So I’ve been thinking about posting info on this for some time, but I question it because it could be a turn off to some people, but I think its important for transparency for people to understand the way guides or charters think when we get your bookings. Lets start with the 1-2 person bookings. When guides get these, we get pretty giddy with excitement. We get to do stuff that we would do, should it be a day on the water by ourselves or with just one friend. Most of the time you will get treated like you are king for the day and we will take you to the spots we like to fish. Obviously not all trips can be like this, but I can tell you, I have a number of clients that come by themselves and we always have an amazing time chasing fish. These types of trips allow for a more intimate experience and while you may think this is ideal for the seasoned angler, that is not the case, when we have 1 or 2 people we get to work hand in hand with our clients working on their technique making them better anglers. I would say overall we catch less fish than that with larger groups (there are more rods in the water) but we also usually get more quality fish with a lower number of clients. If you are looking for a more hands on approach, limit the number of guests you have to 2 and watch your guide take a ton of care to put you on quality fish and teach you how to get those fish to bite.
On the flip side of that coin is the groups of 3-6. Most guides in Florida have the option to fish up to 6 people at one time, but as an inshore/nearshore guide it is near impossible to handle 5 or 6 people by ourselves and it doesn’t make business sense to have a first mate on board so we typically max out at 4 people fishing at one time while being able to take up to 6. Most inshore/nearshore guides run boats smaller than 25ft. Take 7 people total on a 25ft boat and you have a very cramped situation making the guides life extremely difficult to get bait on hooks, fish off hooks, or the ability to access their tools to re-rig rods or tie new hooks on when you clients break off (inevitable). So while you may be ok baiting your own hook, almost every fish down here can hurt you one way or another and we prefer clients not to land or de-hook your fish to prevent injury. So now we have sometimes 3-4 fish at a time begin pulled in, many times clients will put the fish right in the guides face to take off and rebait, I have been slapped by fish countless times and had many hooks in my face. We cannot work around our boats effectively or teach you the fine details of how to properly use our equipment, and we end up not giving the experience we want to. While I know many families don’t have the option but to book a charter for 5 or 6, I would advise a large dose of patience with the Capt. because we will always put out our max effort to make your day memorable. So when we see 4-6 people come out, we aren’t looking for large fish, we need to make sure we catch fish period. So we look for spots to bend the rod and have a fun day fishing. We won’t chase monsters, because those fish a spooky and 4-6 people stomping around the boat or getting excited about dolphins really doesn’t help the search for elusive fish. I know that may come across as harsh, but its the truth. I have gone red fishing with many people and sometimes it can be successful, but most of the time that’s not where my mind goes to when we have 4-6 people on the boat.
I would encourage perspective guests to examine boat type/ number of guests/ guide disposition when choosing a guide. Pairing all of this together can really make for a great day. Many offshore guides always have a first mate with them making your day more enjoyable with larger groups (4-6) and that may fit your group better. If you are looking for that tarpon/snook/redfish you really should consider dropping down to 1-3 people and finding a guide that specializes in that type of fishing. Putting this together is really going to help you have the most enjoyable experience possible!