Panama City Deep Sea Fishing Charters & Trips

81 captains within 25 miles of Panama City, 33 of them in Panama City itself, 47 running offshore. A half day is typically $735 for the whole boat. Call the captain directly — we take no bookings and charge no fee.

  • 81Captains within 25 miles
  • 47Deep sea boats
  • $650–$850Half day, typically
  • St Andrews MarinaLeaving from

Contact details checked on each captain's own website

Charters in Panama City

Call or visit a captain's website to ask about trips, dates and prices. If they're out on the water, leave a message.

81 charters in Panama City

Deep sea fishing in Panama City

47 of the 81 charters in Panama City list offshore trips on their own websites.

State or federal water

Florida state waters in the Gulf run from shore to 9 miles out; beyond that is federal water. Which side of that line you fish on can change the season and the limits.

Federally permitted boats

Aboard a charter with a federal Gulf reef fish permit, the federal season applies to red snapper, gag grouper and amberjack, even inside state waters. Ask whether the boat is federally permitted.

Where to find current Panama City fishing reports

We don’t publish a daily report and we won’t reprint one. What’s biting this week comes from the boats — here is where the Panama City fleet posts it.

On Instagram 13 Panama City boats

Most captains put the day’s catch here, not on their website.

9 more Panama City captains post there.

Handles and report pages come from each charter’s own website; every link goes to the captain and nothing of theirs is reproduced here. Boats are ordered by how established they are locally.

Records caught at Panama City

2 of Florida's saltwater all-tackle records list Panama City as the catch location.

Heaviest on the list

Blue marlin

1,046.00 lb

Conrad E. Hawkins · July 14, 2001

6 Panama City captains name blue marlin

Why this one is here

The record names Panama City as the catch location, which is why it sits on this page rather than the state's. A record is what came over the rail once — it is not what to expect on a trip.

See the record
  • 5.06 lb Black sea bass · July 21, 1956 · Mrs. R.H. Martin source

From FWC Florida Saltwater Fishing Records (All-Tackle), checked Sep 2026. Weights are printed as FWC prints them, in decimal pounds. The place is the catch location FWC recorded.

What a deep sea trip costs in Panama City

The rates Panama City charters publish on their own websites, by trip length. These are the price of the whole boat, and a range across many boats rather than any one boat's rate. Read on 2026-10-01. Confirm with the captain when you call.

  • Half day (3-5 hours)$650 – $850 10 charters publish a rate · middle of the range $735

What a trip costs moves with fuel prices, the size of the boat and how far out it runs, and a quiet Tuesday is not a holiday weekend. Nothing here is a booking; we take no fee and hold no rates.

Fishing trips in Panama City by type

Counted from what each captain lists on their own website.

Inshore and bay fishing in Panama City

28 charters list inshore trips, in the bays, back-waters and shallows closer to shore. Among them: Kelley Girl Charters, Better Dayz Fishing Charter, Let’s Go Fishing-PCB, Tail Raiser Charters, Grocery Gettin Charters, LLC. and 23 more.

Half-day and full-day fishing trips

30 charters list half-day trips and 28 list full-day trips. Trip lengths vary by boat, so ask the captain exactly how many hours are on the water.

Family fishing charters in Panama City

37 charters mention kids or families on their websites. Ask the captain about life jackets in children's sizes and how long the trip runs.

When are you going?

Typical conditions for the month, from NOAA records.

Planning a trip to Panama City

Check tides for your dates, see what each month is usually like and see the closest airports.

Tides on your fishing day

Choose a date to see high and low tide

NOAA tide predictions for Courtney Point.

Typical conditions by month

  • Warmest water: June to September
  • Fewest rainy days: October and May
  • Coolest water: January, around 58°F
  • Warmest air: July, highs near 91°F

Closest airports

With airline service

  • ECPNorthwest Florida Beaches International 15 miles away
  • VPSEglin AFB/Destin-Fort Walton Beach 56 miles away

Local public airports

  • A51Costin 36 miles away
  • F95Calhoun County 40 miles away

Straight-line miles from the centre of Panama City.

See the month-by-month averages
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Sunset5:05 PM5:31 PM6:51 PM7:10 PM7:30 PM7:46 PM7:46 PM7:24 PM6:48 PM6:12 PM4:46 PM4:44 PM
Water58°63°68°73°79°84°87°87°84°77°69°62°
Air (high)64°67°73°79°85°89°91°91°89°82°73°66°
Rainy days7665499117446

Water temperature: NOAA Panama City station (3 miles away), 2021-2025 averages. Air temperature and rainy days: NOAA 1991-2020 normals, PANAMA CITY 5N. A rainy day has 0.1 inch of rain or more. Tides: NOAA predictions for Courtney Point. Sunrise and sunset: Calculated for Panama City, 15th of each month. Airports: FAA airport registry for public-use airports and their locations, FAA CY2024 passenger boardings for which have airline service, town centre from the Census 2024 gazetteer, Panama City city.

What anglers ask · 167 fishing threads mentioning Panama City

Questions before you book in Panama City

How much does it cost to go deep sea fishing in Panama City?Google's top question

10 Panama City charters publish a half day rate on their own site, and they run $650 to $850 for the whole boat, with the middle of the range at $735. That is the boat for the day, not a price per person — split between six anglers a $735 trip is about $125 each. Shorter trips cost less; ask the captain, because fewer of them publish those rates.

Are there family-friendly fishing charters in Panama City?8 threads

37 charters in Panama City mention kids or families on their websites. Ask the captain about children's life jackets, trip length and whether there's a restroom on board.

What happens if it is too windy to go offshore?

Often the trip just moves inshore rather than being called off — 19 of the 81 boats here run both, so a blown-out morning can become a back-country or bay trip. 8 of them publish a weather or cancellation policy on their own site — read the one belonging to the boat you book.

Back-country or offshore — which trip should I book in Panama City?

They are different days on different water. 28 charters here list offshore only, 9 list inshore only, and 19 list both. Offshore means a longer run and bigger fish; inshore means calmer water, shorter runs and sight-fishing. The month-by-month table above shows which fish the fleet says are around when you are coming.

How long is a trip out of Panama City?

Four and six hours are the lengths Panama City captains list most often, with longer days at eight. The clock starts at the dock rather than at the fishing grounds, so the run out and back comes out of your time on the fish.

Do I need to bring rods and tackle to Panama City?

No. Rods, reels, bait and tackle come with the boat on every Panama City charter that says so on its own site — fly anglers are the exception, and usually bring their own. As Blue Water Connection puts it: “Every trip is fully turnkey, with fuel, licenses, dead bait, and premium tackle included.”

Do Panama City charters clean your catch?

Most do, at the dock when you come in, and a good few say so plainly on their own sites. As Grocery Gettin Charters, LLC. puts it: “Your catch can be cleaned and bagged for you after the trip.” Whether it costs anything is up to the boat, so ask when you book.

What should I bring on a Panama City charter?

Sun protection and your own food and drink. Food, drinks, sunscreen and cooler come up most often on Panama City charter sites.

How do I book a charter in Panama City?

Call the captain or use their website. CharterFishingBoat doesn't take bookings or payments, and there's no fee to use the directory.

What should I ask the captain?

Ask what the trip includes, how long it lasts, how many people can come, what you're likely to catch that time of year, and the cancellation policy if the weather turns.

Where do state waters end off Panama City?

Florida state waters in the Gulf run from shore to 9 miles out; beyond that is federal water. Federal seasons and limits apply beyond it, and for some fish they also apply to federally permitted charter boats inside state waters.

When is the water warmest near Panama City?

June through September, when the nearest NOAA station averages 84–87°F. It's coolest in January, around 58°F.

What airports are closest to Panama City?

The closest airports with airline service are Northwest Florida Beaches International (ECP), 15 miles away and Eglin AFB/Destin-Fort Walton Beach (VPS), 56 miles away. Local public airports nearby: Costin (A51), 36 miles away and Calhoun County (F95), 40 miles away. Distances are straight-line miles from the centre of town.

How many fishing charters are in Panama City?

This page lists 81 fishing charters in Panama City, Florida, each with a phone number and website checked on the captain's own site.

Where these questions come from
  • 167Threads read
  • 25Weighing a paid trip
  • 20Had ruled one out

The corpus. 167 Reddit threads about fishing that mention Panama City, across 8 angling forums. The collector requires the town to be named somewhere in the thread and the title to be about fishing, so some of these discuss Panama City in passing rather than fishing out of it.

How a question was chosen. Each thread was assigned to the decision the person was stuck on, and ranked by the 25 where a paid trip was actually on the table — not by how often a topic came up. Shore access is the most discussed topic here, 46 threads, and it is left out: 17 of them had already decided against hiring a boat.

What this cannot show you. The collector keeps counts and subreddits, not permalinks or post dates, so there is no representative thread to link. A thread count is not a survey.

Fish you can catch out of Panama City

Counted from what each captain lists on their own website — the number is how many Panama City captains name that fish.

Amberjack37Mahi-Mahi37Red Snapper37King Mackerel35Spanish Mackerel27Gray Triggerfish27Redfish25Cobia23Shark23Wahoo22Grouper22Flounder21Speckled Trout17Sheepshead15Sailfish14Vermilion Snapper14Tarpon14Mangrove Snapper13Red Grouper13Gag Grouper12Bonito10Tuna10Scamp8Black Drum7Blackfin Tuna6Marlin6Hammerhead Shark6Tiger Shark5Bluefish5Pompano5Jack Crevalle5Swordfish4Bull Shark4Barracuda4Blacktip Shark4Ladyfish4Black Grouper4Snapper4Striped Bass3Yellowfin Tuna3Lane Snapper3Almaco Jack3Tripletail3Mako Shark2Blue Marlin2Snook2Snowy Grouper2Yellowedge Grouper2Tilefish2Blue Runner2Porgy1Warsaw Grouper1White Marlin1Goliath Grouper1Flathead Catfish1Peacock Bass1Channel Catfish1Sandbar Shark1Black Bullhead Catfish1Nurse Shark1Black Sea Bass1Schoolmaster Snapper1Skipjack Tuna1Grunt1Atlantic Sharpnose Shark1

Charters near Panama City

Upper Grand Lagoon81Panama City Beach80Pretty Bayou80Lower Grand Lagoon80Cedar Grove78Tyndall AFB84

Something wrong on this page? Tell us. See how we check listings.