Thread: Party Fishing Charters

It is actually named The Estuarium. Sea Lab is an educational program there.

Having spent the last 5 Christmas/New Years holidays in the Pensacola/Gulf Shores area, the weather will dictate your activities. One ice storm, one cold, rainy week, and 3 lovely holidays. Have Plan "B" to visit the Naval Air Museum, shop Foley, Visit the Alabama, eat at the Original Point Restaurant, tour Fort Morgan or Fort Pickens, fish the Gulf Shores Pier, take a backwater nature cruise. Consider an inshore charter for redfish, speckled trout, and flounder. Go on a dolphin cruise. Remember that big waves and little kids often equal seasick. Have fun, and a list of alternatives for the weather.

Originally Posted by Driley9557

I did. They are running during the last week of December. But, I need to speak with them and learn what they target & what's the least number of anglers they'll go out with. Because, although they max out with 65 anglers, maybe there'll only be an average of 30 during that time period. I don't want to be elbows to elbows.

Check with the Outcast at The Caribe charter docks. They have a party boat for around 30 people max and will take walk-ons the morning of the trip if there is room on the boat. No certain about their policies in winter season.

December is a crap shoot as far as going offshore. If we have north winds, it will be calm along the beach and down right nasty offshore.
I'd just fish the beach for whiting and pompano with kids that young.

Originally Posted by CarlF

December is a crap shoot as far as going offshore. If we have north winds, it will be calm along the beach and down right nasty offshore.
I'd just fish the beach for whiting and pompano with kids that young.

Thanks for the tip. I hope to do this too along with fishing from our rental dock in the Little Lagoon. Will popping corks work for reds/spec this late in the year? Or are they less active and is it better to work the bottom slowly?

Originally Posted by Driley9557

better to work the bottom slowly

As far as the party boat, a group of 8 with 5 of them under 12 is going to struggle. The smaller kids won't be tall enough to work a rod over the side of the boat, and I doubt a 12 year old will be able to successfully fish without assistance unless he/she is already practiced at working a conventional reel. December seas tend to be higher than summer seas as well, and the party boat isn't going to cancel for 3 footers should they have enough people to run (which is a toss up anyway). Target species will be small reef dwellers like beeliners and porgies. Snappers and triggers are closed.

Originally Posted by craigt

These charters have experienced captains and crews to make sure everyone has a good time and catches fish, IMHO.

Sometimes this is far from the case, regardless of captain and crew experience. It can also be a fishless vomit and tangle fest.

I've been out on a party boat twice. Both times were less than great experiences. One time was a puke fest, with half the boat begging to go home before we got to the fishing grounds. The other time we had nice weather, and terrible fishing. It seemed like our six hour trip was 2 hours of travel, half an hour of set up, an hour of fishing, and half an hour to get ready for the two hour ride home. For safety reasons, we weren't able to bait our own hooks, or take fish off of hooks, so we had to wait on a deckhand. Both times I went was with a group of friends that didn't want to spend the money for a charter. When I get down that way now, I go on a private charter or just pier/beach fish.

Party boats can be quite rough for novices unless they really have a yearning for the sea.

When my wife and I go I am basically her personal deckhand, baiting hooks, removing fish, and unsnarling bird nests. If not for that I doubt she would go. I am lucky that when we go to the pier she is happy to read a book and she is happy enough (willing, at least) for me to go fishing with "the guys" when I can.

Have had the pleasure (or not) of many trips on head boats. Used to be, you had a chance for some good harvests, but that is not so much a fact now. But, from a kids point of view, just the experience, and having the memories is worth way much more than what may or may not be caught. We have remembered the worst trips out better than the trips where not much happened. Taken several folks out over the years on head boats, mostly so they could have the experience. Taking my 45 yr. old nephew out on his first ocean exposure soon. Already got a bet with him on whether or not he gets sick. If he does, he pays for any and all adult beverages this trip. He is as excited as a ten year old.

Iffen I 'member correctly, one of the guys on here runs nearshore charters. He can take 4 adults with 2 kids. Maybe he could take 1 adult with 5 kids?