The captain's corner. A Q&A with Captain Jason Dozier of Fish'n Fl Charters

Captain on the deck!

Welcome to the captain’s corner.

No one understands the sea and its fish better than the professional guides who spend over 200 days on the water every year. 

Captain’s corner is our newest blog series where we interview charter captain’s about their fishing background, favorite species, preferred baits and the species they still dream of catching.

To kick off our series we interviewed Captain Jason Dozier of Fish’n FL Tampa Fishing Charters. Captain Dozier guides both inshore and offshore, targeting everything from redfish and snook to mahi, blackfin tuna and even sharks. His vast experience extends beyond his homewaters of Tampa Bay as he fishes everywhere from Key West to New Orleans and beyond. We had the privilege of catching up with Captain Dozier quickly during a rare lull in his guiding schedule. Follow along as we learn more about Captain Dozier’s experience and what kind of fish he gets his clients on daily.

FB:How long have you lived in Florida?

CJD: I was born in a small town just northeast of Tampa.

 FB: How long have you been fishing?

CJD: Since I was a small child, I have been fishing with my father out on a small boat to catch bass and brim on local rivers and lakes in Florida.

FB: What species do you guide for?

CJD: I'm a very diverse guide. Learning to me is the drug. So if there is a species of fish that I cannot catch, it becomes my passion for figuring it out.

The species I most often guide for depends on the geographical location I'm fishing.

When I'm fishing Tampa Bay, we catch snook, trout, redfish, mackerel, king mackerel, snapper, tripletail, and cobia.

When I'm running charter trips out of Homosassa, Florida, we're searching for bay scallops and often are catching trout, redfish, and snook on our fishing trips.

Once we hit late July and August, I'm down in KeyWest. We make the annual pilgrimage to search for delicious tasting Spiny lobster. When we go fishing, we search for mahi-mahi, snapper, blackfin tuna, sharks, and wahoo.

FB: Do you have a preferred species you personally love to target the most?

CJD: My favorites to search for are pelagic species.

These fish move around daily, and it's incredible to figure out where and how to catch them. Here is the definition for those unfamiliar with what a pelagic fish species are.

Pelagic: living or occurring in the open sea. Species like blackfin tuna, mahi-mahi, and wahoo provide me with the thrill only found by chasing birds and debris into the open ocean.

 FB: How long have you been a charter captain?

CJD: Since 2008, I have been guiding for 15 years.

 FB: Which do you enjoy more, catching a great fish or setting a client upon a great fish?

CJD: Nothing beats the feeling when you and a client go out to accomplish a specific species and then watch it all happen as planned.

I love to share my perspective on fishing with my clients.

 FB: What are you mostly catching this time of year? (April)

CJD: April is always a loaded question about what we can see. 

Honestly, it would be easier to say what we cannot catch. Spring and Fall are magical times in every location I guide out of.

For Tampa Bay, we catch snook, trout, redfish, mackerel, snook, and snapper most frequently. But Tarpon, King mackerel, cobia, and tripletail can also be seen if you know where to look.

 FB: How do you prepare for the insanity of your season?

CJD: We do everything possible to have our boats ready and adequately maintained. We meal prep; we try to do as much as possible in advance to help reduce the friction of working non-stop for our peak season.

 FB: Do you have an offseason?

CJD: September, It's the one month that I run very little. We still run trips. but after running 40+ charters in Key West in August, it's a welcome slowdown.

 FB: If so, do you still fish?

CJD: Yes, we never stop fishing. If I'm not on a charter, we go fishing either for fun or to film for my youtube channel.

 FB: Where's your dream fishing destination?

CJD: I want to catch Billfish in the shallows of Fraser Island, Australia.

 FB: What's your favorite species to fish for?

CJD: Any species I haven't mastered yet.

 FB: What's your go-to bait when all else fails, and the fish are turning their nose up at everything?

CJD: Always live bait! Feed them instead of trying to deceive them!

 FB: Why should Florida be on every angler's bucket list?

CJD: No other place has such Species biodiversity within a beautiful palm tree backdrop.

 FB: What does a guest who fished with you look forward to?

CJD: Great conversation, Laughs, and a whole lot of fish catching!

The captain has spoken. Now let’s go fishing.

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