Catch it in the morning. Eat it tonight.
Thirty years on Tampa Bay with Captain Gavin O’Neal. Live bait caught that morning, every rod and licence provided, and your fish filleted and iced before you step off the boat. $150 books your date.
Cancel 24 hours or more before departure for a full refund.
Most charters end at the dock. This one ends at your table.
Plenty of captains will put you on fish. The part nobody handles is everything after: the cleaning, the guesswork about what to do with a sheepshead, the fillets that sit in the freezer until they’re freezer-burned.
“The catch culminates in the meal — in breaking bread and celebrating
good fortune on the water.”
— Captain Gavin O’Neal
Hook it. We clean it. You cook it.
Before you’re awake
Gavin is already out chumming and throwing a cast net, so you fish live bait instead of frozen shrimp.
Cleaned the right way
Struck, filleted and bagged on ice. No de-gutting or de-blooding — that releases gasses that spoil the flavour and spoil the fillets faster.
Dinner, sorted
Recipes for the exact species in your bag. Or ask, and Gavin will drop you somewhere that cooks your catch that night.
$150 books your date
The balance is due on the day, by PayPal. Prices cover four guests; each additional guest is $50, up to six aboard.
Bigger group? Gavin runs multiple boats and can take parties up to 25, with a discount for booking more than one. Call (813) 418-0225.
Three reasons people book Gavin twice
Thirty years, one captain
Captain Gavin O’Neal is a husband and father who lives in Apollo Beach and has fished these waters for thirty years. Not a franchise and not a rotating crew — you get the same captain every trip, and his focus is safety first, then a full cooler, then a good time.
Live bait before sunrise
Gavin is out chumming and throwing a cast net before most people have had coffee, so you fish with bait that was swimming an hour ago rather than frozen shrimp. The day is hands-on: rods, knots, tides, and why one flat is holding when the next one isn’t. Most guests go home better anglers than they arrived.
Your fish, cleaned properly
Your catch comes back struck, filleted and bagged on ice before you step off the boat. Gavin doesn’t de-gut or de-blood them, because that releases gasses that spoil the flavour and make the fillets decompose faster. You leave with recipes for the exact species in your bag.
We promise a memorable day, and we brought proof
Every one of these came off Gavin’s boat.
The things people ask first
I’ve never fished before.
Most guests haven’t. The day is hands-on and Gavin walks you through rods, bait and knots as you go. Fishing usually starts within twenty minutes of pickup.
Is it good for kids?
Families are a large part of the business. The boat is a 2020 Key West 250BR with an enclosed head in the console, so there’s a bathroom aboard — the question everyone is too polite to ask.
What if the weather turns?
Safety is the captain’s call and always comes first. If conditions are unsafe Gavin contacts you to reschedule.
Do I need a fishing licence?
No. Everyone aboard is covered under the charter, along with rods, reels, tackle, live bait, drinks and snacks.
Where do we meet?
Pickup and drop-off anywhere permitted on Tampa Bay — Apollo Beach, Simmons Park, Hooks Waterfront, Cockroach Bay, O’Neal’s Marina, Hula Bay, Fourth Street or Dandy Blvd.
What if I need to cancel?
Cancel 24 hours or more before departure and your $150 deposit is refunded in full.
Sun’s up. Let’s go.
Four hours, six or a full day. Pickup anywhere on the bay, everything provided, and your catch cleaned before you leave. $150 books it.
827 Seabreeze Dr, Ruskin, FL 33570 · Licensed and insured · captgavinoneal@gmail.com
$150 books your date
Balance due on the day, by PayPal. Prices cover four guests; each additional guest is $50, up to six aboard. Cancel 24 hours or more before departure for a full refund.