Fishing Report - Tampa Bay to Sarasota, Florida. Saltwater flats and backcountry fishing guide Capt. Matt Ercoli.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday and is looking forward to a New Year. I hope 2010 is a great one for everyone and their families. I would like to thank my patron fishermen for keeping me busy this past 2009 despite the slower economy. I look forward to an exciting 2010 filled with lots of hard fighting tarpon and calm clear sunny days on the flats watching you all battle snook and Redfish. I love my job and appreciate it more now that I am older and have been doing it close to 15 years. The good days sure outnumber the bad and the fact that I get to fish with people day after day that I have spent years fishing and building friendships with is what makes my job so fulfilling. Even the fishermen and women I only see once a year from across the country I look forward to seeing and hear what has change since our last trip. After 15 years I have gotten to see little guys grow up to have their own families, I guess a few more years and I will be taking their kids fishing too. As a fishing guide I’m lucky because when you spend 8 hours straight in a boat with someone, you really get to know them. I get to meet a lot of interesting people, I hear a lot of good stories, I get a lot of good advice from people that specialize in all kind of stuff. It really is great and it’s the people I get to fish with that makes it that way, let’s face it, at this point in my career I’ve caught everything that swims around here in all sizes. It really makes me feel like I accomplished something when I see how excited one gets when they hook their first tarpon, or showing up at the dock with a fresh bait-well loaded to the top just knowing as soon as we get to the first spot my fishermen are going to love battling the big redfish that awaits them. I have to admit that some of those cold 5:30 mornings throwing a cast net can be rough, but it’s all uphill after that and well worth it.

I am planning my late winter, spring and summer charter schedule. I just want to give everyone the heads up and let you know it’s time to get your dates together. February and March are awesome for snook and redfish in the shallow water. April is probably the best month offshore, although the inshore is equally as good. May through July is mostly tarpon for my boat, although we do great on the flats at that time too. I have days open this winter and the redfishing has been great even though it has gotten almost too cold to fish the last couple of days. I’m sure it will warm again shortly and we will be out there catching them again.

Matt, I tell you what...On a day when every boat in Tampa was on the beach spooking fish, we were still able to create quite a crowd of enthralled weekend warriors with the leaps of an illusive silver king! This was our second trip with Captain Matt and just as he put us onto some of the best snook holes in the Bay, our hunt was successful in finding our target fish once again. The tarpon were more leader shy than they were at the beginning of the summer but with Matt's pin point accuracy and knowledge, we were still able to get our bites out there! I have been a saltwater fisherman for 19 years and every time I go out with Matt, I am able to learn something new that improves my overall fishing performance, and increases my love for the sport. This was the first acceptable full-size tarpon I have ever landed and just three days following our trip, I landed my second good tarpon, a 70 pounder, over on my coast! Matt, your professionalism and character have shown to be top notch. We will continue to be strictly your clients, just as the many other true saltwater anglers that use your service. Here are pictures of the great fish that we landed and a picture of the one that I caught by the residual good luck that everyone gets when they step foot out on your Sheaffer. Thanks again for the memories, our summer was great and I hope your video of the jumps turned out well!

Matt, both Mike and I were once again blown away with the fish you got us into! In the five or six years I have been coming up to fish with you we have never had a bad day! The offshore fishing this year for the kingfish was incredible and the day on snook was just about the best day fishing I have ever had (I won't even guess at how many we had on)! You can plan on us being back next year, and for that matter, every year! I have had the good luck to fish all over the world, and your area is at the top of my list for great saltwater fishing! Thanks and tight lines until next time.
Sincerely, Steve Brugger

Matt, Hope all is well and the bite is still on! Just wanted to thank you again for a great time on the water. We had a blast! Also, wanted to see if you'd mind forwarding on the pic's your father took at your dock (FYI: trip was on May 2nd, caught several large kingfish). Anyway, Caroline, her father (especially), and I are all anxious to see if we made this month's fishing report. We'll keep checking, but we realize that your much busier fishing than advertising this time of year. Take care and we're hoping to plan another trip soon. I've already given your info to a friend that'll be in the Tampa area next month.

WOW!!! What a trip I had with Captain Matt!!! I went fishing with Captain Matt to catch a tarpon. Not only did I catch a tarpon but a wide variety of fish from grouper to snook. Captain Matt is very experienced at what he does and when I go back to sunny Florida I will fish with him again!!!! Captain Matt, Thanks for filling a dream with the tarpon I caught!!!

Just wanted to thank you for the WORLD CLASS fishing trip you guided my son Justin and I to on April 30, 2002! I have fished all over America including guiding and tournament fishing at senior levels and have never found a more professional guide. Your equipment, boat, bait, and knowledge are all SUPERIOR. After many "flats" trips in the Tampa Bay Area with other guides you are now my permanent yearly choice!

This was the 1st time I was able to bring my son along and contacted you in advance with one request, "keep my son hooked up and don't worry about size". I cannot describe the trill of watching Justin land 76 Snook. And we had size to go with the numbers. And as you described in your 5/6 fishing report we only fished one rod at a time. As soon as we cast the 2nd rod( usually before) we were hooked up on the 1st rod and I just reeled in the 2nd rod to watch Justin have the time of his life. I do want to differ a bit from your report stating we could have caught 100 fish. I honestly believe if we would have fished both rods hard we would have caught 200.

I am very grateful for your efforts. I have personally guided for bass, crappie and stripers and know what it takes to keep equipment in first class shape. I was especially impressed with the quality of your bait(Greenbacks) and the amount you had to chum and fish with. I am already looking forward to fishing with you next year and please feel free to post this if you wish and if any one needs a reference please do not hesitate to have them contact me.