Florida fishing charter Captains and fishing guides abound in Florida. In fact, there are so many choices that it can be a bit intimidating to begin a Florida fishing guides search.
We'll show you how to find a charter captain that is perfect for you and your fishing party!
How do you know which one is perfect for you? Well, a good starting point is to decide which type of fishing appeals to you. That helps to narrow the potential charter boat choices down quite a bit.
After you've decided what style of fishing best suits your angling party, you'll find many reputable fishing charters in Florida have a website. That's a fast way of locating charter boats at your fishing destination.
Don't neglect the chance to give your business to one of the many well-established, respectable, private fishing charters in Florida that don't put up a website. These fishing guides depend upon other types of referrals rather than the Internet. Local marinas, resorts, hotels, travel agencies, and old-fashioned word-of-mouth referrals are how offline fishing charters in Florida offer their services.
What does this have to do with you and your search for the perfect charter boat in Florida? Now that we've talked about the different ways fishing guides find clients, you know now that finding a quality charter captain can be painless and quick, too!
TIP: When you make your Florida hotel reservations, ask the clerk at your hotel for a Florida charter boat recommendation. If you're using a travel agent, ask your agent about fishing charters as part of your vacation package.
Selecting a charter captain doesn't have to be a hassle...
For those of you planning Florida fishing vacations without the benefit of recommendations from travel agents, friends, or hotels, a good starting point to begin your Florida fishing guides search is to contact a few local marinas at your vacation destination. The nicer marinas offer fishing boat charters, or can recommend quality local charter captains to contact.
Ask your potential Florida charter boat captain a few questions. Select your charter boat captain and fishing package, and then make reservations for your party well in advance of your arrival.
Interview a fishing guide the way you would any other business person you're considering contracting with to perform a service for you.
Is the captain licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard? Charter Captains must pass take a course and pass an examination to qualify for licensing by the Coast Guard. We cannot stress enough the importance of proper licensing!
Ask about insurance coverage for charter passengers.
How many years has the operator been a licensed charter captain in Florida? Experience matters!
Ask for references - and follow up with what the captain provides. It doesn't hurt to check the captain's reputation out with the Better Business Bureau, either.
What kind of fishing does the charter captain specialize in? Make sure he (or she!) is willing to accommodate your preferred style of fishing.
Do you want your captain to have the latest hi-tech navigational and fish-finding gear? How important is that to you? Find out during the interview process - It could be very important to know the equipment level of a charter boat if you're planning on a deep sea fishing tour or competing in a tournament!
Will the crew clean, fillet, and package your catch? Is that service included in the charter package?
For novice anglers - Is there a preferred level of experience for the party booking the charter? Does the captain give short fishing lessons for inexperienced or first-time Florida fishers prior to setting out for the day? Some captains prefer you have a few rudimentary skills for certain types of fishing. If you're not sure of your skill level, ask your captain while making the reservation. You'll save both yourself and the captain needless confusion, and save time, too, on the day of your fishing trip.
Will the captain and crew also fish? Sometimes this can cause difficulties if the fishing guides neglect the paying client - you! - to attend to their own fishing - we don't recommend booking a charter with a captain whose attention is not fully devoted to you!
What is the deposit amount to reserve a charter?
For parents: are children welcome? Is there a minimum age required? are children encouraged to fish?
Do they provide rain gear?
Do you need a Florida fishing license? Some types of charter boats in Florida waters don't require anglers to have a license; ask the potential charter captains to be sure!
What is their cancellation policy due to inclement weather?
Do they offer a discount for multiple-day bookings?
Is the charters private or social? Social charters means that other anglers potentially may be sharing your charter, depending on the size of the boat. Private charters may cost more to have the boat, fishing guide, and crew all to yourself. BUT it is well worth the extra expense if you're bringing children, or someone in your party has special needs.
What kind of restroom facilities are on board the boat? Are there scheduled restroom stops for ladies and children?
What is the general itinerary for the day - departure time, length of time on the water, return time, etc.
Some charter captains are 'catch, photograph, and release' anglers. Some aren't. Some charter captains are very conservation-oriented, and will pressure their customers to release nonedible catches, no matter how big. If you're planning on keeping a trophy fish, make it a point to inquire before booking, the charter captain's personal views on that point. Some Florida charter captains provide taxidermist service referrals, too. Ask!
What fishing gear will the charter captain provide? Many fishing charters in Florida provide gear, tackle, and bait at no extra charge.
What items will you need to provide yourself, and what items does the charter include as part of the fishing package? Extra coolers to take home your catch? Seasickness medication? Beverages and food? Sunglasses? Sunblocker? Footwear that aren't dark-soled?
Will the charter captain himself be running your charter? What happens in the event the captain is ill or cannot be on board for your scheduled fishing trip? The mate might not be a qualified substitute; find out what the contingency plan is for the captain's absence!
Like any business, there are a few shady characters operating fishing charters in Florida. To minimize the risk of having a less than perfect fishing trip, take the time and research the charter captains that are to your liking, verify references, ask lots of questions....
.....and remember to tip the crew at the end of the day! The crew members work hard and tips are customary at the end of the fishing trip.
A Word About Florida charter fishing and hotels...
As we said earlier, some hotels can recommend charter captains. Others will even arrange the fishing charter as part of their service to their guests.
For our visitors, we've put together a review of the best Florida hotels that are angler-friendly. If you know your fishing trip destination, we'd like to invite you to take a look at our hotels review pages.
Ready to start looking for Florida Charters?
If you feel that we've helped to prepare you to pick the right charter captain, and you're ready to start exploring charter fishing websites, please stop by our Florida Charter Fishing search engine.
Just click the screenshot image below, and you'll be taken to our specialized search engine, also called a "swiki", that is designed to return very targeted results on everything about Florida charter fishing.
If you've been on an excellent charter, tell others about it! Drop by and recommend fishing charters, promote a fishing website, or get the code to offer the swiki on your own site or blog, at no charge.
What kind of boats do fishing charters use, anyway? We'll tell about the different boat sizes, and what type of fishing each kind of boat is used for on our Florida Charter Boat Designs & Fishing page.
