Ep. 13: Captain Benny Florentino of Coastal Charters on Big Fish Tactics

Guest: Captain Benny Florentino (Coastal Charters) Hosts: Daniel Dahlin ([FISH]rx), El Charly, Luke Dean (Bait Slingers / Artemis Charters)

If you’ve ever looked up calico bass fishing online, you’ve probably seen Benny Florentino’s videos. Coastal Charters captain, big bass specialist, and one of the most accessible teachers in the SoCal inshore community. Episode 13, recorded live on May 23, 2023, covers spinner baits for trophy sand bass, weedless swimbaits in the kelp, salinity edges after rain, and why Benny considers casting the most overlooked skill in inshore fishing.

In This Episode

• Casting as the foundational skill — Benny’s framework: if you can’t get the bait to the fish, nothing else matters. Most people focus on bait selection and retrieve before they’ve solved the problem of delivery. An hour of casting practice before fishing pays more dividends than new gear
• Spinner baits for big sand bass — Benny caught a 9-pound sand bass on a spinner bait in the harbor. His setup: 30–75lb Spro braid snap to allow fast bait changes, two-ounce spinner bait slow-rolled on the bottom, natural colors. The bottom contact is non-negotiable — the bait should be ticking structure on every retrieve
• Weedless swimbaits in kelp — 40-pound straight-tie, weedless bait on a DC reel, medium rod. He’s fishing 5–6 inch baits weedless in kelp canopy and catching sevens and eights at PV. The key is not the bait size — it’s fishing where most anglers won’t cast because they’re worried about hang-ups
• Salinity edges after rain — bass don’t like fresh water. After significant rain, fish push into the deeper, saltier column below the runoff layer. Benny fishes deeper in post-rain conditions and looks for the thermal/salinity edge where clean water begins
• High water column fish vs. bottom fish — most harbor fish are on the bottom, but after big bait pushes you’ll find suspended bass in the middle of the water column eating bait fish. His rule: fish the bottom first, go up only if you’re seeing bait activity in the column
• Snaps for fast bait changes — Benny fishes Spro snaps and swears the fish don’t care. He changes baits constantly during a charter to find what’s working, and the snap means zero time re-tying. His 9-pound sand bass was caught on a snap
• Charter fishing philosophy — guiding is like fishing a tournament every day. You have to produce results on demand, with guests who have different skill levels. He fishes the same spots, the same techniques, and adjusts for the person in the boat — not the conditions

Beyond the Rod & Reel with Benny Florentino

The casting conversation is one of the most practically useful things in this episode and one of the least glamorous. Benny’s point: it’s the foundational skill, and most people skip it. Spend an hour throwing at targets before you ever wet a bait. Learn to hit a piling at 40 feet on a back-hand cast. Get the bait where it needs to be. Everything else is downstream of that.

The salinity edge framework is worth remembering for post-rain SoCal fishing. After significant runoff, the top layer of harbor water freshens. Bass don’t like it. They go deeper to stay in the saltier, denser water. Benny fishes noticeably deeper in the weeks after a big storm and finds better fish. Most anglers keep fishing the same depth because that’s where they always fish.

Watch the full episode on the Time On The Water YouTube channel. New episodes every Tuesday at 6 PM.

Note: This episode was originally recorded as part of Is This Mandatory, the show that became Time On The Water. Daniel was fishing and building baits under the name Dahlin Baits at the time — the brand is now [FISH]rx.