# Capt. Anderson head boats



## jollymon (Jul 19, 2019)

Has anyone taken one of their trips out of Panama City Beach before and how was it , My grand son wants to try saltwater fishing and I want to start him off but don't want to shell out for a private charter if he's a one and done thing for him , At 11 he wants to do everything .


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## Mr Bya Lungshot (Jul 19, 2019)

Lol, he won’t be one an done after fishing saltwater! Hope your trip is amazing, usually they are memories for a lifetime. My first major charter trip was on Capt Anderson party boat and I remember it very well.


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## Mexican Squealer (Jul 19, 2019)

I have amazing memories of my Ol man taking my brother and me on head boat trips out of Capt. Anderson’s...35 year’s ago!


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## NE GA Pappy (Jul 19, 2019)

I went out with Capt'n Anderson over 45 years ago. Several times.  I still remember those trips.  It was my Dad, my Uncle Gene, my Uncle Lee, a few cousins and a couple of my brothers.  We had a ball


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## Swamprat (Jul 19, 2019)

Just a warning....35-45 years ago is a huge difference compared to how PCB is today...I live 45 miles North of there.

Nowadays from what I understand is they run you out to the same wore out numbers. Regs have really messed up offshore fishing. 30 plus years ago you could load up on red snapper. triggers, AJ's, grouper...etc. Catching these fish is not the problem..keeping them is.

There is no really no secret structure anymore....everybody has pretty much found it.

Not trying to be a downer but see if you can reach out to some other folks and share a charter...more enjoyable and better learning experience for your son.

Don't have their phone numbers handy but Google Justin Leake or Chris Wiwi...yeah weird last names but not sending you down a rabbit hole. I know Chris from church when he frequents....know his wife better from my line of work. Both are good folks.

Get up with them and explain your situation. If you got any more questions just PM me.


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## Lukikus2 (Jul 19, 2019)

I fished their boat over 30 years ago every year for about 5 years. Good trips. Were never skunked and don't let anyone tell you trigger fish ain't good to eat.

But

Captains and deck hands change. The best way to find out what to expect is to be at the dock the day before and watch what they unload.


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## NE GA Pappy (Jul 19, 2019)

can you even keep trigger fish now?  The last time I fished the bay I was told that you couldn't keep any triggers, regardless of size


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## Mr Bya Lungshot (Jul 19, 2019)

Dad wanted the numbers.
Mom had the lipstick.
I was the spy on a mission.


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## Swamprat (Jul 19, 2019)

NE GA Pappy said:


> can you even keep trigger fish now?  The last time I fished the bay I was told that you couldn't keep any triggers, regardless of size



Being a native Floridian I can't even keep up with it anymore...seems like with our FWC everytime one of em takes a dump our rules change. Our FWC Commission is a joke now, we had some good ones right before the new governor came in.

Their whole thinking now is based on "staff recommendations" instead of what we the users of the woods and waters are saying. Instead they wait till a collapse before they take any emergency action instead of a proactive stock management.


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## FOLES55 (Jul 19, 2019)

I’ve also been with Captain Justin Leake, well worth the trip and a great time for sure.


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## doomtrpr_z71 (Jul 19, 2019)

Hope the head boat is better than the charter's, I won't ever take another trip from PCB, Mexico Beach maybe.


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## killswitch (Jul 20, 2019)

Triggers have a short season now. At least they did this year. It was back around May for about a month or so.


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## jollymon (Jul 20, 2019)

Thanks for the input,  Were booked for the 26th my son went and booked it , He didn't wait for feedback so were going,  If it lights the Grandson up I'll do a Charter with him .


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## Swamprat (Jul 20, 2019)

Hey....have fun. All that counts.


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## au7126 (Jul 20, 2019)

Does anyone remember or go on the 2am many years ago. Could board the boat at 12 midnight and climb in a bunk. Cranked up at 2 am and rode till about 7 or 8 am. They had to quit or have another captain on for that extended trip. Caught some decent fish back then.


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## Swamprat (Jul 20, 2019)

Could be wrong but don't think many or none boats in PCB or Destin are doing that anymore unless you got a group and requested it.


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## fairweather (Jul 21, 2019)

I went on that trip probably 15 years ago. It was so rough people started getting sick while the boat was still at the dock. I waited until we were offshore to get sick.


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## kevbo3333 (Jul 21, 2019)

Swamprat said:


> Could be wrong but don't think many or none boats in PCB or Destin are doing that anymore unless you got a group and requested it.



If your talking about night trips I know Family Tradition Charters runs them, they can hold up to 42 but I don’t think there will be much more 12 people or so. They have some pictures and videos on their Facebook page.


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## Blackston (Jul 22, 2019)

I went last year on a church trip with my men’s group. We called early enough and reserved the whole back of the boat and 2 spots on each side. Then we stopped and bought 6 or 8 Bonita ( frozen ) our group caught more fish than the rest of the boat combined!! We had a ball!!!


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## Upatoi Sportsman (Jul 22, 2019)

I went on several of these trips in the 90s with my grandfather. There were trips that we caught just a few and some we caught a decent amount with one in particular I can remember him catching an AJ that was a hair short to keep. The fishing may not be the best but the quality time and fun with him are what I will remember the most.  I hope this is true for your grandson as well.


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## spurrs and racks (Jul 23, 2019)

I've had good trips and I've had bad trips. That's why they call it fishing not catching.

I have been out with them every summer for the last several years. When the Bee Liners are big (last year) it is really good. But, this year they are on the small size.

ARC are hit and miss, mostly miss this late in the season.

Good luck


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## jasper181 (Jul 24, 2019)

I worked on those head boats 20 years ago and still know the owners. It has changed hands a few times and most of the captains a new. I moved about 10 years ago but my dad still lives there, we actually had a boat business there and I originally worked for and then bought our boat/business from Mr. Davis that used to own the head boats. My brother still makes 2-3 trips a month on the 12 hr boats and I go probably twice a year just to to do it. You can still catch some decent fish if you know what you are doing, bring some live bait or catch some while you are out there. I bring my own rod and tackle and soak big baits all day and can usually come back with a decent grouper. For the money and experience, especially for a kid its still a good time. I would pick the Florida Queen on a 5-5 trip if it were me.


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## Lukikus2 (Jul 24, 2019)

It's tough being the captain of a head boat trying to keep folks on fish. Once you are on fish the yahoos run up on you and mark the spot and make it public. I was on one trip in the 80's where we anchored up, a dive boat pulls in and anchored up 100' in front of us to spearfish what we were fishing


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## jasper181 (Jul 26, 2019)

Swamprat said:


> Just a warning....35-45 years ago is a huge difference compared to how PCB is today...I live 45 miles North of there.
> 
> Nowadays from what I understand is they run you out to the same wore out numbers. Regs have really messed up offshore fishing. 30 plus years ago you could load up on red snapper. triggers, AJ's, grouper...etc. Catching these fish is not the problem..keeping them is.
> 
> ...



We used to build artificle reefs in the Panhandle during the 90's and early 00's, we were about the only boat doing it. We had a few guys that actually put the jobs together as far as proving the structure and our boat as a package. He had a source for thousands of chicken coops from Alabama, the snapper loved the coops. We built 100's of spots during this time with just coops. A ton of the spots were lost during Opal, Earl and Ivan.


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## jdgator (Jul 26, 2019)

Captain Anderson's head boats still put people on good reef fishing.


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## oops1 (Jul 26, 2019)

jasper181 said:


> We used to build artificle reefs in the Panhandle during the 90's and early 00's, we were about the only boat doing it. We had a few guys that actually put the jobs together as far as proving the structure and our boat as a package. He had a source for thousands of chicken coops from Alabama, the snapper loved the coops. We built 100's of spots during this time with just coops. A ton of the spots were lost during Opal, Earl and Ivan.



What all loopholes are involved in dropping structures? I’ve often wondered ..I’m sure it’s a pretty big hassle. We actually witnessed them dropping a F16 or some sort of fighter jet just out of the pass in PCB. Also saw them set one of those pyramid structures right off the beach in Grayton one year. Actually thought the jet was a sinking boat when we pulled up on it. Later read in the news what happened.


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## Lukikus2 (Jul 26, 2019)

I predate Jasper on this 15 years or so. Great captains and deckhands. Deckhands getting time in for a captains license 
Swift currents and tangled lines.


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## Lukikus2 (Jul 26, 2019)

Back then most new structure was gutted out cars and dumped.


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## jollymon (Jul 28, 2019)

Well we did the 0hr trip on Friday and it was a success in my book , I don't get much time with my oldest son one on one much anymore,  Life and family gets in the way along with a over bearing wife. 
I didn't say that ,  We departed ont time  2 and a half ride to the first spot then lines down , They told us the Red Snapper were hard to come by  but we'd give it our best shot .The Capt. kept us on fish , mostly Vermilion Snapper and others.  The bout only got 3 Red . After I limited on Vermilion Snapper my Deck Hand asked if he could do a Grouper rig for me ,I said go for it , So he tied up a Grouper rig and gave me one of the few live baits he had . So at the next spot I dropped it and the Deck Hand said make sure you hold on because if a Grouper hits it he'll take off like a Truck,  Not 5 minutes pass and something BIG hit it and ran with it it had my rod bowed up in half,  Then it turned back at us and went under the boat and broke off. What ever it was was powerful. Wish I could have seen it but thats how it goes. The only complaint was the sorry condition of the rest rooms,  I've seen better crappers in bus stations , Capt and Deck Hands were great.  BTW we did bring our own rods and reels there stuff is a bit tired slell we say but works .


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## jdgator (Jul 29, 2019)

jollymon said:


> Well we did the 0hr trip on Friday and it was a success in my book , I don't get much time with my oldest son one on one much anymore,  Life and family gets in the way along with a over bearing wife.
> I didn't say that ,  We departed ont time  2 and a half ride to the first spot then lines down , They told us the Red Snapper were hard to come by  but we'd give it our best shot .The Capt. kept us on fish , mostly Vermilion Snapper and others.  The bout only got 3 Red . After I limited on Vermilion Snapper my Deck Hand asked if he could do a Grouper rig for me ,I said go for it , So he tied up a Grouper rig and gave me one of the few live baits he had . So at the next spot I dropped it and the Deck Hand said make sure you hold on because if a Grouper hits it he'll take off like a Truck,  Not 5 minutes pass and something BIG hit it and ran with it it had my rod bowed up in half,  Then it turned back at us and went under the boat and broke off. What ever it was was powerful. Wish I could have seen it but thats how it goes. The only complaint was the sorry condition of the rest rooms,  I've seen better crappers in bus stations , Capt and Deck Hands were great.  BTW we did bring our own rods and reels there stuff is a bit tired slell we say but works .




Did you have Capt. Anderson's Restaurant cook them for you? I know they used to do that.


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## jollymon (Jul 30, 2019)

We took them home and I'll cook them , We did go to my Father in Laws got showers and went out to "Billy's" for crabs and beer than back to the house and it was lights out .


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## jasper181 (Jul 31, 2019)

oops1 said:


> What all loopholes are involved in dropping structures? I’ve often wondered ..I’m sure it’s a pretty big hassle. We actually witnessed them dropping a F16 or some sort of fighter jet just out of the pass in PCB. Also saw them set one of those pyramid structures right off the beach in Grayton one year. Actually thought the jet was a sinking boat when we pulled up on it. Later read in the news what happened.


Ive been out of the loop for quite a few years, the rules and regs starting making  it almost impossible as far as doing it commercially. Im not even sure if they will give permits any longer.  At the time all liquids , rubber and certain materials had to be removed. The permits werent cheap and then they wanted it all to be done only during daylight hours. 

The Grouper ghettos you are talking about were popular as well, we built a ton of spots for Pcola back around 00-03. It was all nover the local news and Florida Sportsman.


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## jdgator (Aug 1, 2019)

jasper181 said:


> The Grouper ghettos



Did you just now come up with that? It sounds a slogan for a t-shirt or line of custom bait rigs.


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## jasper181 (Aug 2, 2019)

No, that was actually the name the company making them came up with and marketed them as. There are several companies making similar products but that was the name they used. Basically they were 3 sided concrete pyramids with holes on all sides. They had a peice of rope in the mold at the top used for picking them up. They were offered in 3, 6 and 9ft sizes. When we built all the spots for the city of Pcola we did 180 of them, each one had to be slowly lowered to the bottom, we had a dump hook attached to the loop in the ghetto", once on the bottom Id snatch the heel out of the line until the hok released. The would try to spin and turn so we had to go slow, it was a long job. I never will forget it, it took 37 hours straight with no sleep to get them all done. Florida sportsman did an article about it and all the locals news shows had the pictures and stuff. The numbers were actually made public becuase they were done by the city.


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