How did you get into this business? What made you decide to become a fishing guide?
Captain John Blouse, Hooked Up Charters
I grew up on the Chesapeake Bay and have been fishing all my life. I moved to Florida in 1992 where I could fish year 'round. Being a charter guide was always a dream of mine, and in 2004 it came true.
The most rewarding part of being a guide is helping others experience a day on the water that they usually only get to see on TV. The joy for me is to be able to make that happen--we try very hard on each and every trip to see that our customers have a great experience.
Dream Sporting Trips
Where do you take your customers to fish?
Captain John Blouse, Hooked Up Charters
We fish out of Cedar Key, Florida, which is located about 70 miles southwest of Gainesville on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. We run two boats--one flats boat close inshore around the islands, fishing for trout, redfish, sharks, mackerel, and flounder; and the bigger boat from 6 to 40 miles offshore for both near & offshore adventures, fishing for sea bass, grouper, snapper, kingfish, cobia, amberjack, and sharks.
Dream Sporting Trips
What is your personal favorite fish to catch? What fish do you primarily fish for?
Captain John Blouse, Hooked Up Charters
Grouper is our primary target, but cobia and kingfish really put up a show and are hard to land, so they provide a lot of excitement.
Dream Sporting Trips
Is there a particularly exciting fishing adventure you'd care to share with our readers?
Captain John Blouse, Hooked Up Charters
One of our most exciting adventures was when we were fishing a wreck for AJ’s [amberjacks] and we had a double hook-up and a third with a cobia on. Everyone was running around and trying to keep lines untangled. We managed to get the cobia in and one AJ, but boy was it exhausting. Everyone had a blast!
Dream Sporting Trips
What is the most commonly asked question you get from potential customers?
Captain John Blouse, Hooked Up Charters
"What’s the biggest fish you ever caught?" The answer is a 10-foot nurse shark, around 400 lbs.
Dream Sporting Trips
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Captain John Blouse, Hooked Up Charters
We promise to help you catch a lot of fish and to make a memorable day for you and your friends/family. Please remember to take motion sickness medicine at least two hours before you come, and bring water and sunscreen--we'll take care of the rest.
Always feel free to ask any questions prior to booking a trip; come on down and enjoy some of our island paradise!
Ready to catch your dream?
Find out more about the fishing trips offered by Hooked Up Charters and how to contact Captain John at this link: