Captain Branden McCorkle grew up on the waters of Tampa Bay in the Ruskin/Apollo Beach area. Convincing his grandmother at 12 years old that he needed a boat, which was a 1969 Boston Whaler, his summers as a teen were spent chasing snook, trout and redfish in the back bays and flats along SouthShore. Learning from his dad, and some of the best guides in the Tampa Bay area.
“I’ve been fishing all my life,” McCorkle said. “My dad would take me out fishing whenever he could. I was out there with him inshore, offshore; wherever we could find a place to fish, we would fish.”
At a young age, McCorkle was certain that fishing and being a charter captain was exactly what he wanted to do.
“Since I grew up around charter captains,” McCorkle said. “One of the charter captains was our neighbor, and I would fish off his dock as a kid. I hung with him a lot as a kid too. I saw what he did, and I fell in love with it, so I knew it was something I wanted to do when I grew up.”
In 2018, he received a job offer from Billy Nobles, the captain he grew up idolizing, watching on TV and asking as a kid, “When can I be your mate?” “That was a dream come true for me,” McCorkle said. In addition to working offshore for Nobles, McCorkle has his own business, True Lies Fishing Company.
True Lies Fishing is an inshore charter company specializing in the Tampa Bay region with a target catch of snapper, grouper, snook, trout and redfish.
“We offer Ruskin, Apollo Beach or Little Harbor fishing charters and sunset cruises,” McCorkle said. “Quality and a personalized experience is our specialty. Whether you are a seasoned pro or new to fishing, this is your trip. Getting on the fish and knowing what the fish want is what we do for our customers.”
Captain McCorkle feels awesome that he gets to fish every day as his job. “I love being around the people who take charter with us every day,” McCorkle said. “What makes my charter business different from others is that we fish in a lot of shallow water and we do a lot of site fishing. A lot of our men clients like to get a big group of guys together to have a party and fish all day.”
If you’d like to learn more about True Lies Fishing Company, visit McCorkle’s website at www.trueliesfishingcompany.com or call 813-480-5111.
