What would you recommend to anglers fishing in Jacksonville, Florida for the first time?

Don't be afraid to ask your captain lots of questions -- our captain was very knowledgeable (about the fish, water, equipment, seasons, local area, etc.) and quite friendly. He was eager to teach us about fishing these waters at this season and was also willing to engage in conversation along other lines.

Capt Bill held and excellent day for my family and I. His attentiveness towards my son was beyond reproach. His knowledge was definitely passed on to us and we are looking forward to the next trip. I’m glad we were able to make some memories as a family and Capt Bill definitely made that happen!

Bottom fishing was excellent with non-stop action. We caught tons of red snapper, lots of Black Sea bass, several triggerfish, a few vermillion snapper, a Cobia, and a handful of other species. Don’t expect any trophy fish but do expect to get worn out from catching fish all day and make sure to plan out a dinner with your fresh catch!

If you are a tourist looking for a picture with a fish, this is the place. If you are a fisherman wanting to actually fish, find another way to get it on the water. 4 trips 3 bad experiences and 1 mediocre experience 1000s of dollars spent.

Bring snacks. Small Cooler of drinks. Sunscreen. Long sleeve fishing shirt overtop swimsuit or trunks. A lucky hat. Sunglasses. Generous tip for the Captain & first mate. Cellphone for pictures and video of your catch. We brought a small backpack and cooler aboard. I used a beach towel to cover my daughter's legs from sun. Just enjoy every minute

Don’t go out fishing with the expectation that you might catch something just because the captain said they caught a bunch of fish the day before. The weather is constantly changing this time of year. Therefore, fishing is changing as well.

I watched this guy work with other captains who were much younger than him and obviously have learned from him. They have a community that work with one another to help each other catch the best that they can catch. This is the guy to go for.

Make sure you dress appropriately for the weather! I personally recommend layering. Can be pretty cool in the morning but warms up nicely!

Caught a few, just wanted more keepers. Kept 2 out of 6 caught on a 4 hour trip. Captain Bill was great.

Ryan was really good at teaching us how to fish and helping us! It was my first time fishing and I got it down immediately. I would just recommend patience!

Stay inland for the first time. You will have a blast and will check out your sea legs.

It’s cold! Dress for the cold and you’ll have a great day! Put some Vaseline on your face to prevent chapped cheeks or get yourself a balaclava :)

Expect fishing to be a little slower in August but you can still catch a few big ones if you hit the right spots

Notice that once you come in the presence of captain Travis that you will feel know that you are in good hands.

It is all weather dependent! Don't get upset if you don't catch a whole bunch of fish, there are so many factors at play. Just relax and have a good time!

You can’t be out during the heat of the day. The bite rapidly fades off as it gets warmer. Sunrise to about 10am is pretty good

Go for a charter. There so much to learn and I tried for a year to learn it myself and was doing it all wrong.

Just to have fun and remember to be safe and listen to captain they have alot of knowledge on fishing.

Do not build up any unreasonable expectations. Just expect to enjoy the water/experience, and if you do have many hookups and do catch fish you can keep…that’s a big bonus.

Talk to the locals and try and figure out what they're biting the rig they're using to catch the fish and it what depths are they catching them

Wear tons of industrial strenght sunscreen and bring a rashguard! Also, take arm day at the gym seriously. You will need all of the upper body strength you've got to pull some of these giants in!

End of April was much better than.mid February on our experience. We changed the annual trip for the warmer days, which paid off nicely

Make sure you are aware of when the kingfish run. I was in the area because of work but if I had a choice I would have come a few week later to troll for them

It was a little chilly but if you dress wright you won't have a problem. I dressed in layers and was comfortable. Loved it.

Beaver, pear, tree any weather just left the TVC stayed an extra week and only a couple of days of sunshine. Be flexible.

It was a pleasant time to fish. The weather was mild. It seemed like there was a wide variety of fish to target.

Double check on the season and your target fish but like me I was coming here to visit anyway and hooked onto more fish than I could count.

Get with Captain Rami on the Saturnian and he will give you a great day along with fishing knowledge you can take with you .

Have a specific fish that you and your crew want to fish, book a large boat with Buck Rogers Charters.

Understand the variety that you are likely to catch given the length of your trip. Kings and Barracuda were fun to catch but are not my favorite fish to eat!