Panama city, looking for charter?

[Semi-Pro]

We got a free condo in PC from wed to Sunday for my family of 4. Is the fishing good right now? Is it worth booking a charter? Or should I do a party boat. My girls didn't get a summer this year since I was in the hospital so I'm trying to make it up to them and get their mind off things. Thanks

 

[cuda67bnl]

I’d take a charter over a party boat every time, even if the fishing sucked

 

[Semi-Pro]

I’d take a charter over a party boat every time, even if the fishing sucked

Yeah, last charter I did we caught 6 Spanish mackerel. Lot of money for that.

 

[Semi-Pro]

I remember as a teen going and loading the boat with 20 and 30 lb fish.

 

[GTMODawg]

We got a free condo in PC from wed to Sunday for my family of 4. Is the fishing good right now? Is it worth booking a charter? Or should I do a party boat. My girls didn't get a summer this year since I was in the hospital so I'm trying to make it up to them and get their mind off things. Thanks

Jetties at St Andrews. When the tide is moving but especially going out. Mirrorlure 7m in the 808 pattern. 20 pound class spinning tackle, 7 foot rod at least. Throw that thing out and work it back to the rocks. Redfish by the hundreds! No need to thank me....

 

[GTMODawg]

Yeah, last charter I did we caught 6 Spanish mackerel. Lot of money for that.

Very hit and miss. If you ain't a regular and booked a couple of years in a row and a couple in the future 6 Spanish may be a great day. Its a tough business and they gotta take care of the regulars but if you ain't just lucky 6 spanish days are more normal than anyone would care to admit....

 

[GTMODawg]

I remember as a teen going and loading the boat with 20 and 30 lb fish.

When I was a kid my grandfather would carry all of the adult men in the family to PC and charter a boat. They would have to rent a uhaul trailer to bring all of the fish back to Atlanta. Mostly kings but also red snapper. The kings are still there, maybe in bigger numbers (if you have a boat of any size flat lining fresh dead cigar minnows in the pass will produce a shocking number of kings). The snapper are hard to release succesfully and their numbers aren't what they were in the 70's (better than what they have been though, by a bunch). The men in my family ought not to have done what they did but there is no reason a reasonably experienced captain can't put anyone on a double digit king trip in PC from May to September....they are thick in the area, fun to catch and if hooked on a triple hook rig and not trebles survive release well. Most will survive a treble hook rig but it ain't as sure a thing.

 

[GTMODawg]

I’d take a charter over a party boat every time, even if the fishing sucked

There are few absolutes in life but one constant is a head boat is gonna suck if its less than a 12 hour trip and you ain't in the corner on the stern where the captain's kin folks is stationed every trip LOL.

I go on one every 5 years or so just to remind myself how bad they are. I don't know how they keep people coming. Its great for kids and folks who don't fish but good god almighty they don't catch bupkus anymore. It used to be that they'd catch so many fish they would hang them around the boat returning to the hill so folks at the dock would rush to buy a ticket for the next trip. Those were 4 and 6 hour trips. Most come back to the dock now with so few fish they don't even bother showing them....and it ain't just PC its the entirety of the south atlantic coast and the gulf coast. Its a hard way to earn a living and god bless for them taking people who don't know any better on an affordable boat ride but they ain't catching much in 4 - 8 hours.....

 

[oops1]

Snapper is over, AJ and trigger are in, one fish a piece which is discouraging but I never turn down an opportunity to go fishing.

 

[Semi-Pro]

Looks like ill be fishing at the state park then. Thanks y'all. Bought a couple new Penn battle 3 combos this spring so I'll get to try them out