder love the sandy potholes in the grass flats, channel edges, and areas around docks and bridges where the current pushes bait right to them. Think places like the cuts near Fort De Soto Park, the shallows off Weedon Island, or the sandy drops around Boca Ciega Bay and Johns Pass. When the water cools in fall, they really stack up. But honestly we get good shots at them pretty much year round outside that closed season from mid October to end of November. Gotta respect the regs. Minimum 14 inches, five per person.
I run a small 22 foot boat on purpose. Keeps things personal. No herding groups around like some bigger operations do. Whether you're a family with kids looking to get the little ones hooked on fishing or experienced anglers wanting to fill the cooler with some of the best eating fish in the bay, I dial it in for you. We use live shrimp, Gulp baits, or swimming mullet on jig heads. Slow and low is the name of the game. Drift those sandy transitions or work the edges real careful. I've watched it a hundred times. One tap and boom, they're on it.
Tampa Bay and St Pete waters get chewed up by wind and boat traffic sometimes, but I read the tides and weather like my granddad taught me. Summer squalls can move fish quick. Winter northers push them deeper. I adjust every trip. We fish the Skyway area, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas, and all the good stuff within 30 miles. No corporate rush job. Just honest inshore fishing with a captain who actually lives this.
People come from all over. Tampa, Clearwater, even further for that real Florida experience. I keep safety first. USCG licensed and insured. Kids love it when we get those doubles or a nice one for the cooler. Nothing beats fresh flounder on the table that night.
If you're searching for flounder fishing charters St Petersburg, Tampa Bay flounder trips, family flounder fishing near me, or best inshore flounder guides in Pinellas County, this is it. I put you on fish. No fluff, just results and stories worth telling. Book direct or give me a shout. I'll get you taken care of.
That's the Daybreaker way. Real local knowledge from someone who's seen these tides change for generations. Tight lines, Capt Matt.
Daybreakers Inshore Charters
Captain Matt Hilliard 6th Generation Fisherman
Email: captainmatthilliard@gmail.com
Phone: 727-434-0383