Destin Charter Fishing
Whether visiting or vacationing in Destin, charter boat fishing is typically “Top of the List” of Things to Do while here. Deciding on the best charter experience can be confusing with so many options, but it usually comes down to what you hope to accomplish. For example:
- Do you prefer a family outing with younger anglers?
- Are you new to offshore fishing or are you an experienced angler?
- How much time do you have for the trip: 4hr, 6hr, 8hr, 10hr, or 24hr?
- Do you have 6 or more anglers for your trip?
From the Destin Harbor, there are specific charters for each of these scenarios.
For those of us lucky enough to live in Destin, we have the opportunity to fish with many of the very best Charters. At Destin-ation.com you can find a comprehensive listing of recommended charters for all occasions. https://www.destin-ation.com/destin-deep-sea-charters.php
Each year, members of the Kelly Plantation Fishing Club book an annual Snapper trip during the first two weeks of June. This group of anglers are Destin residents that are very experienced and particular when planning our trip each year.
For 2023, we selected Charter Boat Championship for a 10hr trip.
Experienced anglers know that the longer your trip (10+ hrs) the farther offshore you can fish and the bigger your fish will be! And with Captain Matt Champion and his crew, the Charter Boat Championship did not disappoint!
Fishing on the airconditioned 42’ Buddy Davis with six anglers, we were able to venture out 40+ miles from the harbor and fish in “blue water”. The plan was to limit out on Snapper, Scamp and Red Grouper, and troll for Wahoo and Mahi. Thanks to her Twin Cummins QSM-11 engines, Charter Boat Championship cruises a hair under 30 knots. This enabled us to reach our first stop in just over 2hrs, and also enabled us to run trolling lines as we cruised resulting in a 13lb wahoo!
The early June weather this year has been more volatile than normal, and we left at 5:30 am on June 14 well aware of the challenges that come with fishing in 3–5-foot swells. We were not deterred, and successfully rewarded with our limit of snappers in the 4-15lb range.
Fishing with an experienced crew in rough water is vitally important. It’s challenging enough to know the right spots, but holding position and landing the fish would not have been possible without Captain Matt’s expertise in both.
The anglers from the Kelly Plantation Fishing Club give a unanimous 5 Star review for the Charter Boat Championship! https://www.championshipoffshore.com/
