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On my website www.onthemarkcharters.com I frequently get questions from what’s biting to how to tie a knot. This week I got a great question, Captain Steven on your charters fishing the flats of  TampaBay do you have a game plan prior to leaving the marina or do you figure out what you are going to do when you hit the water.

The answer was easy, yes I always plan ahead of time and adjust as needed right up to the time the trip starts. Knowing what the intended target is for my anglers and how long they want to be on the water is where I start. Season, weather and tides play a major role mapping out the trip.

Anglers all have different goals, some have children where keeping things lively as to not allow them to get bored is important. Some anglers opt for artificials only; some anglers are hunting trophy size fish while others may want to target one species. The majority of my anglers look to me to provide the best action.

With plan in place we hit the water. From the moment we arrive my mind starts analyzing what happening or what’s not happening. Some days go exactly as planned while others vary wildly. The bite may be hot and we will sit on one location for the entire trip. While others trips I may change gears due to water movement or temperature its all one big master plan. I have a network of Professional guides and we all keep each other apprized of what’s going on. Using cell phones we can share information without everyone hearing on the radio.

All my exploring is done on my time never the clients. At On The Mark Charters I have one goal and that is to exceed every anglers expectations. Every charter is special.

So yes you need to plan ahead but stay flexible and adapt per the conditions. Another great tip I learned from Capt. Mike Anderson of the Reel Animals Fishing Show and that’s to keep a log book and refer to it often. Date, time, water temperature, tide, weather etc are easy to track.

Recreational anglers tend to run to their hot spots over and over again, take time from each trip and explore. I promise the results will be rewarding.

Capt. Steven