Redfish Fishing Charters in St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay

Hey everybody, it's Captain Matt Hilliard here with Daybreaker Inshore Charters right here in St. Petersburg. Sixth generation fisherman, born and raised chasing these tides. My family has worked these waters from Tampa Bay down through the mangroves for generations. I started this outfit because I got tired of watching too many captains rush folks through crowded trips with half baked results. You come looking for real redfish fishing charters in the Tampa Bay area, you deserve better than that.

Redfish are what we live for down here. Slot reds, those bronze bulls, they fight hard and pull strong. We get on them year round but the bite really lights up in spring and fall when the water warms and bait floods the grass flats. Summer means cracking it at first light before the heat builds. Winter, we hunt those sun warmed mud pockets when the northers push through. I've seen it play out a hundred times over the years.

I run a nimble 22 foot boat so I can slip into the skinny stuff where the reds tail on the grass or nose around the oyster bars. Spots like the flats off Fort De Soto Park, mangrove shorelines at Weedon Island, back in the cuts near Bay Pines, or protected pockets around Boca Ciega Bay. Incoming tide on a sunny afternoon gets them cruising the edges. Falling tide, they stack up near structure. Gold spoon ticking bottom or live shrimp under a popping cork and it's game on.

What I enjoy most is putting families, kids, and first timers from Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, or over in Tampa on fish. I keep things relaxed but dialed in. We rig right, read the water the way my granddad taught me, and adjust every trip. No herding you like cattle on some big party boat. This is personal. Real local knowledge you can't fake from a chart.

Regulations stay straightforward in our Southwest zone. Slot is 18 to 27 inches, one fish per person per day with a vessel limit. We do a lot of catch and release especially on the bigger bulls to keep things healthy for everybody. I've watched what pressure can do to these spots and I ain't about pushing it.

If you're searching redfish fishing charters near St Petersburg, Tampa Bay, Pinellas County, or anywhere within a short drive like Safety Harbor, Dunedin, or Gulfport, this is the real deal. Honest trips, quality gear, and a captain who lives this life every day. No fluff, just solid fishing and memories that stick.

Tired of the same old thing? Give me a call or book direct. I'll get you on the reds and make sure you have a day worth talking about. That's the Daybreaker way. Solid inshore action with a guy who knows these bays like the back of his hand.

Daybreakers Inshore Charters 

Captain Matt Hilliard 6th Generation Fisherman

Email: captainmatthilliard@gmail.com

Phone: 727-434-0383