The Boat
The Charter Fishing Boat
Boat
The boat is a 2016 custom built 24ft T-Craft. This boat is built locally in Bradenton by a renowned boat builder and fabricator, Scott Schoof. This boat is like no other boat you have been on. It is extremely wide which allows clients to have plenty of room while they are fishing. This boat is the best of both worlds and is considered to be a hybrid boat because it can go on the flats of Tampa bay in 8” of water and can handle the rough seas of the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay with ease.
Motor
The motor on my boat is a 2016 Yamaha 250 4 stroke. The Yamaha 250 4 stroke is dependable and reliable, offering a no worry fishing adventure. This motor has plenty of power to get us to any fishing spot whether it’s the far reaches of lower Tampa Bay, 7 miles off Anna Maria Island, or to Sarasota Bay. Because it’s a 4 stroke, the motor is also amazingly quite to allow us to sneak up on any fishing spot during a charter.
Livewell
The livewell is custom built to hold as much bait as possible. This livewell is approximately 50 gals to keep enough bait alive for any typical fishing charter. The livewell has two (2) pumps providing 3,000 gallons of water an hour to the livewell.
Trim Tabs
The trim tabs are on the rear transom of the boat at the waterline and are controlled by switches located near the helm of the boat. The trim tabs provide a comfortable, smoother, and better ride compared to boat that do not have them. I am able to level the boat out when there is an uneven weight distribution on the boat. Also, during rough seas I can engage the trim tabs in order to lower the nose of the boat to break the waves and provide a more comfortable ride for clients on their fishing charter. In addition, with trim tabs I can take off in shorter distances and in shallower water than boats without them.
Tower
A spotting tower is a must for a fishing guide around our area. The higher you are the more you can see. They help us see and find fish, including schools of Redfish, Tarpon, Permit, and Snook. They also help in navigating the shallow waters of lower Tampa Bay, Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, and Sarasota Bay and it gets you fishing sooner.
GPS/Sounder
This boat has a top of the line Garmin GPS and Sounder. It has the capabilities to do traditional sounding, down imaging, and side scan along with a host of other advanced features to improve our chances of catching the “big one”. Not only does the state of the art GPS/Sounder help with finding the fish it also helps me in finding and catching bait faster and easier.
Storage
My boat has plenty of storage for you personal items that you would like to store while on a fishing charter. You can store small to medium sized bags in the compartments I have available for clients.
Cooler
The cooler on board will be stocked with ice for all your drinks and food.
Seating
There is plenty of seating on my boat to make your fishing trip enjoyable and relaxing. Most of the time when we are fishing we will be standing up but when we are traveling from spot to spot you can take advantage of the seating option on the boat.
Push Pole
On my boat I have a long fiberglass push pole that allows us to be stealthy when we approach fishing areas on shallow grass flats. I use the boat motor to get use close to the fishing spot and then use the push pole to get us the rest of the way. Fish can be sensitive to noises and can sometimes feel the pressure of the boat, that’s why I use the push pole to sneak up on the spot to give us the best chance of catching fish on your fishing charter with me.
Safety Equipment
My boat is equipment with all the required safety gear prescribed by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) including; at least six (6) Type I personal floatation devices (PFD) with lights, one (1) throw-able PFD, navigation lights, first aid kit, day/night visual distress signal, sounding device, fire extinguisher, two (2) 1500 GPH bilge pumps.
Captain Kyle is a registered and licensed Captain through the Untied States Coast Guard (USCG). He is also carries a charter licensed through the Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) which covers clients so they do not have to obtain a fishing license. He is also fully insured through Charter Lakes Marine Insurance Company. Captain Kyle is also a Florida licensed and registered Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) and is licensed in providing CPR through the American Heart Association.
Swim Platform
Some clients what to get in the water and the swim platform allows them to get in and out of the water comfortably.
Shade
My boat has some shade on it as well for those hot summer days. I have a small shade extension off my tower.