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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?
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2. What about individuals ?
We try to accommodate individuals when there is a suitable booking
vacancy.
Please phone us and leave your number and we will see what miracles we can perform.
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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.
VISA
&
MASTERCARD. We do however
charge
2.75% extra to clear your
card through the clearing system. This payment does not go to ourselves.
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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.
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Questions
5. Is
bait provided?

A full bait
freezer
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.
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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.

small Amberjack
The catch is yours to do with what you will,
but you have to keep within the limits laid down
within Florida for catches. Most fish we catch are either subject
to a bag or length limits.
Sometimes there is a closed season when you
cannot retain certain species. We encourage catch & release of all species and take pictures of your catch which we
will forward by post. We also prefer not to
keep sharks, as they are so slow growing. So we
have a policy of releasing all sharks.
WARNING-We do NOT LAND
ANY BILLFISH unless you catch a WORLD RECORD!
We photograph them and then release!
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!
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7. What
about conservation and fish bans?
Our conservation policy is
simple
IF
YOUR NOT GOING TO EAT YOUR CATCH, RETURN IT FOR
ANOTHER DAY. We will of course photograph it.
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.
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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.
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9. Do
you require a deposit?
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.
$$$
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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.
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11. What
about the weather?

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.
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Questions
12. What
about safety at sea?

Communication and navigation Aerials
Your safety whilst on our vessel is of paramount
importance to us.
Captain Tony is all about safety. You will have
a safety briefing before we go to sea. Much like
going on an aircraft. More on that later.
The most important piece of
safety equipment we carry is a
8
man LIFE RAFT .
There is also a lifejacket provided for each
person on board.
Never go fishing on a vessel that does not carry
such equipment. I ask you, how far can you swim
or how long do you think you can stay afloat?
And what about sharks?

8
Man Liferaft, EPIRB and Radar
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.
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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!
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14. How do I book?
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
Mobile + 1 (312)-330-6689
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.
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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.
Should you
have a complaint about the accommodation that
you book, that complaint should be directed to
the owners of that establishment and not ourselves.
We are always grateful for
your comments with regard to
accommodation that you stay in.
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Questions
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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17. What
is your area of operation for wrecks?
In short anywhere on the Gulf coast.
Obviously
as we operate from Clearwater Basin Marine, Slip
#24, Clearwater so we
fish those wrecks which are in
close proximity to our location. We can of course
steam to wrecks further a field from our location but
the cost of this will be extra by the length of
the day.

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18. Do
you do dive charters?
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.
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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.
PLEASE NOTE: The weather has to be relatively calm for this type of fishing.
The run to the fishing grounds is too far and recommend
a maximum of 2 anglers fishing at any one time and only
one person deep drops. Obviously up to six persons can
be carried and a rotation can be performed. This is a
long day as it's 75 miles offshore.
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20. What is
Sword Fishing?
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.

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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.
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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.
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23. What is trolling?

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.

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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.
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25. I
understand you are a Pharmacist. I occasionally suffer from sea sickness what do you recommend?
We have some information on our website. Click on SEA SICKNESS.
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26. Do you have a toilet on board?
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.
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