Time to gather all your buddies and get ready for the ultimate charter boat trip – and overnighter.
Sharing the cost makes it affordable for a group of friends and fishing buddies, and the reward is plenty of fresh fish to prepare for friends and family.
The fishing possibilities are almost endless when you spend a night or two in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Charter boat captains can tailor the trip to your preferences, including fishing for both blackfin and yellowfin tuna, hooking into a hard-charging greater amberjack, trolling for wahoo and marlin species, or if you book your trip before August 3, you can catch red snapper.
You’ll likely stop to catch bait on your way out. The captain will want a baitwell full of fresh bait, mainly hardtails that will be used as live bait and as chum to get fish to the surface. When most people book an overnight trip into the Gulf, the target species is yellowfin tuna, one of the best-tasting, hardest-fighting fish in the Gulf. The charters from Orange Beach and Gulf Shores will head out of Perdido Pass and likely head for the deep-water petroleum rigs or look for a rip that separates blue water from green water.
When I think about tuna fishing, I always remember a trip with Capt. Gary Bryant on the Red Eye when we happened onto a school of tuna feasting on baitfish at the surface. We quickly grabbed spinning tackle and topwater plugs and cast them into the school. Turned out, we were seriously undergunned, and the tuna stole every topwater bait we had. Out of all the strikes, we managed to get one fish to the boat. But the experience of seeing that many tuna in a one-acre spot is something I’ll never forget.
Yellowfins never stop swimming in its search for a meal that could include anything from squid to sardines to flying fish. Depending on the water color and clarity, the charter captain will likely try slow-trolling during the daylight if water visibility is good. He’ll likely also drop live bait into deeper water to cover the water column.
Kite rigs are popular when the conditions allow. A live bait is deployed under a kite and allowed to dangle on the surface enticing the yellowfin to attack
During the overnight trip, the captain may do a little high-speed trolling that could produce a wahoo, king mackerel or dolphin fish (dorado or mahi mahi). The captain may also let you do a little bottom fishing as well. Greater amberjack season is open until Oct. 31. You may catch grouper, scamp, tilefish or vermilion snapper.
Anglers will have the option to fish for blackfin tuna at night around the deep-water rigs. Jigging diamond jigs around the rigs can yield a boatload of blackfins.
Look for a charter boat with plenty of room and bunks so you can catch a nap or two in between fishing spots as the diesel engines drone. Fill a couple of ice chests with food for the trip. Almost every charter that makes overnight trips will have a Big Green Egg cooker on the back deck for you to use.
The charter boats provide all the tackle needed for every type of fishing you will encounter on an overnight trip. Visit our fishing page for information on the variety of charters available. Don’t hesitate, book an overnighter now.