[bhays]

Can any of you guys recommend any of the charter boat/ captains around Gulf Shores, Orange Beach??? We are going down for vacation next month and would like to do a half day deep sea fishing trip. Most of the ones I've looked at so far are like $600-900 for 4-6 hour fishing trips. I'm talking about our own private boat for a family (5-6) fishing. Anybody recommend one over another or have any experience fishing the area and can recommend a good charter service??? Thanks for your help.
Bryan

 

[Allen]

I have been down there several times over the years and used to just fish off of the local piers. Last summer however, we met a guy who showed us some good areas to wade fish in the inland coves. I caught about a 6 pound sea trout one morning and a flounder the next. We had a stringer full of sea trout one day.

 

[y hunt]

I would look at the 8 hour trip min if you plan to bottom fish. You just never seem to get to the big ones on any shorter trip. Also lots of good inshore fishing. Fish live shrimp with just a hook and hold on.

 

[bhays]

Yeah, we've been going down there several years now. We usually fish off the beach in the tide some in the mornings and a little off of the piers. We are just looking at something more in addition to that this year. Bottom-fishing or trolling offshore for red snapper, grouper, amberjack, cobia, etc. I've looked at a few websites, but just wondering if anyone has had any personal experience with any of the guides down there? Thanks for the input.
Bryan
Something along these lines...
http://www.orangebeachfish.com/
If anyone has booked a trip with anybody there before, I'd appreciate the help. Just want to get a good reputable guide for a fun fishing trip b/c they are not cheap!!! :biggrin:

 

[bhays]

Hey Allen,
Would you mind telling me where you were wade fishing in an inland cove. We have usually had to get up early just to catch any fish on the beach and would like to fish later in the day, but the fish just don't keep biting there at the resort. We stay at the Martinique out by Fort Morgan every year. I think us guys would really like to do more fishing this year, but just need a little push in the right direction!:thumb:

 

[y hunt]

I think we booked on the Hot Spot out of Zeke's Marina. That was Three or 4 years I know we caught a lot and Kep a lot. It was around $300.00 each by the tip.

 

[bhays]

I think we booked on the Hot Spot out of Zeke's Marina. That was Three or 4 years I know we caught a lot and Kep a lot. It was around $300.00 each by the tip.

Was that an 8 hour trip? I looked at all the boats at Zeke's and saw that 4 hour trips are around $600, while they now have some 6 hour trips for $950. I would think 6 hours would be much better than 4 to have a chance to get out and catch plenty. What all did you guys catch there? I guess if you caught a lot it was a lot of fun!:biggrin: Thanks for the information, it seems like most of the boats there all run the same price range. Did you clean the fish yourselves or pay them to do it? The sites I was looking at showed .30 a pound for cleaning! I've cleaned plenty of freshwater fish and I've even cleaned a few saltwater fish on vacation before, so I doubt these would be much different!:biggrin: Did they require a tip or gratuity % for the deckhand on the trip you took too? Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to figure out what we're getting into. It was actually kind of a surprise b/c my wife told me Friday night that she wanted us guys to be able to do it no matter what it costs. It will be me, my FIL, 2 BIL, and maybe my sister in-law's dad. I guess since it is our idea, I'm kind of in charge of gathering info and checking things out, so any help is great. Sorry again for all the questions.
Bryan

 

[y hunt]

The mates worked for tips then and did not charge to clean the fish. It looks like the price like everything has really increased. I have found if you decide to do something do it right and if you can't afford to do it. Then do something you can afford. You can get the shaft if you try to save a buck. There are plenty people out there that pray on those of us that have to watch their budjet.
We went as walk on. I went and looked at the boats the day before to see what kind of fish they brought in.

Most of what we caught was Red Snapper, Trigger, and Grouper. My son and I brought home around 40 lbs of cleaned fish.

If you go on a bottom fishing trip it takes time to get to water that has good fish. You catch fish closer in but most have to be thrown back due to they are to small to keep.

Look at the charter cost, the tip %, and fish cleaning. Divide the cost equal by the number of people and take the longest trip you can afford. You might even ask if there is a fule surcharge. Remember it cost a lot to operate a boat. If they can't make a living. No fishing for us.

 

[bhays]

Thanks for all the info yhunt. Those are definitely things to consider. I noticed that their red snapper season this year will not open until June 1, so we can't keep any of them. Usually when we are down there, we have gone by Zeke's Marina in Orange Beach and checked out the boats and they always have the Red Snapper World Championship going on in May when we are there. Now, it looks like they have a Saltwater Series Championship to take its place. I think it said 8 different species with biggest in each category winning around 20,000 bucks!!! It lasts for like 16 weeks, but I guess anyone can enter that wants for 10 bucks a day. If we catch something big, 10 bucks to enter would be a great deal! Thanks again for all of your help, it looks like I've got a lot of planning to do!
Bryan