Meet the Captain

Pole Dancer Fishin’ charters

Capt. jeff patterson

Capt Jeff Patterson runs Pole Dancer Fishin’ Charters in Daytona Beach since 2010 and has been fishing the local waters since he was a child. He fishes from Ormond Beach through Daytona Beach and down to Ponce Inlet specializing in both inshore and nearshore charters. When he’s not running charters he’s still on the water with friends and family pulling stone crab traps or hanging out at the sand bar. Capt Jeff runs a 2022 23’ C Hawk center console that is a very versatile boat that can make it in the backwaters inshore but also handles the inlet and nearshore very well. The C Hawk makes for a very comfortable ride with plenty of storage space and all of the up to date equipment to make for a great experience for people of all ages. Every trip is customized to meet the needs of each angler from someone’s first time on the water to seasoned anglers. Fishing inshore he targets redfish, snook, seatrout, black drum, and several others. On a nearshore trip you’ll be targeting tarpon, king mackerel, cobia, and tripletail. Capt. Jeff offers 4-6 hr trips and provides everything you need including a fishing license. If you are interested in keeping some fish he can filet them up at the end of the trip. Being that he was born and raised here in the Daytona Beach area, he knows the waters like the back of his hand. If you are looking for an unforgettable experience on the water and you’re ready to catch some fish check out his website www.smallboatbigfish.com

In the past couple of months, I have been blessed in that I have spent most of my time traveling, fishing new waters, and learning new techniques. This past month’s adventures allowed me to work on marking off some species from my bucket list. Some of my most memorable catches came from an adventurous trip I took to the Orinoco River in Colombia.

From Payara to fifteen-pound Peacock Bass, this trip was one for the books!

Let me start off by sharing the amount of travel it took to get to this majestic fishing spot. You must first fly into a very small airport in Puerto Carreño, travel two and a half hours by Land Rover down a bouncy, dirt road and then a twenty-minute boat ride to camp. Upon arrival, you become one with nature. The Orinoco River is a beautiful place with a diverse population of fish.

I couldn’t wait to start fishing! On the first day, we targeted Payara, also known as vampire fish due to their very large teeth. Payara are fierce predators and like to hunt in rapidly moving waters. During the dry season on the Orinoco, the water levels drop, creating rocky bottoms that are perfect hunting grounds for Payara. To reach the rapids they hunt, we took a jon boat as far as we safely could before hopping off onto the volcanic rocks to find a spot to set up.Tiger rapalas proved to be the most effective lure. Payara hit fast and strong like a snook, but they fight and jump like tarpon. Landing these fish takes some practice and a lot of patience. My biggest Payara was a thirteen-pound unit. After a good fight from the fish, I was happy to successfully land him.

On the second day of fishing, we targeted Pacu. While Pacu will feed on what the locals would call a seaweed salad, the one thing that consis-

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tently produced a bite for me was an earthworm. This is not your typical earthworm. It is about four times the size of the earthworm in the States. This thing looked like a snake! This is what Pacu finds irresistible! Pacu have a mouth exactly like a Sheepshead, with human-like teeth, so proper hookset is essential. Pacu put up a fight and they were equally as cool to look at.

On our final day we fished a tributary of the Orinoco to try our hand at Peacock Bass. The tributary river held all three species of peacocks; Intermedia, Butterfly and Three Bar. I had never caught a peacock before and wasn’t sure what to expect. The first peacock I landed was a beautiful nine-pound female three bar. She set the day in motion for what would end up being a successful day of landing all three species. While it was amazing seeing all the species, the mack daddy of the day was a fourteen-pound male Peacock Bass I pulled off a shoreline. I was using a custom lure called a mini dart. This lure is made to mimic smaller juvenile baits. When casting upon the shoreline, I didn’t get one turn of the reel before my line was screaming. I wasn’t sure of the actual size, but I knew it was big! After a couple minutes of a worthy fight, the fish was in the boat and the celebration began. I got in the water with this beautiful fish because after landing him, I felt it was important to be the one to revive and release him. It was the absolute best ending to my freshwater experience on the Orinoco River. Although my bucket list continues to get smaller, the experiences I can share with you continue to grow. Until next time, tight lines!