Fishing
Charters, marinas, regs, piers, and tournaments — plus the weekly report and red snapper season.
The Friday Report: tarpon at their peak, the snapper clock ticking down, and a rare calm week to use it
Our weekly read from the bay to the bottom — trout and reds early, tarpon rolling the beach at dawn, kings and Spanish off the pier, and snapper still open both sides of the line but with a Florida deadline coming fast. The weather's kind this week; the calendar isn't.
Regulations cheat sheet
FL FWC and AL ADCNR side-by-side. License differences. The Gulf Reef Fish Endorsement. Federal water boundaries. What changes when you cross the line.
How to pick a charter without getting hosed
What to ask the captain. What the trip lengths really mean. What a fair price is. The walk-the-docks move.
The charter fleet
Boats and guides with pages on the site — deep-sea out of the Pass marinas, inshore off the Key, and the sailing catamarans. If you run a boat that isn't here, claiming a listing is free.
Annie Girl Charters
Capt. Mike Rowell's 62-foot Resmondo out of Zeke's — the long-range boat, running up to 36 hours for tuna and marlin.
Cetacean Cruises
A 52-foot Hawaiian sailing catamaran out of The Wharf — the only sailboat in Orange Beach with a full-service bar aboard.
Class Act Charters
Two boats, two captains, one slip at Zeke's — from a quick four hours to two full days offshore.
Distraction Charters
Capt. Troy Frady's private six-pack out of Orange Beach Marina — the family deep-sea trip, running since 2002.
Getaway Charters
Capt. Don McPherson's matched pair of 46-foot Hatteras boats at Zeke's — the family-fishing specialists.
Intimidator Sportfishing
Deep-sea out of Orange Beach Marina since 1996 — from half-day bottom trips to two nights offshore chasing tuna and marlin.
Island Girl Charters
The big-group boat at Zeke's — a 50-footer that takes up to 20, twenty-plus years running.
Sail Wild Hearts
A 53-foot catamaran off the Perdido Beach Resort dock — ranked the #3 boat tour in America, and around here we don't argue.
Marinas
Barber Marina
A serious working marina on Arnica Bay that happens to have Stonehenge and dinosaurs in the woods.
Flora-Bama Marina & Watersports
The Flora-Bama family's marina on Ole River — new boats, new skis, and the bar right across the road.
Happy Harbor Marina
Fifty-plus boats, two locations, and a family that's been renting them out since 2007.
Hudson Marina
The family one-stop on Terry Cove — rent a pontoon, ride a dolphin boat, snorkel, then eat at Avenue Pub without moving your car.
Orange Beach Marina
The bluewater marina. Where the long-trip and tournament boats live. Fisher's restaurant is on-site and worth the trip.
Safe Harbor Sportsman
The working marina. Formerly Sportsman, now Safe Harbor — dense slip count, working-boat feel, and the kind of dock conversations that get you on the right charter.
