Charter: Reel Therapy Guide Services
Inshore Boats: 3 Actioncraft Coastal Bay 2310, 24’ foot (4-6 capacity)
Offshore Boat: Yellow Fin 40’ long, three engines for 1,000 HP
Experience: 13 years
Location: Gandy boat ramp, Fort DeSoto boat ramp
ADVICE TO LOCAL AVID FISHERMEN: “Hire a guide. I know it sounds silly, but the time an average Joe will take to get a boat, insure it, get the equipment and get the boat out, you’re lucky if you go out two Saturdays a month — probably less if he’s got a wife or family. Even if you do get out, you beat yourself up and sometimes go home frustrated and without fish. It can do away with the fun. Just hire a good guide, and they will teach you so much. They have the time and the equipment that can eliminate the frustration — the guide will have you enjoying fishing. Still you have to put in the time, though. It takes a lot of time, a lot of patience out on the water. It can be successful, but it’s all about putting in the time.”
PHILOSOPHY: “When I go out, I’m really trying to put them on that Gulf Coast Grand Slam. I tell them what I’m seeing, what I’m looking for and what I’m going to do. The hardest part of [fish] guiding is telling them all the things you’ve been doing instinctively your whole life in four hours. You want to go out there and show them a good time, show them what’s amazing about our fishery and then, hopefully, go home with a lot of fish and go home happy.”
BACKGROUND: Valle is not your average fisherman. If you’re thinking of Quinn from “Jaws,” think again. Valle wants the experience to be enjoyable, even if a client doesn’t catch a single fish (“Like that would happen anyway,” Valle adds). But if you expect a captain to drive the boat to the middle of the Gulf of Mexico without saying a word, then you’re in for a treat with Valle.
Inshore fishing tips
Best fish to catch: Snook, trout and red fish
Where to catch:
Snook: mangroves shorelines, especially between 2 and 3 a.m.
Trout: grass flats across Tampa Bay
Red fish: cruise the flats, bigger ones off the beaches and passes and canals, come easier from fly-fishing
Time to catch:
Snook: summer time and into early fall
Trout: late summer through January (can keep all year long)
Red fish: during the very hot days, usually more than 100 days or so in Florida from June to August/September (can keep year-round)
Offshore fishing
Best fish to catch: grouper, kingfish or smoker kings, tuna
Where to catch:
Grouper: all of Tampa Bay
Kingfish: off Bay-area shore lines and artificial reefs systems off Clearwater/St. Pete area
Tuna: far offshore, usually closer to 60 miles out for big tuna
Time to catch:
Grouper: year-round (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission opens and closes the season during different times of year)
Kingfish: once water hits 72 degrees (can keep all year long)
Tuna: year-round, except during cold months, typically January/February (can keep year-round)
Rates: Trips start at $350
Contact:
22504 Crows Nest Court, Lutz, FL 33549
813.389.0242
