Welcome to Five O'Clock Charlie Boat Tours, Inc.

Tampa Bay | Bradenton | Palmetto | Anna Maria Island

We provide personal boat touring and fishing charters on the beautiful coastline of Manatee County Florida for parties of up to 6 people. Enjoy the incredible ocean wildlife, scenic coastal beauty and memory making experience of our tours.

Come join us on a tour of the Manatee River in North West Bradenton and see dolphins, manatees, sea birds and the beautiful gulf estuary waters surrounding the outer Tampa Bay Area.  We provide 90 minute, 2 hour, 3 hour, 4 hour, and day long charters. The day long charter would be a trip to Egmont Key State Aquatic Park. Four hour inshore fishing charters available for those that want to get out and enjoy an awesome fishery.  Bring a lunch and drinks and come relax on our 23′ Parker boat with an experienced licensed and insured Captain. Captain John Blenker is a Licensed Master Mariner with a 50 ton near Coastal license. He has held this license since 2002. Remember, whenever you go on a charter with any Captain make sure and ask to see their credentials. If they are not licensed then they are not insured.  

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services

6 Hour Inshore / Offshore Fishing Charter

Six hour fishing charter targeting inshore or offshore species to 9 miles off shore. This trip is for 1 to 6 persons. All licensing, bait and tackle is provided.

Half Day (4 Hour) Inshore Fishing Charter

Half Day (4 Hour) Inshore Fishing Charter

This is for those who want the excitement of catching fish for 3 persons, additional fisherman up to 6 person maximum.

services

2 Hour Marine Wildlife Tour

Spend 2 hours with Captain John on a narrated tour of the area looking at marine wildlife such as Dolphins and Manatees.

Testimonials

  • This is the trip you want to book

    Capt John took us on a great morning fishing trip, caught more than we have on any other charter and learned some different techniques. He uses circle hooks to be able to catch and release without hooks being accidentally swallowed, which I greatly appreciate even though we kept and ate some of the better catches. We hit several spots and did a little trolling on the way back to the marina. 10/10, will be fishing with him again.

  • Highly successful fishing trip

    My son and I had a great time with Captain John. He put us on the fish and we stayed busy reeling them in. Caught multiple species of fish and they made a fantastic lunch the next day. I highly recommend Captain John and I will certainly be going out with him next time we are in the area.

  • Amazing

    We had an AWESOME time with Captain John today. The information he gave us on our trip was amazing. We got to see Dolphins and Manatees. The snorkeling was great, lots of shells, star fish, sand dollars, crabs and sea horses. We couldn’t have asked for a better boat trip. We will be back next year to do some fishing!!

    Thank you Captain John

  • Inshore Fishing Trip with Five O'Clock

    Went fishing with Captain John on Saturday, 4/2/2021. We were supposed to go out Friday, but the weather wasn't cooperating. He was very accommodating and was able to take us out Saturday instead, which was very helpful since we were from out of town. We did a half day trip, and we caught some nice Snook, Trout, Jacks, Lady Fish, and Spanish Mackerel. Captain John was very knowledgeable, and he moved around frequently to get us in the right spots. Some guides sit around and get complacent, but Captain John worked hard for us and put us on the fish. He even spent extra time with us past our allotted time because we found a honey hole right at the end of the trip. I would definitely recommend Captain John to anyone who is visiting the Bradenton area.

  • Coaches fishing!!

    We had a great time fishing, and caught a lot of fish!! I would recommend this to everyone!! My only issue was I wish we fished the whole day!! Thanks again for a great time on the water

    Dave!!

  • Great fishing charter

    Fantastic experience all around. We caught plenty of fish. Captain John went out of his way to make sure we had a great experience. Very friendly atmosphere. And educational too! We will become regulars.

  • Fantastic Evening Cruise!!!

    Fantastic Time! A friend was visiting, and I wanted to show her the area while spending time on a boat. Captain John, was very knowledgeable and provided a great experience. The timing was perfect for a sunset, and we saw many parts of the coastline and inner coastal waterways. Highly recommend.

  • Outstanding Boating Experience!!

    We had an absolutely EXCEPTIONAL time with Captain John. Myself, my husband and our two children (3 & 5yrs) wanted a last minute boat trip to share an exciting experience together as a family on the water. Captain John accommodated us swiftly and created an incredible experience for our family to remember forever. We felt very safe in his hands and he showed us some incredible places!! He had a cooler with lots of cold water for us and life jackets to protect us all. We will DEFINITELY hire him again as we all loved every second of it!!! We got to see turtles, dolphins, lots of fish, starfish and tons of unique shells! Highly recommend you booking him now!

  • The best experience my family has ever had.

    Captain John gave us an amazing experience. What a guy. The total package. He even texted me that evening to thank us for spending the day with him. The Real McCoy. Fishing, snorkeling, sea shells, island exploring, dolphins, manatees, sting rays, sharks. Thank you for one of the best days ever.

  • Swiss Army Trip!

    So we asked a lot of Captain John. We wanted a family fun day that had a little of everything. Some snorkeling, some shelling, and some fishing too. He had no problem delivering on all of it and we had a ball! He is a wealth of local knowledge and very educational and patient with the kids. Would highly highly recommend!

  • Cannot Recommend Enough

    We had an amazing time day fishing with Captain John! He was very knowledgeable and funny. We will definitely do this again soon!

  • Unforgettable Experience

    This was my first time fishing, let alone deep sea fishing. And boy did I have the experience of a life time! I caught a few snapper, sheepshead, mackerel, and a permit. My friends were jealous. Highly recommend for first timers and experienced fishermen!

  • Perfect dat

    Amazing Charter with Captain John! Knowledgeable and helpful guide who brought us to the best spots and we caught a ton of fish!

  • Great fun!!!

    This was the highlight of our vacation! Captain John was so informative and knowledgable in everything around the area. We will definitely come back again and book a longer full trip next year!

  • Family Fishing Charter

    Chartered Captain John for a four hour fishing trip so my grandson from Chicago could experience some real

    Gulf style fishing. It's amazing that Capt. John is so knowledge about the area waters. We caught two Grouper while trolling although they were under size my Grandson was so excited to even reel one in. By the end we had caught many fish and had a awesome time. I would personally recommend Capt .John. He knows the waters, knows where to go and fish , what bait the fish are hitting on and facts about the surrounding islands

    Will definingly book with Capt. John again.

  • Awesome

    We did the 2-1/2 hour sunset and nature tour. Captain John was very courteous and made sure that the tour was what we wanted to do and see. Pick you up and drop you off where you wanted it to.be. He suggests options but wants it to be your decision which is nice. He knows the area and the history and the wildlife so you learn a lot. He will allow you to bring food and drinks which is great. Plan ahead and bring a cooler with no glass or nothing breakable. We poured a bottle of wine in a Corkcicle and plastic cups and we were good to go. The sky was a brilliant hue of colors for the sunset. Awesome time. Thanks John. Will do it again. The explanation of the name Five O’clock Charlie is a nice story. Loved seeing the dolphins, I’m sure they are descendants of Charlie.

  • Great Day...highly recommend

    Captain John provided a wonderful charter experience for our family, which included dolphin sightings, fishing, manatees, shell searching, and walk around a natural preserve. Captain John is very knowledgeable of the area and the wildlife and is safe and respectful of the environment. We really appreciate him taking the time to ask what all we wanted to see and do and was very accommodating to our family. At the last minute we decided to do some fishing and Captain John happily provided us with the equipment to do so...to our surprise we ended up catching quite the fish! It could not have been a better day!

  • Perfect Day!

    Egmont Key is gorgeous, and our excursion with Captain John was the best part of our vacation by far. It was my daughter's dream 17th birthday. What a perfect day! Captain John is incredibly knowledgeable and accommodating, and our safety was his primary concern. He told us all about the area, knows everything there is to know about marine life, and made sure that we saw everything we wanted to see. Can't wait to come back and do it again!

  • Amazing fishing tour with the family!

    We booked a fishing trip with Captain John while visiting Anna Maria Island and had an amazing time. We were a group of 5, including two 12 year old boys, my husband and my brother who had never fished before. Capt John was very patient and helpful with everyone. He taught my brother and kept assisting everyone during the tour. He took us to a fantastic place where the guys caught over 40 fish and then moved to another place near Bean Point where they continued catching at least 20 more. He used fish as bait and were able to catch a shark so it was a really exciting adventure for everyone. Captain John was friendly, knowledgeable and very nice. We are very happy we booked this tour and highly recommend it. We have booked other fishing tours in the past and this one has been the best and funnest by far. We normally catch a few fish, so catching over 60 fish in this tour was a huge record for us and the kids had a blast. Thank you for such great experience Captain John. Will call you when we come back to Anna Maria Island!

  • Gulf Fishing

    We had a great time fishing with Captain John. He put us over the fish, and was very receptive to our request

Tampa Bay Area Boat Tours, Fishing Charters and Boat Excursion, Including:

  • Anna Maria Island
  • Bradenton
  • Palmetto