ELECTRIC BLUE FISHING CHARTERS
FAQ -Frequently asked questions
Below is a list of questions which we get asked frequently. Hopefully your questions with our appropriate answer are below. Clicking on your question will take your to the answer.1. How many people can the vessel carry? "ELECTRIC BLUE" is licensed by the USCG under what is known as an OUVP 6 pack license uninspected vessel. That means we can only carry 6 passengers + 2 crew. You are however paying for the cost of the boat, not per passenger. Capt. Tony Allen is not a US Citizen (Alien Green Card Holder) and under the USCG regulations he cannot apply for an inspected vessel status, which would allow him to carry more passengers with regard to the vessels size. Six anglers on a 45' boat, what more could you ask for, its a dream?<<<< Return to Table of Questions
2. What about individuals ?
We try to accommodate individuals when there is a suitable booking
vacancy.
<<<< Return to Table of
Questions
3. What
is the cost of a Charter and how do I pay?
Please refer to our
"CHARTER BOOKINGS-COSTS & TERMS"
In
short we take the following CREDIT CARDS. <<<< Return to Table of Questions 4. What tackle should I bring?
 We supply all your tackle needs for your days fishing. There is however nothing to stop your bringing your favorite gear if you so wish. <<<< Return to Table of Questions
We provide frozen bait for all bottom fishing. We also catch live bait at the "ships" if they are there or around the buoys in Tampa Bay shipping channel using sabiki rigs. Live bait is then stored in our 60 gallon fish well. You can of course bring your own bait should you wish. <<<< Return to Table of Questions 6. What fish will we catch and what happens to the fish we catch? Who knows what we will actually catch on the day. There are some 114 species of fish, and I think some 71 of which are regulated. We can target certain species like Grouper, Amberjack, Blackfin Tuna, Kingfish, Tarpon or Barracuda but after that it's largely up to lady luck.
WARNING-We do NOT LAND
ANY BILLFISH unless you catch a WORLD RECORD!
We keep your catch in one of our two refrigerated fix boxes until the end of the day.
We then fillet or steak it as required, pack into zip
lock bags and put it into your cooler with a supply of
ice. It cannot be fresher!
<<<< Return to Table of
Questions
7. What
about conservation and fish bans?
Our conservation policy is
simple
If there
is a ban in a particular month on catching a
particular species, say Grouper.......any
fish that are captured will be released.
The
fines are astronomical for offenders and we do
not wish to threaten the operation and viability
of our vessel and business for the sake of a few fish. <<<< Return to Table of Questions 8. Where is your boat berthed and what about car parking? Directions & maps can be found on our 'BOOKINGS' page.We are located at CLEARWATER BASIN MARINA. There is also plenty of parking and no bridges to the Gulf of Mexico. <<<< Return to Table of Questions In order to have your booking confirmed you will need to send us $100 deposit or the total cost of the charter. Any balance is due on completion of the charter. Circumstances under which the deposit is returnable are explained in our conditions of hire, a copy of which can be found in our "Charter Bookings, Costs & Terms" page. $$$ <<<< Return to Table of Questions 10. What if the charter is cancelled? I t depends on who cancels and when. The full story is told in our conditions of hire, a copy of which can be found in our "Charter Bookings, Costs & Terms" page, but in short, if we cancel there is no charge. If you cancel late however, the CHARTER FEE is payable in FULL.If one of the party drops out, it makes no difference to overall CHARTER COST, you are paying for the boat, not the number in the party. Please remember we are operating a business. <<<< Return to Table of Questions
Wish we could control that! However weather is not normally a problem and we could average probably in the region of 300 days per year if we had the clients. Some days storm cells pop up and lightning may be a problem even though it is sunny. As lightning is particularly dangerous at sea we usually make the option to return to Port unless the storm appears to be heading away from our position or we can head away from it. Carbon fiber rods are great lightning attractors! In this case you would only be charged for the period of time you were at sea. It is essential that you call us on the evening before your trip & we will try to make a decision then should the weather look "iffy". If you are not travelling too far, or are here on holiday we will meet you at the dock regardless. If it is a windy day you may fancy a trip to the Skyway Bridge to fish. We have had some great days there with many different species being captured. Of course the cost will be less. Please remember that even with today's technology trips are sometimes cancelled when in hindsight they should not have been. Also some times we advise anglers that the weather will be OK, when in fact we find the following morning that the conditions are not as forecast. For charters of longer than one day, you must travel regardless of the weather, unless there is a hurricane warning. When you arrive and are settled, we can meet and discuss prospects for your charter. If you lose one or more days due to the weather, there are plenty of things to do. We may even be able to fish inshore at a reduced charter fee at the Skyway Bridge.<<<< Return to Table of Questions
Your safety whilst on our vessel is of paramount
importance to us.
The safety equipment that "ELECTRIC BLUE" carries is outlined on the "ELECTRIC BLUE" boat page ON THIS WEBSITE. It carries the latest in safety gear, even though most of it is not a requirement of the USCG. Our philosophy is "You just never know when an emergency may happen". I have never had one yet, but you never know. However I have rescued several mariners in distress situations. In Europe where I come from the safety regulations are much stiffer.A Life raft for instance is carried that can accommodate all persons onboard. We also have an E.P.I.R.B (A piece of equipment that transmits a signal to a satellite indicating our position) & a SART (The SEA 20 Search and Rescue Transponder (SART) is a 9GHz receiver/transmitter. On receiving a pulse from any standard 9GHz X-band radar, the SART immediately transmits a signal which clearly identifies the survival craft on the radar screen by means of a series of 12 in-line dots. Once activated, the SEA 20 SART will remain in standby mode for over 96 hours). We also carry three V.H.F Radio's and a SEA 2250 SSB Radio . The latter enables us to transmit a long range radio message should we be out of range of a V.H.F radio transmission which is only about 20 to 25 miles.We also have a AIS TRANSMITTER. This gives our vessels position to any vessel over 200grt which has to carry an AIS receiver by law. Please always follow the directions of the Captain or his crew. When you sail with us, you will be given a brief lecture and shown the location of such things as all safety gear and how to put on a lifejacket. Much like the safety film show on an aircraft. The idea is that, in the highly unlikely event of an emergency, everyone on board knows exactly what to do.<<<< Return to Table of Questions 13. Are you licensed and insured? "ELECTRIC BLUE" is licensed and insured to carry our Charter Operation to 100 miles from the coastline.The vessel and occupants are insured for charter operations. A copy of our Insurance Certificate may also be viewed on board together with our Coastguard Certificate for the Captain and his TWIC CARD. PLEASE NOTE: There is no requirement by USCG for Charter Boats to carry insurance. However would you Charter an uninsured vessel? Please remember these documents should be available for inspection on any vessel you charter. Never charter a vessel unless you can view these documents as you could be travelling uninsured. Then there is a problem should an accident ever occur. BE SAFE, NOT SORRY!<<<< Return to Table of Questions We do not have a facility for booking directly via the web, but you can see from our bookings page if there is a vacancy for a particular date. Therefore you need to call
or e-mail 
electricbluefishing@gmail.com and tell us your requirements. Our snail mail address is "Electric Blue Fishing Inc." 2307 Hannah Way N Dunedin Florida 34698 Any dates agreed are reserved pending your sending us a deposit. Send us your deposit ASAP with the date confirmation. If your deposit is late arriving, you may lose the charter date as we may have re-booked the date. "Electric Blue Fishing Inc" is a business and as such we try to ensure our vessel is operating FULL TIME.<<<< Return to Table of Questions 15. What if I require accommodation in Clearwater? We have a list of suitable places to stay which are close to where our vessel berths. This can be found on the MAIN MENU under ACCOMMODATION.
We have no direct involvement with
any accommodation
other than to direct anglers to them. We do not
endorse any particular accommodation. We are always grateful for your comments with regard to accommodation that you stay in. 16. Do you hire out fishing rods & reels?
All fishing equipment including terminal tackle is provided for you as part of your charter fee. We have a very large selection on board. You may of course bring your own favourite rod & reel if you wish. If your coming from Europe make sure they are protected in a proper rod case.
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Questions 17. What is your area of operation for wrecks?
In short anywhere on the Gulf coast.
<<<< Return to Table of Questions At this time moment in time no, as we are concentrating on Fishing Charters. We are of course open to any special suggestions re - special dive charters.
<<<< Return to Table of Questions 19. What is deep drop fishing?
Deep drop fishing as the name implies is performed in deep water (250 -800 feet) and is usually performed with an electric fishing reel along with a stand
up stick type rod and is used from a rod holder mounted on the gunnels of the boat. Only one rod at a time can be fished when
fishing on the bottom from 250 to 800 feet deep as two lines would constantly be getting tangled up. If you are
fishing for world records you have to use a manual reel as electric reels do not count. This is hard work
as we use leads from 2 lbs. up to 6 lbs. End tackle is a multi hook rig using circle hooks and we prefer braid line as it does not stretch. Typical
baits used are pieces of cut fish and squid. <<<< Return to Table of Questions Well it's not fishing with swords, that's for sure. This is an overnight sport fished in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico with illuminated baits, preferable whole large squid. Sword fish eat at night and come up from the depths to eat their prey. It's a drifting game of wait. I doubt whether we will be doing this with charters as the distance to the fishing grounds is 75 to 100 miles in the Gulf of Mexico. We also need a good weather forecast. Price by negotiation.
<<<< Return to Table of Questions 21. What are the Middle Grounds?
The Florida Middle Grounds ( AREA D) is the ultimate Florida Gulf fishing area and one of our most popular destinations. Be warned however it is a long day. The Florida Middle Grounds are underwater rock formations that provide the habitat for many species and consist of stony corals which in turn are home to an abundant population of large groupers, huge snappers, amberjacks and many other species of fish. The Middle Grounds are basically a CONSERVATION AREA of 1193 sq kilometers and only RECREATIONAL and COMMERCIAL CHARTER ANGLING CHARTER VESSELS are allowed to fish in these waters. i.e. Registered Fishing Vessels may not use the designated areas for any form of commercial fishing. <<<< Return to Table of Questions 22. I have heard someone say that you fish the pipe. What is that?
Interesting question. In the year of 2002 a Gas Pipe line was laid across the seabed from the Mississippi to Tampa and it is know as the Gulfstream Gas Pipeline. Its about 435 miles long and the gas is warmed to make it flow. Obviously at deep temperatures it must radiate some heat where it is not covered by rocks etc. The fish seem to congregate around these areas. In other parts there are rock boulders that have been placed on top of the pipeline giving as much as 15 feet relief. Yes, we fish the pipe. <<<< Return to Table of Questions
Trolling is the dragging of Lures or mounted fish bait through the water on the vessels outriggers. The vessel in the picture above is probably towing eleven lures. This is performed at a speed of 4 to 6 knots and we are usually after species like King Mackerel, Blackfin Tuna, Wahoo, Mahi-mahi etc. Notice the weed line which is where fish hide underneath.
<<<< Return to Table of Questions 24. Never be afraid to ask the Captain a question. That's how we all learn. I may not have the answer, but experience is a great teacher. <<<< Return to Table of Questions We have some information on our website. Click on SEA SICKNESS. <<<< Return to Table of Questions
Yes, we have a very expensive Vacu-flush model. Please follow the posted
instructions carefully. In doubt - please ask. However I would remind anglers that marine
toilets are not the same as the household toilets we are used to at home. We use
special dissolvable toilet tissue so never put any other tissue paper down our toilet as it
will clog. That's not a nice job at the end of the day to un-clog the bathroom.
Always courtesy flush as well. |
&
MASTERCARD. We do however
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