Photo Credit: White Pearl Fishing Website
St. Petersburg, FL
Florida’s Gulf Coast boasts some of the best fishing in the world… and we have been on the hunt to find some of the best fishing captains in the area!
This quest brought us to Captain Zack Arnold with White Pearl Fishing in St. Petersburg, FL.
Valerie with a beautiful Tampa Bay snook whitepearlfishing.com @stpetefishingoutfitters
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Capt. Zack is a United States Coast Guard certified captain who was born and raised in St. Pete, Florida. He grew up fishing the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding Tampa Bay waterways and wants to share his passion of fishing with his customers!
Whether you are a beginner and need help learning the basics of fishing, or you are an advanced angler looking to hone your skills, Capt Zack is more than happy to help you advance in your fishing journey.
With Capt. Zack – THE CUSTOMER ALWAYS COMES FIRST! He will make sure you have the absolute best time possible while out and will make memories that will last a life time.
About The Boat:
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Capt. Zack charters a 2017 24′ Nauticstar Sport with a full tower for helping to spot fish powered by a 200 HP 2017 Yamaha outboard.
The boat is equipped with 2 Simrad navigation/fishfinders, a saltwater Minnkota Ulterra trolling motor, and a 10′ Power Pole.
All of these together help give Capt. Zack the competitive edge to locate and target all of the different species in the Tampa Bay area.
Captain Zack fishes for multiple species; however, we are highlighting one of his specialties: Fishing for Snook around Tampa and St. Petersburg.
One of the most sought after game fish in the Tampa Bay area, Snook are well known for their difficulty to catch, fighting capabilities, excellent table fare, large mouth with an extended lower jaw, and their distinct black lateral line.
Captain Zack finds snook off St. Pete Beach and many of the other beaches, cruising the crystal clear flats, stashed up in the mangroves, spawning in the passes, or around docks and other structure like bridges.
What to Expect when fishing for snook in Tampa & St. Petersburg
Snook are caught year round in the Tampa Bay area and range in sizes from less than 12” to larger than 40”. The eyes of a Snook are located on top of their head making it easy for them to ambush their prey from underneath.
They also have a large mouth with no teeth, which means when they eat your bait they have to swallow it whole. These two things combined make for one of the most memorable bites in the area. When a Snook takes your bait you will know it from the thump you will feel on the other end of the line. It is not uncommon for a Snook to launch out of the water once hooked or do multiple flips and tail walks across the surface of the water.
The hard-hitting Snook however can only be harvested during certain times of the year to prevent over fishing. These times vary almost every year and because of these fluctuations in the season it’s best to contact Capt. Zack for the most up to date info.
Looking to book a trip with Captain Zack?
White Pearl Fishing Charters
5396 Gulf Blvd #206, St Pete Beach, FL 33706
(727) 656-2373
Visit his website: https://whitepearlfishing.com
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Jesse Erickson is an Editor with The Big Guava. He loves to travel Florida’s Beautiful Gulf coast experiencing the BEST to see, do, eat & drink! He is committed to sharing the very best of his finds with our audience.