The heart of Florida’s Forgotten Coast, Cape San Blas, St. Joseph Bay, and the T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park offer some of the best fishing in the Sunshine State, with superb options from inshore shallows to the open Gulf of Mexico. Tripletail to tarpon, sheepshead to seatrout, bonita to billfish: Some truly world-class gamefish cruise the area, with year-round fishing opportunities. To fully maximize your angling odds here, you can’t do better than signing on with a local fishing guide. The following fishing charters in Cape San Blas operate out of Port St. Joe and all serve as excellent choices. for really experiencing the area’s magic!
Perfect Cast Fishing Charters
1311 Mc Clelland Ave, Port St Joe, FL 32456
(850) 227-5149
From chasing red drum, spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel, and flounder in the bay to specialized shark and tarpon charters, Perfect Cast provides a fine introduction to the joys of angling on the Forgotten Coast. The outfit comes helmed by Captain Dan Van Treese, who, besides guiding fishing trips, serves as a Pro Team staff member with Shallow Sport Boats and Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchor Systems, and also pens a monthly fishing report for Guy Harvey Magazine’s Online Fisherman.
Captain Dan’s 24-foot-long Shallow Sport modified V bay boat boasts a 10-inch draft, giving it the means to navigate very shallow (and very productive!) flats.
Shallow Sea Charters
129 Hunter Cir, Port St Joe, FL 32456
(850) 247-0799
Operating out of Presnell’s Bayside Marina in Port St. Joe, Captain Lee’s Shallow Sea Charters specializes in inshore saltwater fishing on St. Joseph Bay, with fabulous opportunities to reel in red drum, spotted seatrout, and other prime quarry. Groups of up to four take advantage of the captain’s deep well of experience and familiarity with local hotspots aboard a 21-foot Champion bay boat.
And it’s not just fishing that Shallow Sea Charters offers: You can also book a snorkeling or scalloping trip, or enjoy sunset and dolphin-watching cruises.
Port St. Joe Charters
502 Monument Ave, Port St Joe, FL 32456
(850) 340-3194
Captain Kevin Quaranta, a Port St. Joe native, guides from Cape San Blas to Apalachicola Bay on a 21-foot Angler that accommodates up to six guests. Tripletail, spotted seatrout, red drum, flounder, pompano, and Spanish mackerel are among the typical trophies on Port St. Joe Charters’ half- and full-day charters, with special tarpon-fishing trips (also half-day or full-day affairs) available when those esteemed “silver kings” are moving through local waters.
In addition to spin casting, Captain Kevin offers fly-fishing charters as well, in case you’re an enthusiast of that rarefied art (or you’re looking to try your hand at it).
Lady J Charters
125 Barbara Dr, Port St Joe, FL 32456
(850) 227-1200
Booking with Lady J Charters, you’ll get to tap into the expertise of Captains Danny Tankersley and Jacob Tankersley while seeking the spectacular inshore and bluewater gamefish of the Forgotten Coast.
With two vessels at the ready—the Lady J III, a 26-foot Yellowfin accommodating as many as six guests, and a 21-foot Carolina Skiff—the company runs everything from flats fishing to deepwater trips after wahoo, dolphinfish, and other pelagic prizes.
Bounty Bay PSJ Charters
Frank Pate Park, Port St Joe, FL 32456
(850) 628-4528
From redfish and flounder to vermilion, mangrove, and red snapper, Bounty Bay PSJ Charters treats you to the amazing, well, bounty of the local waters of Port St. Joe and Cape San Blas. Captain Pete Barwick and his crew can arrange for a wide variety of different fishing trips, including reef and bottom fishing. Bounty Bay PSJ Charters goes beyond hook-and-line trips to operate eco tours and sunset cruises (complete with complimentary snacks!) as well.
Get to Know the Superlative Sportfishing of the Forgotten Coast
No exaggeration: The saltwater sportfishing of the Forgotten Coast holds its own with any in the country, and a Port St. Joe charter is the best way to enjoy it to the fullest!
