Catch The Spirit Fishing

Fishing season is Alive!

2009-10-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
just wanted to quicky post that I have been fishing with my 25 foot catch Spirit and doing very good on spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper and lots of groupers.
The weather is beautiful and hot with calm seas lately.
I have managed to fish several trips this week with very good numbers of fish.

4 hours is $375 on the spanish mackerel trips
$500 offshore bottom fishing trips
Thanks Tommy tinacci

Summer Fun with Sharks, mackerel and tunas!!!

2009-06-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
I know it's been awhile since my last post but fishing trips since have had great success.
Those of you who have fished with me always expect a good show and that's just what I delivered for the months of May and June. Solid catches of King mackerel, little Tunnys(false albacore), Spanish mackerel, plenty of Black tip sharks and the monstrous Goliath grouper have been bending the rods to our hearts content.
I will admit this type of fishing is a no brainer, however, the homework of finding the right spot has already been taken care of for you.
All you have to do is catch the fish! That's just what we've been doing and within a 30 minute ride to the fishing grounds.
The action has been fast and Fishful!
On my trip yesterday with 4 nice guys from Philly, yes Art even you, had their muscles worked as they fought many sharks ,tunas and had one Goliath well over 300lbs! They also had some nice grouper and snapper they caught with me on an earlier trip during the week.
Here are some pictures of just what we decided to take home. Fishing is awesome right now ,don't procrastinate! Call me and lets go have a great time catching fish!
No fish no pay guarantee!!! Also, you will be assured the weather will not hinder you trip. I do this for everyone and have built a strong clientele that knows I don't take your money unless I deliver a good fishing trip on the right day. Internet shopping is hard, I assure you You have picked the right captain and boat for the job!'
Thanks for reading this,
captain Tommy Tinacci

Friday trip

2009-05-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
These are Pictures from my Friday trip.
Barracuda, tuna, Cobia, King mackerel and jacks. Jeannie managed to catch herself a grand Sarasota offshore slam!
The beaches are very fish ready ! This week will see catches of Tarpon, Permit, Cobia and bottom fish like mangrove snappers and gag groupers.
The inshore reefs are holding all of the above and I'm ready for my trip tomorrow. The fishing this month will be awesome.
Take care,
Tommy Tinacci
941-376-8669

>>>>>-------Spring fishing in full force-->

2009-05-03T18:09:00.001-07:00

Good Evening Everybody,
Even though I have not had much time to go hunt hogs with my bow, I have more then had my share of catching king mackerel, tuna, black tip sharks, and Goliath groupers this week.
The trips we have had this past weekend went very well, today was a bit bumpy but Amir the fearless and wife Julie jumped aboard to have their time in the sun and salt. Despite the persistent 3 foot chop mother nature dished out we bounced our way to success and found a 15 pound king for Julie and many other albacore and king fish for the three of us to stay busy with the duration of the trip.
Saturday's weather was fantastic with flat seas and a real hungry swarm of fish beating off the back of our boat. Kings found the hook and shiner within a second of every cast you could put out.
The Saturday afternoon 4 hour had Robin and Tina complaining about the rod marks on there bodies they got from reeling in a few black tip sharks and multiple tuna they successfully landed on there very first fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico!!! Robin don't worry about that purple spot on your hip it will go away I promise!
All in all I think both captain and crew was happily worn out!!
Excellent fishing is a phone call away. I'll be happy to talk with you about it.
I need sleep!!!!!!
Make it a great week you guys,
Tommy Tinacci

King mackerel, Tuna, Barracuda and Sharks oh my!!!!!

2009-04-29T04:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,
Fishing this week has been crazy!!!!!!! Excellent spring weather patterns are finally here. After a windy April and many canceled trips, we have finally begun to hit the offshore waters on a regular basis with great results!!
My guests have been averaging 50 King mackerel and or Tuna, between 7-20lbs!
In case your wondering, you really can't do any better then this!
In addition to the light tackle King mackerel fishing, I put out a shark rod and have been hooking up with Black tip sharks in the 60- 100lb range. This is some fun under the sun let me tell you!!!

I am charging a summer special of 125$ per person. My 25 foot boat 'Catch Spirit' is soooo comfortable for 4 people and fast too!!! Children as small as you want to bring will not find a cooler captain.....yup!!
Their little muscles will be in overdrive,while they learn how to reel in big King fish with rods that I make which are suitable and paper light for them to use.
I hope to see you this spring or summer for some fast and furious family fishing fun!
Wow.... say that fast!
sincerely,
capt Tommy Tinacci
941-376-8669
PS I don't have a blackberry, so texting could be slow for this caveman but try anyway,he he.
Also; 2 adults and 4 kids is fine too! total cost 550$ tip/fish cooler/fish cleaned to perfection!!

HEllo!!!! It's Big Fish TIME!!!!! Catching BIG Fish!!!!

2009-04-27T05:12:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody!!

Things at Catch the Spirit are changing for the better!!!!

For starters--- I HAVE RESTRUCTURED ALL MY PRICES BY A LOT!!!----
Not because I'm lacking business but because I am back to exclusively using my 25 foot boat 'Catch Spirit'.
I sadly had to say good by to the boat I help make with my own hands. 'Ahi Spirit', was sold to a private person last week and I no longer have the boat to charter with. My contract ended last year and it was for sale for a while by it's owner, who finally found a buyer. I also changed my public location to Hart's Landing. Most of you know this is where I pick up my bait and ice. I will continue keeping my 25' boat
'Catch Spirit' at marina Jacks but not in a charter boat slip. IT just became too expensive and I continue to take the same customers out year after year. So I decided to lower my prices and serve more of you better.

Next, I had 3 trips over the past week on the 'Catch Spirit', which I take 4 persons more then comfortably fishing on.
After being bummed out about losing the 'Ahi Spirit', God showed me direction I was destined for once again in my life.
As I ventured out on the 'Catch Spirit' with my anglers for a 4 hour king mackerel trip, I realized with every passing minute how much fun it was to be back on this boat and how beautiful a ride it is under appropriate conditions.
Then it occurred to me! I used this judgement for you guys even when I had 38 feet of boat under me!
So, we get to the spot, bait well loaded to the brim with shiners, and just had a blast with my new friends!!! Like old times, the early 2000's, the fish were insane with hunger. Millions of pounds of bait around us!..... hordes of teaming tuna, king mackerel, barracuda and sharks all around us!!!
The fishing is the best I have seen since last year:)))
You must take me up on this trip------ it's better then Disney!!! better then the pool at the condo!!!----better then sunning on siesta beach!!!
Call me before you leave , New York, Chicago, Michigan(although your probably back Home already!)
Wherever your from, you all need to experience this fishing trip if you visit Sarasota!!!
Now you can, at 100$ less then we used to charge!

OK , my new price on this trip is---$550 --tip included, you also get a complimentary cooler with Catch the Spirit logo to put your filleted fish into. (Don't worry about bringing zip locks ,I supply them also.)

What you Should bring;
*sunglasses
*sunblock (I also have extra)
*eager people who want lots of BIG fish and fun!
*long sleeve shirt for you white people (whiter then white, you know who you are:))
*Any self-claimed expert who has fish 40 years or more!
*All newbies ,very welcomed!
*Kids of all ages very welcomed!--I have my own small kid's
*Small cooler you would pack to the beach
*Your own food and drink (I technically can't serve you food or drink, free or not)
*camera or Video
*cash or check

Please call me for faster service, I check my emails 2 times a day 500am and 800pm.
All day on my boat I can be reached at 941-376-8669

Also, I can still do split trips, the cost is $130 per person. You will share the boat with only 3 other people. Fish like a pro and be taken care of like a King or Queen. I boost only 1 thing---You will only get a great trip with me, under appropriate weather and sea conditions!!!
Call me!! I will not waste your time or money!
Take care,
Capt. Tommy Tinacci
941-376-8669

More pics of March fishing

2009-04-03T03:50:00.000-07:00

These are pictures of the fishing we had in March. The pictures with the small fish are 3 and 4 hour trips, Amber jack pictures(silver colored fish) are of the 8 hour trips.
Enjoy and thanks,
Tommy Tinacci

Just some recent Photos of good times!

2009-04-03T03:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all for the fun and privilege to serve you !!!!
Capt Tommy Tinacci
941-376-8669

BIZZY BOY at large!

2009-03-31T02:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
I know I have not posted all the pictures on my camera lately, that's because I'm working 16 hours a day and really need a peace full day off to get it all done. MY day to do this is tomorrow, Wednesday April 1st.
You will be able to see all the pictures of you crazy fish mongers by noon tomorrow. I write this @ 500am but am out the door headed to Amber jack land. We'll tell you about this and other trips later tonight.
I will say this, Fishing this year has been outstanding ---even for a person like me that gets to see enough fish caught. We are catching many wonderful fishes for good folks like yourself.
NO RED TIDE HAS MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN OUR WATERS!
Thank you for stopping by to read this,
Capt Tommy Tinacci
941-376-8669
PS my 25 foot Catch Spirit---is Cobia and Tarpon ready for these next two months!

The kingmackerel are here!!!

2009-03-17T01:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks!
Yes, spring is in full step for us fishermen here down south!!!
Fishing everyday 10-15 hours will keep me away from this computer so if you need to get in touch with me for a trip or any other reason then call me. 941-376-8669
I am catching King mackerel, little tunnies(False albacore tuna),red and gag groupers, American red snappers, Amberjacks, mangrove snappers and shark offshore on 8 and 10 hour trips
My 4 and 6 hour trips are mainly getting the kings and tuna if you want there's still plenty of key west snapper around as well to fill your grocery list.
Trips are booking fast and April is half full already, so don't wait for the last minute to call for a charter.

The fishing right now is fantastic and has been for a very long time. The weather here is starting it's spring like pattern and the waters are very clear offshore. We slammed the kings yesterday and will again today! This is all the time I have right now, take care!!
capt Tommy Tinacci
941-376-8669

Amber Jack for Dinner anyone

2009-03-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

For those of you that like a little more bang for your buck!!!

*******$200 per person Amber Jack split trips********
Get bing banged on Jacks and come home with a purple spot on your hip hop!
Go Fish:)
Capt Tommy

Still waiting for Kingfish!!!

2009-03-07T18:24:00.001-08:00

Hello,
The water temps are just not there yet for the kings but the Spanish mackerel are showing up in good numbers.
I have also had some fun Sheepshead fishing this week with several guests. A 3 hour beach trip has been on the menu this week and several of you took me up on the good fishing. For those of you who don't know, a Florida fish called Sheepshead is an awesome tasting fish that is in the drum family of fishes.Like a redfish and Black drum It's not your Ohio river bottom dwelling carp type fish so many of you rush to tell me about.
Please rename this fish!!!! Anyways ,the Sheepshead gives a great fight we using light tackle and is excellent table fare.
For those of you that need a little more pull, there's still plenty of Amber jacks out there awaiting your bait! My 8 hour trip will get you there and back safely and comfortably. I will be planning on fishing king mackerel throughout the spring so book you trip today and let me show you one of the most fun fishing trips Sarasota has to offer you and me!!!
God bless us all,
Capt Tommy Tinacci

March 2, 2009

2009-03-02T10:51:00.001-08:00

Greeting's everyone,
I wanted to let you all know how good the fishing is right now for the many different species and trips that I offer.
First up is the 4 hour Split trip in the gulf on board my 38' "Ahi SPirit".
Recently, all trips have had an average catch of 120plus fish for 4 persons in 2.5 hours fishing time.
That's more then my normal 50-70 plus fish rating I have been tooting about thus far. The average amount of fish people bring home is around 75. These are fish that range in size from 1.5 -5lbs. We do also catch nice sized grouper on the trips but they have to be returned to the water till season opens again on April 1st.
My 6 hour Split trip I the same as the 4 just with more fishing time added to your trip.

The 8 hour trip is mainly a big fish producer. We have been targeting Amber Jacks and larger snapper, till grouper season opens back up, then it's back to catching take home groupers along with the Jacks and snappers.

Inshore fishing this week on board my 25'boat "Catch Spirit" opened right up with huge catches of Sheepshead (a drum type bottom fish)who's meat yields a very delicious flaky white consistency comparable to snapper. Catches for 2 persons has been 30 plus fish for 3 hour trips. I have a bunch of these trips coming up this week that are inexpensive and full of action.

I need persons for the following inshore split trips on board 25' "Catch Spirit"
Tomorrow; Tuesday March 3rd, 11am-200pm need 1 person.
Wednesday March 4Th, 8-12 noon need 2
Thursday March 5Th, 7-11am need 2
Friday March 6Th, 7-11am
Thank you and have a great week,
Tommy Tinacci
941-376-8669

Feb 16th ,2009

2009-02-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

Greetings,
Just a quick note about the fishing. I'm in full season with the boat and wanted you all to know that if you need a more detailed word about the fishing then just call me. \\\
I get to the computer about once a day.I'm a one man band here and so I answer messages at the end of a day and emails as well. Thanks for your patience.
I have been doing many 8 and 10 hour trips to the amber jacks and big red groupers. GROUPERS ARE NOW CLOSED TILL MARCH 31ST, PLEASE DON'T ASK ABOUT GROUPERS TILL MARCH 31ST!!! Thanks.
Amber jack fishing is awesome right now; my clients are catching fish in the 25 - 40 lb range. I included some pics of these and the beautiful grouper we have been releasing!!
4 and 6 hour trips are catching many snappers and groupers. Total catches for 4 -5 persons has been in the 100's. Fishing is great right now!.
Keep in mind an average 50 fish day is great too, all you number crunchers who want to know the exact amount a day will yield are crazy, call CNN let them lie to you.
Anyway , things are busy ,I am focused and ready and so is my boat ,I"M ON THE FISH!!!
peace be with you!
Tommy Tinacci

Febuary 4, 2009

2009-02-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

Greetings ,
This weekend I have a 6 hour trip that need 2 more persons. Saturday from 700am-1pm.
Cost is 160 per person,tip included.
Fishing between the cold fronts will be very good with Amber jack, King mackerel, barracuda, mangrove snapper,and other delicious bottom fish. Other fish included are trigger fish, Sheepshead, banded rudder fish and Spanish Hog snapper. All excellent table fare and cleaned to perfection at my dock stand.
Customers take away their catch in a personalized cooler along with coozy cup holders too! That's right!
Here are pictures of what I'm catching during the next couple of weeks. On my 4 hour trips we catch an average of 60, sometimes 80 fish for 4 persons sharing a trip!! These are currently bottom fishing trips where you will catch an array of species and sizes with my custom fishing rods. I happen you make these rods myself and fit them with Penn and Shimano reels. You use top of the line equipment and fish with me at places I work hard to find in the Gulf of Mexico.
Other trips on my 25'boat 'Catch Spirit' will target Cobia along our shores and Mackerel.
Check back for weekly updates and pictures.
Thanks,
capt. Tommy Tinacci

I fogot to publish my gag picture!!

2009-01-28T05:21:00.000-08:00

*Recon Mission for big gags**

2009-01-28T04:47:00.000-08:00

Greetings,
Well things for January went pretty good, we paid the bills and caught a nice bunch of grouper and snapper for the month.
The past few 4 hour trips were very busy with fish catches totaling 70 plus fish for a few hours fishing and 4 persons.
Mel Crostowski and his merry Band of fish catchers put together a fine catch of 50 plus keeper snapper and 20 more throw back red and gag groupers to 21 inches. (22inches is a keeper gag grouper)
On my morning trip with Al and his wife Patricia we had a couple of fine gag groupers to go along with their 47 take home snappers.
All of their fish were filleted by myself. Boneless, bloodless and skinless. They are ready to cook when you take them home.

Yesterday ,my friend Steve Phillips and I went out in search of more grouper spots and what a day it was.
The most perfect day one could even imagine. 70 degrees, sunny ,light winds and a change of tide right smack in the middle of the morning. We proceeded to find 4 new ledges holding all sized groupers.
We limited out with 4 nice keepers to 28inches and threw back 5 others along with 25 more of there short friends. The best part for me is that these are new spots for me to take you to, which is the purpose for the trip. My bonus was that EVEN I caught a big gag for a change.
Thanks everyone for making my January a very enjoyable one!!!
Tommy Tinacci

Split Charter this weekend

2009-01-21T04:59:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
This Saturday I am planning an 8 hour day for 6 persons.
I CURRENTLY NEED 4 PERSONS ON THIS TRIP!
We will be catching gag groupers ,red groupers, amber jacks, barracuda, Mackerel,little tunnys and mangrove snapper. It Should be a great day to get out there, especially 2 days after a cold front.
The cost is 200$ per person, tip included. Excellent service, close attention to you and fish cleaned to perfection is all I practice.

Sunday's trip will start @ 11 am - 5 pm. This 6 hour trip needs 3 others to get out there and it will be fishing for grouper and mangrove snappers. If the king mackerel didn't get knocked out from this past weeks cold fronts then maybe we will catch some also. My opinion is that they are in deeper water. But our bottom fishing will be great!
The cost of this trip is 180$ per person, tip included.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend!
Tommy Tinacci

Pictures of another fine offshore trip!

2009-01-20T08:50:00.001-08:00

Courtesy of Mike Holbrook from Michigan, a great client and new friend I have had the privilege of knowing.
There are many of you out there I owe this shout out to!!!
I know many people out there have a business that they love to show up for and truly, this is one of life's fine points. To be able to work around people when they are on vacation is a wonderful thing. I thank God everyday for blessing me with my trade of being a fishing guide.

Hot Fishing ,cold weekend ahead!!

2009-01-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

Randall and the crew !! What's up!!!
You won't not believe this, the day after your trip this big mako shark cruised right into our chum slick. Thank you!

Mako Shark 6 miles off Siesta Key!!!

2009-01-12T10:34:00.000-08:00

Greetings,
Yesterday I was visited by greatness while fishing with Jesse and Austin Dauphinee!
There's a big cloud in town and it's in the form of a great big Mako shark!!
Would anyone out there like to buy some dive gear cheap?!!!
To start , the outing was all about learning how to catch big gag groupers on a new ledge I found off siesta key only 6 miles out.
While reeling in 1 of 10 groupers we hooked in an hour, a Huge Mako shark swam right to the back of the boat and lit my Italian ass up . Check it out at;
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tommy+tinacci&search_type=&aq=f

OK so got to youtube.com ,then in the search bar,write in Tommy tinacci and you will see our 3 videos of the groupers and this shark .

I estimate a conservative 500-800lbs ,12 feet long. To hook and fight this fish properly requires an experienced 3-4 persons and it just wasn't the right time.
I was just beside myself and happy to say that this great fish payed me a visit in such close proximity to our beaches. Jesse and his family and myself had a priceless time and it would be a real shame to kill such a great fish. If I ever hook this shark, a video of it's spectacular jumps would be all I want to take with me. I hope I never see this Hugh Mako shark dead on my charter dock. I honestly could have killed this fish on the trip, but decided it would have been the wrong thing to do, "to so call, prove myself as a fisherman."

More pics from Holiday weekend!!

2009-01-05T06:29:00.001-08:00

Thank you Sy and Family!!!

2009-01-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

Sy and his family in Amberjack land!!! ****Our 10 hour trip****

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

Greetings,
I first would like to wish all of you out there a healthy and prosperous 2009!
I also would like to thank my clients and those responsible for making my career a success.
Their fishing trips were very successful for the holiday week and the weather here has been just perfect. Try 75 degrees,mild and light wind!!! Just awesome weather!!! The fishing is following suit.
We fished our deep water spots for big Amberjacks and grouper and really worked 'em over. Jacks in the 35lb range were consistent and there was even some big cudas out there I didn't expect to catch.
We had a great time and the weather couldn't have been better!
So, enjoy the pictures, this new year and the new spirit of America I believe will turn this nation around.
God bless our country,
Capt Tommy Tinacci

Merry Christmas!!!!!

2008-12-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

Seasons Greetings,

During the week of Christmas and the rest of the winter(till march 31) I will be bottom fishing inshore(within 10 miles) and offshore(20 miles +).
I have been receiving emails full of questions that this website could answer in a few minutes of READING. So please look over my site then email me. I will try to answer all you questions here!

All those who wish to read, I provide everything for your fishing trip except food and drink.
You are allowed to bring beer but no hard alcohol or drugs.
(I don't take credit cards, payment in cash or check only)
Two of my most popular trips for the winter are my 4 hour trip or the LONG DAY 10 hour trip.
For those of you who only want to catch a consistently big fish of 20-40 lbs ,then bring lots of money($1450 tip included) and book an 10 hour trip(Can take 6 of you).I guarantee you a worn out arm within 6 hours of the trip and a 300lb cooler of fish or better!

My 4 hour trip(650$ tip included)is for those who would like to catch a lot of fish (50-80 fish average for 4 persons) including lots of short groupers in the 16-21 inch range as well as a few keeper grouper and many mangrove snappers. We fish with light tackle on these trips and have great success all the time. This is a great family trip for youngsters and adults alike. I love this trip myself because it is so much fun and your not out there all day!
There are some openings left for the week of Dec 25-31st, call for faster service!

Here are some pictures of my 4 and 10 hour trips.
You choose, then call me and I will give you a great fishing trip!
Merry Christmas,
Tommy Tinacci

Fishing report for Dec 1st ,2008

2008-11-30T16:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,
I hope you all have had a great Thanksgiving with your families and had a chance to reflect on your wonderful position as we have been given everything.
My fishing trips have been lots of fun for both me and my guests. We have been catching many keeper gag groupers inshore as well as other bottom fish.
The fishing has been so good we have been catching 50 plus fish ,30 of them groupers in just a few hours for 4 people on board. The grouper have been running 5-15lbs.
Things are good and business is slowly picking up and I'm very thank full for the few people that choose to fish with me. Not only are they very satisfied at the end of their trip but have all gained a friend in Sarasota while doing it. Most of our 200 trips per year are families I enjoy serving while serving the Lord.
My wife Megan,daughter Felina and I thank you for that and we will continue to give you all great service though the New year.
Enjoy getting into the Holiday season,
Capt. Tommy Tinacci

No red tide = Excellent fall fishing in Sarasota

2008-11-13T15:44:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone ,
Thanks for stopping by and reading my report for my two weeks toiling in the sun. You may think that 60- 80 fish for a 4 hour with 4 people is alot but for this Brooklyn boy it just another day on 'Ahi Spirit'.
Enjoy the pictures, if you need to catch larger fish like the ones in the bottom picture, then book a 10 hour trip. Bottom fishing is excellent and I'm not going to tell stories like all the other captains out there. If you want a different experience on the water ,one you will think back on sitting in traffic 6 months later then call me. I take care of my people and they all know I love em. See ya.
Tommy Tinacci

Continued GREAT fishing!!!!

2008-11-05T04:29:00.000-08:00

Greetings,
The fishing this week for all trips we had was just fantastic. The continued great fishing is probably due to a dip in temperatures and an upcoming waxing moon phase.
A couple of spots I hit this week were full of groupers. Many keepers came up in addition to a limit of mangrove snappers,banded rudderfish, trigger fish and many other grouper that were just missing the legal measurement.
The best part of these trips is the fact that we catch all these fish with light tackle rods and reels. This in itself is lot's of fun! Especially for a kid.
Well I could go on but am going to keep it simple and down to the pictures below of my trip results. Call me if you need faster service on a trip . I always have split charters set up.
capt.Tommy

Fishing with the stars!!

2008-10-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Howdy ,
That's right! Country music star Darryl Worley fished with me this weekend along with 106.5 CTQ's on air personality Maverick, Heidi and Sammy Cruise.
Our trip was terrific! Beautiful weather and a crazy bite from start to finish. Mangrove snappers were coming over the rail as fast as I'd like and then as luck would have it a 30lb king fish slammed into one of our live baits. Mitch, a neighbor of Marina Jacks, battled this fish on a bait rod that should have lost all the power pro I put on the reel. That's were the luck really came in. After Mitch went around the boat some he landed on of the 2ND biggest kings of the year caught on Catch the Spirit!
We also caught a couple of keeper grouper in the 26-28inch range as well as some shorts we released. The action was steady and everyone had a great time,including me!
Darryl is a great down to earth person, it was like havin a big brother on the boat. We had a great time. Funny part was I didn't know I was taking a famous person fishing before the trip. My wife knew his music and WAS LIKE YOUR TAKING DARRYL WORLEY FISHING!!!!!holySH>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Our video's of this trip can be found on country station website www.1065CTQ.com
http://www.wctq.com/pages/1065ctqtube.html
Thanks CTQ for a memorable fishing trip!!
Capt. Tommy

Really good fishing now on 4 and 6 hour trips!

2008-10-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
This week was awesome fishing on the 4 hour trips. We are taking many mangrove snappers, groupers and mackerel. Here's some pictures of us in action this week!
Enjoy and protect my friends,
Capt. Tommy

Excellent bottom fishing despite market woes!

2008-10-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

The Hell with the economy and the stock markets side show!!!
Give me a call and get out fishing like these great guys from Kentucky did this morning. This is a mangrove snapper, banded rudderfish and mackerel fiesta off Siesta key! Hip Hip Horray!! This is good for your soul. Drink a little ,eat a little and share this wonderful bounty with your friends. Get off the couch and go fishing!
Peace out,
capt. T

sailfish on a 4 hour?

2008-10-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

July 21, 2008 fishing report

2008-07-21T05:08:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
The past few weeks have been very hot , high water temps and slow fishing for the big fish inshore 4 hour trip. Although a few trips have seen some nice permit to 26 pounds ,that's been it for catching big fish within 10 miles of shore.
That's not to say we cannot go out and catch fish ,you just need to fish a 8 or 10 hour day to get to the cool water offshore to catch Big amberjacks and grouper and sharks. Then you will catch big fish, but don't ask me for big fish Right Now on a 4 hour it's not going to happen. Even the barracuda on a half day were not cooperating.
OK, ....what I have been doing for my 4 hour people is catching them delicious snappers.Mangrove and key west snapper have been very good and they are 30- 50 plus keepers for a couple hours fishing on a 4 hour trip. They are also catching short red groupers, trigger fish ,porgy and others. The action has been very good and we use a very light setup to catch them so its lots of fun for all. That 's been it and I am just waiting for the mid august Spanish mackerel and tuna run. That will be a very good time to come out. We will be casting live shiners of our boats and chumming the fish into a frenzy. Usually happens every season after the July full moon which was last Friday the 19Th.
That's all folks!
Enjoy your summer in spite of all the crap you see on tv ..Get out of the house !!!!!,
Tommy Tinacci

July 13, 2008 Fishing Report

2008-07-13T09:01:00.001-07:00

Greetings from 95 degree heat and 100 percent humidity!!@#$%^&
Yes, it sure is HOT down here as some of you reading this already know. The fishing has been weird ,one day it's great the next day I'm scratching the coconut to come up with my next trick.
Honestly reporting, I have had a few trips that were very fish less despite a 110% effort I put forth and displayed to my customer.Of coarse we had a beautiful day and the sun was shinning and the waters were calm but.... just too calm with very hot temps and fish hanging in deeper water outside of the time limit I had to fish.
We caught a beautiful netful of bait only to chum the hell out of nothing. On a couple of trips the tunas were foaming the surface and eating my chum but refused the hooked baits, go figure.
Now , you may say to yourself why would he want to report 3 lesser trips to the millions of people out there reading this, FOR the truth . I know were used to being lied to by most other things we here about in this society ,but I personally live in a more natural barbaric world of my own and in this mental world I live in I'm not politically correct and I love my weapons and my God and the truth in all things. So.... yeah, us fishing guides , we roll with the fruitful seasons and sometimes lesser trips can occur.
Since I last reported to you I have had about 8 trips and 3 of which we caught small groupers and a variety of bottom fish. The other 5 we caught permit to 26 pounds and Goliath groupers to about 130lbs. These are some photos of Jim and his family from Chicago I had with me this past week .Thanks for the photos and the trip Jim!
My trip yesterday was really good. Joe Motta and his son Joe caught over 80 mangrove snappers( I stopped counting after a while) and went home with our limit for 2 persons. I culled though the lot and took only the better fish. Excellent table fare!
All in all even though it has been hot, the deep water fishing is good on 8 hour trips and inshore I have determined that we will be catching mangrove snappers and then go for the big permits and groupers, so that your guaranteed to catch fish you can take home. This is will be for this coming week. Most of the winds this coming week will be west 10knots plus so that may spark up the tunas inshore.
Thanks for reading this,
capt. Tommy Tinacci

June 25 ,2008

2008-06-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today's morning trip was slow with only 2 sharks landed in the 20lb range and lost 3 barracuda . We also caught our 32ND Goliath grouper of the year , it was about 300lbs. We still had a good time even though we hoped for more.

June 24 ,2008 fishing results

2008-06-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
Just repporting todays catch. A grandslam day of the best shark fishing you can get.
27 released sharks to 50lbs
,no real big ones today like on other days, but rods bent for 3 hours
1 23lb barracuda by Lance of West Virginia
and also a nice sized king of 12lbs.
this was our catch, we did take one shark home to feed the crew
,.,good times ,still need 4 for fridays 4 hour split trip @ 700am-1100am
peace out
tommy t

Just pictures I wanted to share

2008-06-23T17:13:00.001-07:00

These pics I pulled of my computer are from some of my summer time fishing trips. My 8 hour trips for grouper sometimes run into Mahi- Mahi or even sailfish .Getting offshore about 25-35 miles is lots of fun ,the flat calm waters and hot fishing really are theraputic.My split 8 hour trips cost $200 per person (tip included) with an advanced reservation. Call 941-376-8669 or email tommy@catchthespiritfishing.com

June 23, 2008 fishing report

2008-06-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
Well just returned in and what a beautiful day I had on the water today with the Smith family. Our day was planned for offshore action on tunas, kings and shark.
The fantastic people of the Smith family did a job out there I wish the rest could see ,so .......when Beth Smith heals from her black and blues and sends me her pictures I will post them for you next to this report.
Here's what they caught out there;
6 king fish to 12lbs
5 tunas to 17lbs
5 sharks ,1 that was a 60-80 lb nurse shark
and a few other tunas that were eaten by sharks
an excellent catch for the Smiths and a really nice weather day!

***********we have split trips this week *************
7-11am Friday the 27Th of June
thanks ,
Tommy Tinacci

June 19, 2008 fishing report

2008-06-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Fished this morning and here 's what we caught.
3 landed 80-100 lb blacktip sharks
1 landed blacktip shark about 40-60lbs
lost 1 goliath grouper around 200lbs @ the boat
12 landed kingfish and nice size ones at that ,12 lbs or so each
time to make the donuts............
tommy tinacci

June 18 , 2008 fishing report

2008-06-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
Reporting the 4 hour trip I had this morning;
Lots of sharks hooked
5 landed 80-100 lb blacktip sharks
3 landed goliath groupers from 150 to 350 lbs

what a season we are having.So far we have landed and successfully released 28 goliath groupers since march 1st 2008.cool huh!
capt. tommy tinacci

June 17, 2008 Fishing report!

2008-06-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hey guy's and Dolls,
Yes ! I'm an old schooler and I don't care to be politically correct.Today was grand and the weather was hot and sticky. I will not go into how I catch my bait or where I fish cause theres to many people out there that still need to learn ,what I will write you using my fast two index fingers is the fun my charter had today catching sharks , tunas and king fish. Oh,... and also that 350plus pound, 89 inch long , 76inch gerth, 28th Goliath jewfish of the season.:) Yeah buddy:) You know it:) I'm hav'n a good time out here!!!
The sharks are still fired up hard out here!!! Man ,.......you just cant get anything to the boat without a shark charging and destroying your fish. We did manage to get 6 eater king fish and tunas to the boat. The rest of the 4 hour trip was spent fighting 30-80lb black tip sharks. crazy! But fun!
Yeah,....times are expensive ,,, I'm just gett'n bye,,, but what really matters to me are a few things I'm grateful for in my small life .,,,,when I wake up next to my beautiful wife @ 430am,,,, go stare @ our 9 month old beautiful daughter sleeping so peacefully,,,, to enjoying some good coffee with my dog Starla as we load the truck with fishing rods,,,,The rest of the day is all about your success till 1 o'clock. Then it's off to the woods to play with the hogs!!!!!
What else is there here? , whatever you want It's always sunny and life really is good if you accept it.
Peace Ya ll

Sharks !!!!!!!!

2008-06-14T03:05:00.001-07:00

Howdy,
Today we hooked and landed and also lost some sharks. To the tune of more then 25 blacktip and spinner sharks for 5 persons IN ONE 4 HOUR TRIP!!!!
I was wore out!! just from wrestling with them next to the boat and reaching to take the hooks out to release them.
It was a beautiful day though, and they said it was a 60 percent chance of rain. They just don't tell you that the rains come after 300pm leaving us more time then we need to go out and catch some fish.
We also hooked and fought other tuna and kingfish that were all eatin by the schools of sharks. We basically ha dfish on for 4 hours.
Till next time , the fishing is hot hot hot!!!

Thursday 6 hour fishing trip

2008-06-12T19:25:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to see if I could get good at this blogging thing. Today's trips totals is as follows;
6 tunas landed 4 eatin by sharks
2 kingfish 1 eatin by sharks]
2 barracuda
1 200plus lb goliath grouper lost
9 sharks landed, 1 50plus pound blacktip , 1 80plus pound blacktip
a fine morning that made some folks very happy. We will be doing this kind of trip mostly all though the summer. Got one tomorrow, good night !

Tarpoon Inshore , Offshore tuna, kings and barracuda

2008-06-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
Fishing in sarasota could not be better then it is right now.
Weather is flowing it's hot fiery steam during the day but the morning bite has been just fine.
We have been hitting the tarpon to the tune of one landed fish per 4 hour trip. For those that don't know about tarpon fishing....read about them then come back to comment. It's been terrific , all the fish have been in the 100 to 130 lb range and I have been pleased.
We also have been cashing in on some bull redfish that have taken residence on a few nearby beach locations.
John DuVall, son Brian and son-n-law Jason were out with me last week for 2 days of inshore fishing and bagged 4 trophy fish on 2 different 4 hour trips.
Their first trip was for reds and snook and we managed to chum up a small group of big redfish in the 20lb range. These fish were a nice surprise for us since I didn't plan on catching them:) After all I was in a snook spot how dare these redfish infringe on my chum baits, but we were very accommodating to them and welcomed their 15 minute battles in the turquoise clear waters of the gulf beach we fished. What a perfect day it was and the very next day was even better.
We used our leftover giant shiners for tarpon and had a blast. Brian hooked a big nasty of about 110 lbs and learned all about what it takes to land a big tarpon. Hours of steady give and take till beer time.
We also hooked up on some little tunnys that were foaming the nearby waters as we looked for tarpons.
The off shore fishing right now is dooing very well with little tunnys(15lb tunas), barracudas ,kingmackerel, blacktip sharks,permit and goliath groupers.
I also need to make a note about the many goliath groupers we have been catching. We have caught 26 this year so far and the fish have ranged from 150 -500 lbs. This is the biggest fish you will catch here in sarasota with any regularity and it's just a roit watching a person fight them too!
The action offshore is grand with barracudas hitting big live baits to tuna crashing my heavy chum slick of shiners, Sharks in between trying to keep us from bringing home dinner and all this fun we are having with light spinning tackle!!!!
Give me a call this summer all our customers have great success and walk away very pleased. I have chartered trips personaly in other countries and to my amazement was shammed with a bad day.
If there is a remote chance you might have a bad fishing day for either weather reasons or some other reason I will stear you in the right direction and let you know your other options.
Thanks for reading and checking me out here.
take care of each other,
Tommy Tinacci

March fishing 2008

2008-03-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Greetings good people of America,
Fishing is in full swing here in Sarasota. Weather has been a bit windy the past few days but in general temperatures have been holding in the 70's and the kingfish, spanish mackerel, grouper, mangrove snapper and shark have been biting.
My light tackle trips have been seeing steady 50 -80 fish 4 hour trips.
This is not hard to do, when you get on a good bite and you have a person like myself baiting hooks or re-riggging you at lightning speed.
Here aboard 'Ahi Spirit' your success is planned the night before.The location(s) I need to fish, the bait of choice and the time frame I have to do it in are variables I will never overlook. I want success for your trip more then your money.
I would take you all fishing for free if I could,I'm not kidding, but this marina has no sense of humor.
I look foward to the begining of every season. Primarily because I love to fish, but more because I love to study things. Habits, seasons, behaviors of animals and the ever changing natural order of things.
For me, fishing began as a childhood passion, a surreal experience I took part in with my family. This is what I try to share with you all who charter me. My ambition is to fish hard and treat people aboard my boat to the best fishing trip Sarasota has to offer.
Many of my trips can be split with other people to share the cost. I will be happy to stear you in the right direction.
Thank you and God bless you,
Tommy Tinacci

August / September fishing report

2007-08-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone!

Well it's that time of year when things start getting wet around here. As we enter the august september rainy season is very easy for all of us to say that the fishing season is gone for the year, notso!!
We are still trucking along catching a variety of fish on all of our trips. Both bay and offshore trips have been fair.
This week in the bay I had catches of snook and mangrove snappers. On some of the trips we caught keeper redfish along with some shorts . The best snook fishing took place in our local passes to the gulf were the tides were perfect at that time.
My 4 hour gulf trips are catching barracudas , groupers , small sharks, and mangrove snapper. This time of year is also the only time I ever see catches of mahi-mahi on my n8 and 10 hour big grouper trips. Join us for a long day offshore ,I sure you'll love it!
The next time I will report is the end of september so if you have any questions email or call me .941- 376-8669
Thanks and take good care of each other,
capt. Tommy Tinacci

Spring has sprung and fishing is going nuts!!!

2007-05-21T04:19:00.000-07:00

TARPON R HERE****TARPON R HERE****TARPON R HERE****TARPON R HERE****
JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THE TARPON R HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The good crab eating schools we like were all around us this weekend and we jumped many!
Lot's of big tarpon schools were moving down the beach this weekend and we got in on some great set-ups in 5 feet of clear water. NO sharks either!!! Couldn't believe that but ooh aah I'm not complaining.
I had schools of 100plus fish .Some schools had bigger fish then others, but most of the fish we caught were in the 100lb range. Big enough for BOB Johnson --lets' just say that---big enough for BOB Johnson to try to handle:)hehehe

Also this week and the past few weeks we have been just making them as happy as can be with our trolling of yozuri lures . Clients fishing with me on the 4-6 hour trips have been and are currently enjoying a full on king mackerel fishery. Mixed catches include king mackerel , Spanish mackerel, little tunny's ( false albacore), barracuda and black tip sharks.
If your looking to spend some time on the water while your here in Sarasota and want to take fish home to eat then this is your trip!!!
Not only will you enjoy the fight these fish offer but there taste both raw or cooked is delicious.
I will explain more of the cooking /sushi recipe to you after you fish with me.I have a certain preparation method that I don't wish to share with the competition.
Onward, my long trips this month were fantastic.
I had a trip where we found a new ledge in 80 feet of water that wore our arms off catching amber jacks , grouper and sharks!!!
We caught 4 black grouper of 16-20 lbs came up , 15+ sharks to 40lbs and 15lb amberjacks just wore us out .In 80 feet !!! that's a great find and one I will add to my growing book of numbers.
This month's fishing has been really terrific and memorable too! You have all been super fun people and that makes it all the more fun for me.
Well, thanks for stopping by and if you coming to srq anytime soon drop me a line. I'll do my very best job of getting you offshore on a nice day and really catching you alot of fish. BLAH BLAH BLAH:)
call me
941-376-8669
peace be with you ,AND STOP RUNNIN THE RED LIGHTS DAMNIT!!!!
capt. Tommy Tinacci (not japanese)

April Fishing still strong

2007-04-03T02:52:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Continued excellent catches of kings and spanish mackerel, along with the occasional tuna (little tunny) or barracuda.
We will catch more barracuda as the water warms; however ,there are plenty on the deep springs I fish and we caught 4 on the last weeks amberjack trip.

Afternoon and morning trips are catching fish (kings etc,). So don't think you need to fish only a morning. Sleep in if you want!!!! your on vacation for the love of god!! This type of fishing exists through july !!!
ok. also.......

I have plenty of split trips this month for those of you who don't want the whole boat to yourselves, so don't wait till the last minute to call me .

ALL SPLIT CHARTERS****** please pick up the phone and call!!!!******** MOST TIMES I'M OUT ON THE WATER AND CAN'T GET TO THE COMPUTER IN TIME TO ARRANGE THIS.

Well I'm out the door!!!
take good care of each other,
Tommy Tinacci

What a month !!!!!!!

2007-03-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

Firstly, Thank you for all your business and for choosing to fish with me again for 16Th year in a row !!!!
you know who you are and you know how thankful I am for people like yourselves who have made this Brooklyn boys dream come true of fishing professionally for a living.

I have fished from my heart since I'm twelve and some of you have had the opportunity to reap the benefits of this.

Like for instance the KING MACKEREL FISHING I'm having right now.
Take you lord for this great pleasure of harvesting these very willing mackerel you have put in the gulf of Mexico for us to eat and enjoy. This is my march and April thanks I pray every morning I have a trip. \

The fishing has been kick ass !!! I mean better then I can write ,obviously!
All of my guests this week have been catching king mackerel , tunas and Spanish mackerel. Two very large barracuda (22lbs-26lbs) were also caught on two different trips, both by 9 year old anglers out with there dads. I am catching these fish with our light tackle fishing rods and twelve lb test line.
These fish are on 4 and 6 hour trips and these guest experienced hours of continuous catching of the fish mentioned.
10 hour trips are also doing great for amber jacks , and groupers . This is a fishery that's always been very consistent year round.
many thanks ,
Tommy Tinacci

stupid fishing!!! or maybe it should be called slaughter

2007-03-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
This is going to be short and sweet because it's sunday night and I'm cranky, tired and I have 14 trips this week to do for the crazy fish mongers on vacation here.
pay attention,
4 hour trips
KINGMACKEREL, TUNAS , BARRACUDA, SHARKS AND SPANISH MACKEREL. all on light tackle as usual.
I can also take you to go bottom fishing if you want too. just specify if you call me for a trip.

6 hour trips same fish --just more fishing time when your already catching them or slaughtering. When fish are coming over the rails faster then I can put lines out ,I call that slaughter. For all you school moms out there don't get mad it's just a word.
next,
8hours take you pick , we can catch 1000 pounds of amberjacks like the 2 old guys I took this week did! or big gag groupers 6- 15 to 15 lbs or 200 lbs of kingmackerels( 30 plus kings), barracudas10-15 lbs , blacktip sharks to 100lbs)or a little bit of all of the above. my 8 hr trip is action , action and more action and I have a big comfortable shinny boat to catch it from. lot's of fish and on light tackle.
10- 12 hours deeper and more fish , fill the hold .

kiding aside , if you need good honest fishing information and a captain to go along with it ,you have come to the right place.
fishing excellence is what I practice here and my attitude on the boat goes along with it!!! don't let bad writing and an ugly website fool you. one phone call and you'll know you have the right guy.

be good to one anotha fa once arite,
tommy tinacci
(yes, from brooklyn... the place that makes great kids!)

really good fishing this weeks trips

2007-02-26T18:23:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,
just wanted to stop for a few minutes this week and fill you in on how I've been doing on my trips.
For starters , I had a great week with mangrove snappers and gag groupers. I have been having steady 60 plus mangroves and grouper mix for 4 persons on 4 hour trips.
That's what I call really good . the tide running hard and the moon rising in the late morning really sparked things up for us. I'd like to take credit for this good fishing but the fish just know when they're in the mood to feed hard.
The best part for me was seeing these good sized mangroves coming out to eat our baits. Good fun for the nice folks I had on the boat this week.

For those of you who like kingmackerel, good sized bait stacks are starting to form out in the 6 hour zone for me. That means I can take you on a 6 hour trip and guarantee that you'll catch kingfish and tunas for hours straight with 12lb class spinning tackle.
You'll be thrilled with this if your looking for big fish without having to go 30 plus miles for this type of action.
For you shark hunters, there are sharks in the 8 hour zone . Makos have been caught already by fellow charter skippers the past few days and I will be headed out there this wednesday . If I don't get a mako I'm sure to catch some blacktips on my grouper bottom. We 'll also catch some tunas and amberjacks.
Grouper fishing in this zone is closed at the momment.
well this is all I can think of at the momment. I have lots of trips that need 1 or 2 persons to fill, so call me!!! I can put you together with 2 or 3 more persons for one of the best fishing trips I know you'll find here in sarasota.
Be kind to one another It's all you can leave behind in this world,
tommy tinacci

excellent fishing now!!

2007-02-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

Readers,
Too many fish !!! what can I say . I don't always say it but ,hay!... here it is! It's better then my normally great trips .
The bottom fishing is outstanding right now with catches of 50-80 fish for 4 hours of fishing 4 persons. Don't start doing the math in your head ,like you all love to do , just enjoy it and take this nice weather god has blessed us with down here and smile. period.
I am catching mangrove snappers, gag and red groupers , hog snappers, triggerfish and others on half day trips.
King mackerel and little tunnys(tuna)on the 6 an 8 hour trips along with the bottom fish mentioned earlier.
readers...you'll notice I'm just a cut and dry writer . sorry I just don't like to tell stories -just facts . Get me on the boat and you'll be thanking your lucky stars you picked this outfit.
10 hour trips amberjacks, kingfish, groupers ,snappers and others.all big fish. I here theres a mako(shark) out there if you would like me to get him on the line for you (seriously). My 12 year old angler got one last feb .
Thanks for stopping by , I'm committed to keeeping you all on the fish out there and giving the unmatched fast service Im famous for.
peace be with you,
tommy tinacci

Febuary 2007

2007-02-05T13:43:00.000-08:00

Greetings Everyone,
Hope you all up north can still feel your brains.
Come to your senses and get down here before you turn into a frozen block! I just want you to get here and get fish'in so you can warm those ol' bones and crack some smiles too.
It may not be as warm as you would like, but it's not 5 degrees.
This past week has been very windy with cold fronts moving though. I havent made much of anything lately but I did manage to cut my foot with an axe this week. See , this is what happens to a fishing guide who's tryin to keep busy round the off season. Honey do's leading to honey can you come home and bring me to the doctors.('__>)
I suspect though the fish are still gathering up offshore on the ledges. It's been a couple of weeks since I've been to my deep offshore spots and I'll bet they are just filling with mangrove snappers ,groupers and other assorted rod benders.
The kingmackerel are still out there in the 80 foot zone for your 8 hour trips . They provide excellent action on the light tackle I provide you. This picture is a good example of an 8 hour day we fished kings and then decided to go bottom fishing for some groupers.
Lately, the water temps have been hanging around 68-71degree zone.Sooooooo any good weather stretch between now and march will mean a sooner beach session for the sight fishing of cobia.

If you have never done this you are in for a treat.
I use my smaller 25foot boat "catch the spirit" for this type of fishing.
The trip starts out driving down the local beaches in search of the fish and ends up with you seeing the pods of fish and casting at them for a hook up.
This is one of my favorite fish to catch. The only way for me to describe the day is ,..this type of fishing is the reason why I'm a guide.
Come see for yourself , better yet , call me I will be happy to share the details and costs for the trip. This is for all of march and april.
Then we have the close in kingmackerel and tuna run///// most of you who fish with me already know. Febuary .........it's a great month to dream about march and april.
Be good to each other and take care,
capt . Tommy Tinacci
941-376-8669

Happy New Year!!

2007-01-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Greetings,
Happy New Year to all!!!!
I just wanted let you all know the last 5 days fishing here has been awesome for mangrove snapper and other assorted great eating bottom fish.
We fished 4 10 hour trips and caught hundreds of snapper and others like grouper.
Snapper has been more predominant.
catch spirit out!
tommy tinacci

Dreaming of a "brown christmas"

2006-12-28T17:53:00.001-08:00

Greetings everyone,
I'm back from my Christmas break. I was visiting my future in-laws in michigan,we were all dissapointed that there was NO SNOW!!!!! Booooo!
Can you believe it, no snow in michigan or any place close! I was very surprised. Just a few years ago I can remember building the 'ahi spirit" in maine and was sooooo cold I almost died in the streets trying to run a few blocks!!
Well ,this got me thinking about how all this attention to global warming is affecting our lives and on a small level for me -- the changing of the fishing seasons down here in florida. I'm tring to gather more facts about it just so I can rule out the man made global warming factor.( I don't like to agree with the bleeding heart liberable who chooses to blame mankind for all that's wrong with the world)
This may sound dumb to you, but for me there has been some definate changes in the fishing around here. It's Hot ...!!! really Hot!!!! We are still catching kingmackerel around here !.It's carzy to be catching kings and tunny's (tuna)this late in the season. But the warm weather is still here.
When I go hunting , I sweat, when I go fishing, I sweat!!! I can get away from the heat. However,let's not forget that we live on a freakin live rock. A rock that has undergone catastrophic events and cycles of different elemental changes.
I'm just want to say, I hope we are just going though a 2-4 year change.
This post I read from Dr. Jeff Masters was worth sharing with you all. This is what the talking heads on the news don't tell you!

What causes El Nino?
In normal, non-El Nino conditions, the trade winds blow towards the west across the tropical Pacific. Warmer water near the surface of the ocean, heated by the sun, is blown to the west by the trade winds. Warmer water "piles up" in the west Pacific (the sea surface is about one and one half feet higher at Indonesia than at Ecuador) as cooler water rises from deep in the ocean in the east Pacific to replace the water that was moved away by the winds. The sea surface temperature is about 8 degrees C higher in the west, with cooler temperatures in the east Pacific due to upwelling of colder water from deep in the ocean. Rainfall develops much more frequently in rising air over warm water so normal rainfall amounts are higher over the west Pacific and the east Pacific area is relatively dry.

During El Nino, the trade winds relax in the Pacific. This leads to warmer water temperatures in the eastern and, especially, central Pacific because upwelling is reduced. As the pool of warmer water moves eastward, the areas of best rainfall development also move to the east, with associated flooding in Peru and drought in Indonesia and Australia. The eastward displacement of this heat source (the warmest water) results in large changes in the global atmospheric circulation, which in turn forces changes in weather in regions far removed from the tropical Pacific.

El Nino episodes typically occur every 3 to 5 years. However, this interval has varied from 2 to 7 years. They typically last 9 to 18 months. El Nino episodes tend to develop from March to June and reach peak intensity during the December to April period, weakening from May to July. Prolonged El Nino episodes have lasted 2 years and even as long as 3 to 4 years. Every El Nino is somewhat different in magnitude and in duration.
I'm curious to see how it will affect everyones traditional florida getaway to the warm weather. You might not have to go to far from your beautiful michigan or minnesota area after all!!!

Happy Holiday's Everyone !!!

2006-12-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

Greetings,
I just wanted to wish you and yours a peacefull and enjoyable christmas and may you have the best health and happiness in the new year!
Fishing has been great on half days with catches of tunas and mangrove snappers.
The long trips of december are coming up for me over the holiday season, I'm sure we will catch amberjacks and grouper on them.
This is the time of year when I like to travel offshore on long trips. The cooler weather and calm seas between cold fronts sure make for a beautiful day, also the el-nino weather pattern we are having right now for the country has sure been making for warmer then usual conditions down here. The day's have been outstanding for weather these past few weeks.
I look foward to fishing with you all ,see you soon!
capatin Tommy Tinacci

Fishing Report for September - October 2006

2006-09-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone,

I would like to take this time to appologize for not posting up to date reports. I'm made for fishing not computing.

Ok, a word about the fishing. I know some of you have been reading and hearing alot about red tide and the reports of it being here in Sarasota. It's true, Red tide is here, but the fishing we are doing is offshore and away from red tide. So upon leaving the dock lately the only evidence of it is water discoloration and a few dead baits here and there dispersed by the wind and tide. The fishing offshore I did this week was very good for 4hour trips. We caught large spanish mackerel and lots of mangrove snappers. The trip I did with Peter Young this weekend was fantasitc. Together the group of five caught 25 spanish mackerel to 6lbs and had a total of 35 keeper mangrove snapper. Their grocery list was definetly not in need of fish. Deep offshore on my 10 and 12 hour trips I'm catching amberjacks, mangrove snappers, yellowtail snappers, false albacore, barracuda, red and black groupers.

The fishing thoughout this next month will hold this same report. There are lots of great fishing trips for September, even when you are hearing about hurricanes on the news. Today as I write this report the seas are flat calm and have been. Funny thing is there is supposed to be tropical storm force winds here on Wednesday.

When it comes to planning a fishing trip for September, don't let the news reports get you down. Instead, call the captain and find out what he thinks about going out on the day your planning. There are many beautiful days to fish on thoughout September between hurricane reports. Use common sense and make inquiries.

Thank you and tight lines,
Captain Tommy

Fishing Report for June 12, 2006

2006-06-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

I must say that I'm sorry for not being the posting guru as I have an aweful way of posting anything I want to say. I'll be quick so I don't get timed out an lose the 3 paragraphs I tried to send last night.

The fishing on the 4 and 6 hour trips has been very consistant. Catches of kingmackerel, tunas , sharks , spanish mackerel , permit and barracudas have kept me busy. The fishing will remain the same for the next month minus the kings .

My 8 and 10 hour trips have been catching mahi -mahi , groupers and snappers. Mostly yellowtail and mangrove snappers. The amberjacks also have been on a great bite too!. I have been catching them with light tackle on top.

Call me for a more detailed report if you plan on visiting in the future.
941-376-8669
capt . tommy tinacci

Fishing Report for April 25, 2006

2006-04-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

Continued great weather and excellent kingfishing are going on strong!!!! All that can be said right now is to drop what your doing and go fishing when it's good. Golf later //// fishing when it's good. You'll have plenty of time while you're down here to golf. First you need food and kings are delicious fish to cook up. I will not get into my famous receipies now, but when you're on the dock and watching me expertly clean them for you, I'll fill you in.

I will not get into how I catch them either, no, I'm holding out for my own show on bspn. Kings are not the only fish we are catching. If you can get on one of our 10hr trips to the deep water, I've been getting into the American red snapper. Great fighting on light tackle and a taste so good, your tongue will beat your skull silly man. Besides that, red and black groupers are givin it up too. Half a dozen groupers and a mixture of red, mangrove and yellowtail snappers is what we average, in addition to amberjacks kingfish and or shark and or tunas. 300lbs + on any givin 10hr day is an average catch.

Plenty of fun and food for everyone on your trip. You'll even be in good with the neighbors after you share some with them! Everybody enjoys when you go fishing, what a country. The water seems to be one of the only places left to go where you'll never find a crowd - that's awesome!

B y the way, we consistantly put you on big fish with light tackle --- for 15 years now in Sarasota, Catch The Spirit and Capt . Tommy Tinacci continue to strickly use only light tackle for your pleasure.

Thank you and take good care of each other,
Tommy Tinacci

Fishing Report for April 17, 2006

2006-04-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone,

Just wanted to take a momemt and let you all know how I did this week. I’m still fishing kingfish and tuna off the beaches and they are making their way further offshore. The bait is too, which means to you and me a longer ride to the fish, but not much though, 15 minutes maybe. The kings have been so cooperative this year and no signs of red tide anywhere in our area.

This has been a terrific season for us here at Catch The Spirit. My charters this week were very happy with what they caught. Big Spanish mackerel and king mackerel have been flying over the rail onto the Ahi Spirit, my offshore boat. The fish are ranging from 5 to 15lb-ers, a great fight on the light tackle rods that I suppy everyone. I use Troll Yozuri lures exclusively, crystal minnows to be exact. I find they are as close to having the perfect sardine at the other end of you line as you will ever find. Hands down, they are the best lure in the world in my opinion. And they don’t even sponsor me! Anyway, they always produce when the fish are in or out of the mood and better than bait because you can fish faster without having to rebait.

The amount of kings we are catching right now is borderline obsene. The fish are plentiful if you know how to find them. You just don’t go out there and troll and start catching them, unless your behind me offshore. :) Our highlight catch of the week was a 30lb cobia that hit our trolled yozuri, caught by Pete DeWolfe from Ohio. Ok, well that pretty much sums up the kingfish inshore bite on the 4 and 6 hour trips. As for the offshore trips in the 30 - 50 mile zone, 8-12 hr trips, we had a 12-hour blaster this past week and I’m waiting for the folks to email me some pictures. They caught amberjacks consistently in the 25lb class on light tackle. Then we made several stops on some of my grouper and snapper holes. We managed to land 7 grouper and 6 snapper for the rest of the day. Beautiful weather, a nice ride out, and more fish than we needed… Nice!!

Well, enjoy your week and hope you get the chance to fish soon!

Captain Tommy

Fishing Report for April 12, 2006

2006-04-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone!

Just wanted to report that the fishing is fast and exciting right now off Sarasota. We are all workin' our butts off down here catching a lot of fish and getting little sleep.

For starters, 4 and 6 hour trips have been just pounding the kingfish, Spanish mackerel, and little tunnys (10lb tuna). This is top water fishing at its best. The Spanish mackerel have been jumbo sized (2-8lbs) and the kingfish 7-15lbs average, with the exception of a fine 19lb-er caught this week. We only use light tackle to catch them as many of you already know.

Catches have been in the range of 40-60 fish per hour worth of fishing!!! Yes,.. one hour!! For the offshore 8 and 10 hour trips, we are catching amberjacks, grouper, and snapper. Mixed in with the last 8hr was some barracuda. They were in the 12 lb class. The jacks have been fired up and hitting topwater zara spooks. Lane and mangrove snapper were also on the menu this week. Fishing in general this time of year is hard to beat. The weather this year has been mild and no rain at all. The videos i included are the best I could do while taking care of my crew. Well, I'm off to my next trip. Until next time, keep your lines tight.

Captain Tommy Tinacci

PS: My 25' boat and 36' are running and either can be available for you to charter. Please make your reservations at least 2 weeks in advance to get the day you want. We have charters everyday this time of year and so over-extending myself only goes so far. I don't fish at night right now because I'm just too tired by then. :)

Fishing Report for March 6, 2006

2006-03-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Captain Tommy!
We are off to a great start for the month of March. The awaited cobia migration is here. This past week was very exciting and fun for anglers aboard my 25 foot boat 'Catch Spirit' as they were treated to some of the most fun fishing there is to do around the Sarasota area and maybe even the west coast of Florida. We have been sight fishing for cobia along our gulf beaches in 15 - 20 feet of water. Cobia migrating in the area are seen swimming on the surface giving us the opportunity to cast topwater lures or flies at them. I have been using Zara spooks of all colors and Cottee jigs with Exude tails as well as many other lead head grub tail combinations and 10lb. test line with my very own hand-crafted custom spinning rods. This has to be my favorite of all types of fishing trips we take. It's so much fun to watch your lure get charged at by a dozen cobia all at once!

This is what my week was like... The beach waters were feathered over by a smooth southern breeze and nothing but beautiful sunshine glistening on the surface. The beach run is so nice because the boat ride is mesmerizing. The scenery is beautiful and knowing you'll be seeing cobia in a few miles just gets you psyched up and makes you feel great. See, fishing really is good for the soul, and you haven't even caught anything yet! The point is this: Projecting success brings happiness to you and this is what matters. This is what a cobia trip is like mentally to me.

As for the catching, my 5 groups fishing 4 hour trips this week caught and released more then 60 cobia! Most trips are boating 10 cobia but have many opportunities to catch more. Between bait refusals and bad casts, I would have to say I think my anglers this week did just fine. The beginning part of the week we were seeing 1- 3 fish showings. Later in the week there were many pods of fish moving along the beach to cast at. Well, that's it for the cobias. Hope you can join me on my next trip!

Offshore Report -
We're landing amberjacks and mangrove snappers mostly, but there's definately a chance to get a big shark! The mako shark we hooked last week is still out there eating my people's fish!!! Darn him. "I'm gonna get that bird!" :)

Today's bay fishing trip was also a blast . We got into schools of 5 -7 lb. jack crevelle and boy did they work over my tackle. This kind of fire drill fishing isn't easy for keeping all your lines in order. With jacks of any kind you have to let them have all the line they want. Pounding fish on the surface can take most of your lures and patience in just a few short minutes. :) Casting around the edges of the marauding fish and birds can keep you hooked up instead of digging in the tackle box for another jighead. Well, after a healthy jack session we went to some back bay canals for our sheephead friends and managed a half dozen. Not bad! We went though 6 dozen shrimp!! I saw a lot of snook in one canal but could not get them to bite. Maybe next time... There's always next time. :)

Many thanks for your business and patience. Be good to one another!
Captain Tommy Tinacci

Fishing Report for February 26, 2006

2006-02-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Captain Tommy,
Wow!!!!!! This week was as exciting as it was exhausting in the offshore fishing world 40 miles off Sarasota. But before I start I would like to thank everyone who decided to fish on board the 'Ahi Spirit' with me. Your business is very much appreciated and all of us guides here in Florida know just how much we could use the continued good weather and patrons like you.

This week was full of long range 8 and 10 hour trips. Action-packed deep water bottom fishing trips saw catches of amberjack, red grouper and snapper. We even had the opportunity to fight an 8 foot long, fat mako shark that kept hanging around the boat. My 14 year old client, Kyle, had him on the line for a while before our line parted. We did manage to get hooked up though and the adrenaline rush that fish left us with was awesome! Fishing is very good right now and will continue to get even better with this great weather we have going on!

Hope to see you soon! We have many split charters you can get on during the week and we are booking up fast for March. Bay fishing trips were steady with sheepshead, redfish, ladyfish and some large jack crevalle. We have been averaging around a 30-50 fish mix of the above mentioned species.

Until next time, enjoy and great fishing to you!
Captain Tommy Tinacci

Fishing Report for February 7, 2006

2006-02-07T06:53:00.000-08:00

Bay Fishing -

My last trip in Sarasota Bay was a nice outing. A sunny day, calm winds and a rising tide encouraged redfish, sheephead and a few snook to bite for us. Using cotee jig heads tipped with live shrimp and cast from 8 lb. class spinning rods made for 12 battles with tackle-busting sheepshead up to 4 lbs., 6 redfish up to 20 inches, and a couple of 20-22 inch snook.

Fishing the back waters of Siesta Key can be such a fun trip, provided the fish are biting. Most of the time you catch an assortment of bay fish including flounder, mangrove snappers, and jack crevalles.
Most of the fish we caught this past week were caught on grass flats with oyster bars or seawalls with long open areas to cast at. You're surrounded by beautiful, lush landscape and multi-million dollar homes, but more importantly, you're very sheltered from wind that might hinder your efforts in other open spots of the bay. I like to fish my clients around the high tides of the day, or night if I can. The trips planned for the end of this week should be productive too as we approach the full moon on the 12th and also early evening high tides.

Looking to share a trip? No problem - split trips for the bay will cost you 5 for 4 hours. You will share the boat with no more than 2 other people! Offshore Fishing -

This past week the wind, cold weather, and a lack of interested patrons has kept us at the dock. Yes, this does happen every time the weather gets chilly. Not to worry! The fishing out here is terrific!! It's catching the customer that is hard work sometimes. :) That's ok though. Every business has its ups and downs; however, the sun will shine again and we'll be out there catching fish and making customers happy.

If you were to venture out there tomorrow with me (let's just say on an 8 or 10 hour trip) you would have a great time catching big tackle-busting amberjacks (20-40 lbs. on average), red or gag groupers (5-15 lbs.), and really nice sized mangrove snappers (2-7 lbs). I'm running my trips out in the 30-40 mile zone and the fishing out there has been outstanding! It takes us 2 hours to get out there, but once you're there you're catching fish immediately. When we have to move to other spots, it's only 1-3 mile moves. This gives us more fishing time in an area that doesn't get overfished. I have also been observing little tunnys (5-10 lb. tunas) on the ride out crashing the surface. They're eating these 2-4 inch Spanish sardines. These tunnys offer a drag-screaming run of the reel, and if you like sushi they are excellent! These are the fish you will run into out there on our long trips. If you want big fish, and lots of them, there's no question you must fish an 8 hour trip.

Four hour trips are seeing catches of sheepshead, Key West grunts, mangrove snappers, and short gag groupers. The 4 hour trip (at the moment) would be great for the person that wants a lot of action catching smaller fish. The sheepshead is going to be the biggest fish on this trip, ranging 2-5lbs. The snappers and above mentioned fish on the 4 hour trip are caught on light tackle (10 lb. test spinning outfits). It's an enjoyable and fun trip. This trip, for the longest time, has been sending people home with 30-40 snappers for dinner. I fillet them to perfection for you and offer suggestions on how to cook them as well.

Thanks for stopping by my site and I hope to hear from you!

Peace, and be good to each other,
Captain Tommy Tinacci

PS: We will be sight fishing for cobia next month. March is kingfish and cobia time!!!! Really, don't miss out. You can then catch big cobia on a 4 hour trip along our beautiful beaches guaranteed!! :)

Fishing Report for January 22, 2006

2006-01-22T15:51:00.000-08:00

Greetings ,
This weekend's overcast weather helped produce some exciting fishing for us offshore. The seas were less than 2 ft and it made for a great 2 hour run out there to the big fish!

We caught plenty of amberjack in the 15-35lb range and that made for many sore wrists to go along with the purple welt many of my clients got from putting the rod in there guts this weekend! (just kidding!)

Actually it was very enjoyable for me to see my clients so happy when their rods came alive with the stike of another amberjack. Most people who have never caught an amberjack don't realize how hard they pull, but when they set the hook into one and lean back on the rod to see what they have .......well.....it's like my friend Brad Boland say's, " You'd better grab your hat and your a** cause you're gonna need both of them!"

If you have never been out deep sea fishing in Sarasota, treat your family or friends to an 8 or 10 hour all-day fishing excursion on my new 36 foot downeaster 'Ahi Spirit.' You will absolutely love it! I still do, unless the weather's really bad. Longer trips just give you more fishing time out there and believe me, you could stay out there all night catching fish. I would be happy to show you around out there. We hit as many spots as we can fishing as a team. The spots are found using my high-intensity bottom recorder. We normally catch grouper, snapper, and amberjacks. All taste wonderful and I have some really good recipies for cooking them all. There are a few recipies I suggest over others though. The fish you catch are kept alive to ensure freshness upon arrival to the dock and then filleted and packaged.

I posted a video sample below of 2 couples that joined me this weekend for my 8 hour trip. The four chartered me for the day. The total cost was 00, which including gratuity. They mentioned to me that they had enough a couple of times, but it was hard to hear them over their laughing and grunting while fighting the fish they caught!
Enjoy the sample. Thank you and be good to each other!

Captain Tommy Tinacci

PS: I try to put together 8 hour split trips every week so it can be more affordable for all of us -0 per person or private boat 00 (6 person max). This week I'm running splits Thursday, Friday, and Saturday - 8 am - 4 pm.

Call 941-376-8669 for immediate reservations with Capt. Tommy!
(emails are answered every evening of every day)

Fishing Report for January 6, 2006

2006-01-06T17:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to report that we are off to a nice start this new year. Catches on the 4hr trips have remained stable with 30-40 keeper snapper and a few short grouper showing up inshore ( within 10 miles). If your looking for big fish , the 8 and 10 hour amberjack trips this week were great! Many fish in the 25-40 lb range hitting the deck of the Ahi Spirit as well as a 60lb heavy weight per trip. There have also been red groupers out there for those of you would would like to target them. My 8hr trip this week also caught red grouper to 15 lbs in addition to amberjack. The red groupers have been easy to get, fishing ledges and bait stacks in 130feet of water. The limit for grouper is now 5 per person but only 1 can be red. Longer trips will get you out to deeper water and are always better trips for the winter time fishing. Guaranteed big fish and good numbers too!

I started a Friday 10hr split charter so you can get on at a lower price than having to absorb the whole cost of a private charter.

Every Friday is 8 am - 4 pm Split Charter day - a boat to the big ones! Get on for 0 per person!!
( Please note: There MUST be 6 people in order for this special price to apply.)

Thank You!
Captain Tommy Tinacci

Fishing Report for November 10, 2005

2005-11-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

Lately 4hr. trips are seeing an average of 50 plus Key West snapper , 1-3 keeper gag groupers and a few mangrove snappers of good size. This array of fish (after I fillet and skin them to perfection) will give you around 8 great meals if your feeding a group of four people. Since the strong red tide outbreaks of the summer months, grouper are now more plentiful in the deeper waters (100 plus feet). I'm now running long trips out to these areas to catch black grouper and yellowtail snappers. Red snapper and red grouper are now closed for the next few months. Yes, we have closed seasons. This is in place for your benefit and so that we don't overfish certain species. I am all for closed seasons of certain fish. Its smart. In other news, along our beaches there have been plenty of Spanish mackerel and small tunas breaking the surface everywhere. I have been using yozuri swimming minnows to catch them either by trolling 12lb. test light spinning rods or by driving right up to the churning water and fish and casting. This is also another option for you for a 4 hr. trip, especially on those cold front days when the seas are rough and you don't feel like getting bounced around.

Be sure to click any of the images here in the report for full-sized pictures!

Be well and Happy Thanksgiving!
Captain Tommy Tinacci

Fishing Report for November 1, 2005

2005-11-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

Greetings from captain Tommy Tinacci.

Fishing on board the brand new ahi spirit has been very successful. As you may already know, January, February and March are prime bottom fishing months for all of us here in Sarasota. I have been having very fishfull 8 and 10-hour trips onboard the ahi spirit. Big groupers and amberjacks have been hitting the decks. The amberjacks have been in the 25-50lb ranges with a couple topping the scales at 60lbs. We have also been catching red groupers in the 15- 25lb range. These 8 and 10 hour trips will catch you all the amberjacks you want in addition to 5- 15 really big keeper grouper. This is more fish then I could ever need. The amberjacks we feed on the surface with large baitfish, and the groupers have been taking dead sardines on the bottom. I have been finding most of the action on the grouper in about 120feet of water on hard, patchy rock/coral bottom. I use about 30lb test and a medium action conventional rod with is maxed every time you get one on. One could still consider it light tackle, even though it is a bit larger equipment needed to get these fish up from the bottom.

As far as the shorter trips are concerned, 4 and 6 hour trips have been seeing lots of Spanish mackerel, key west grunts, and mangrove snappers. I would say that a 4-hour trip has been seeing about 70 fish over the rail for 4 persons. Not bad and definitely a normal trip for us. Most 4 hour trips have been able to get at least one keeper grouper out of the lot of shorts and 20- 30 keeper snappers. That has been the story since I last did my report. Not much has changed except for the more mild weather. The seas have been calm all the way out and the boat is running strong. Thank you and be well. Capt Tommy Tinacci.