Pensacola Beach Fishing Charters

Our boats run from Southwind Marina, 10121 Sinton Dr, on the Perdido Key side of Pensacola, not from Pensacola Beach. From the Beach it's about 35–40 minutes over the bridge and west to the marina. We don't board anywhere on the Beach itself, and it's worth knowing that before you book.

Is the drive worth it?

If you want a bay trip or a day offshore with a captain who fishes this water every week, the drive is part of the morning. The inshore trips fish redfish, flounder and sheepshead; the offshore trips fish structure for red snapper in season, amberjack, triggerfish, vermilion snapper and grouper. For a shorter day, the three- and four-hour inshore trips keep the whole outing to about half a day, drive included.

Know the water

Pensacola Beach sits on Santa Rosa Island. The beach is owned by Escambia County and run under the Santa Rosa Island Authority, and the Pensacola Beach Bridge carries the road over Santa Rosa Sound. West of the beach, the island is part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, and Fort Pickens holds the east point of the Pensacola Pass entrance. Army engineers chose that spot, the east end of Perdido Key and the bluffs north of the channel to guard the bay. On the Gulf side, the county's Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier runs 1,471 feet out from Casino Beach. Escambia County also keeps two snorkel reefs here, the Pensacola Beach Gulf Snorkel Reef and the Pensacola Bay Snorkel Reef, with no lifeguards and with boat traffic and currents listed as hazards. If you fish from shore on your own, fishing isn't allowed at the seashore's guarded swim beaches while lifeguards are on duty.

Before you book

Plan the drive into your start time. A $250 deposit locks in the day, the captain decides on the weather before the balance goes through, and the charters page lists each boat, how many it takes, and the rates.