My family of 6 is going to Gulf Shores for a beach vacation this summer - we've been before and kids love the beaches and area. I'd like to get them out in a boat to catch some salt water fish as we've never done that as a family...anyone have experience/recommendations in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area? I find plenty of options while searching - but price is my driving factor as this started out as a budget vacation - really only looking for the quick 4 hour trip to get the experience of pulling in some bottom fish...but obviously want someone who is reputable with having my family's life in their hands My four kids are ages 4-11.
I have a few close friends who live in Mobile and fish the area a lot. I'll see who they recommend for a charter and get back to you.
Love Gulf Shores. Never got a charter out of there though. Now if it was Destin, I could point ya in the right direction!
My buddy says the Dana J is a great boat to go out on but he isn't sure where he is exactly based out of this year but a quick google search brought this up... might be worth a call. If I hear back about any others I'll relay the info. DANA J - 1 to 6 passengers Captain Art Jones, Jr. 850.944.3124 PrivateCharters up to 6 Passengers, Trolling for Mackeral, Bottom www.alabamafishingguides.com
Not sure about gulf fishing, but I live 1 hour from the Chesapeake bay and go to Ocean City or other major beachs 2-3x a year... If you can afford a private charter, where you rent the boat for a flat rate, go that route. "Head boats", where you pay per person, can get packed and you stand shoulder to shoulder with others. That almost always leads to spending more time untangling lines than actually fishing. Off shore and near shore, but not big game fishing, is usually catching the same fish (sea bass around here).. just going off shore cost more because it is more gas and you will spend more time getting to the fishing spot and less time fishing. Big game fish (tuna, marlin, dolphin, ect) is expensive. We pay about $400-$500 per person to fill a 6 person boat.
I've been out with Action Charters out of Orange Beach and had a great time. But I will tell you a 4 hr trip will be cutting it close. It takes those big boats a while to get to the fishing grounds. Most good fishing for snapper won't start until you are 15+ miles out. On a 4 hour trip, you are probably looking at 2 hrs riding and at the most 2 hours fishing.
Trevor, PM sent - appreciate the help and info! For those interested - That number led me to a top notch operation, boat called Yankee Star out of Orange Beach ( http://www.yankeestar.com/ ). Extremely glad I went this route over a "group" fishing trip on a larger boat considering I had 4 kids with me...Captain Pete and Deckhand Rob were awesome. My only mission was to get my kids a great experience and get them "hooked" for future offshore adventures...Mission accomplished! They each reeled in multiple fish, and had some great fights on the line...primarily King and Spanish Mackerel...and some Bonita (they are baitfish (mini-tuna) but put up an extreme fight). We took some of our catch to Mikee's seafood in Gulf Shores that night and they cooked it up for us with some sides - great family memories! I could get used to offshore fishing if I lived on the coast...
