Celebrating the charter captains who make Panama City Beach a fishing town

Some fishing charters are a business. Others are a family tradition. This site celebrates local fishing charters doing great work, and one of our first spotlights goes to Kelley Girl Charters, a family-owned charter that runs private trips out of Captain Anderson's Marina in Panama City Beach.

According to the family's history page, it started in 1943, when Capt. Mark Kelley's grandfather, Arnold Peel, began commercial fishing in Bay County. Mark's father, Buddy Kelley, ran charters from 1963 to 1995. Mark started as a deckhand alongside his father, and today he owns the business and is its head captain. His son, Capt. Carson Kelley, is the fourth generation of the family on these waters.

Scenic 30A has some of the prettiest beaches in Florida, but if you want to go deep sea fishing, you'll need a boat. This site celebrates local fishing charters doing great work, and one of our first spotlights goes to Hook'em Up Charters, a family fishing charter in Panama City Beach that welcomes guests from all along 30A.

Hook'em Up was founded by Captain BJ Burkett, who was born and raised in Panama City. The company runs private deep sea fishing charters from Captain Anderson's Marina, and their 30A fishing charters page is written for guests staying in places like Rosemary Beach, Seaside, WaterColor, Grayton Beach and Santa Rosa Beach.

The night before a fishing charter, almost everyone asks the same thing: what do I need to bring? This site celebrates local fishing charters doing great work, and one of our first spotlights goes to Kelley Girl Charters in Panama City Beach, whose what to bring page is a great place to start.

The short answer: the boat brings the fishing gear, and you bring everything else you'd want for a long day in the sun. Here's a simple checklist.