When you call to book a deep sea charter, one of the first questions you'll hear is whether you want to bottom fish or troll. This site celebrates local fishing charters doing great work, and one of our first spotlights goes to Hook'em Up Charters, a third-generation family fishing charter in Panama City Beach that runs both kinds of trips.
Both styles are fun. They just catch different fish in different ways. Here's how to choose.
Bottom fishing: snapper, grouper and steady action
Bottom fishing means dropping baited rigs straight down to reefs, wrecks and rocks on the Gulf floor. It's the most popular style on PCB Florida charters, and it's how most red snapper, grouper, triggerfish and amberjack are caught.
The key to great bottom fishing is knowing where the fish are. According to Hook'em Up, Captain BJ Burkett has more than 11,000 reefs marked, some passed down from his grandfather and father. That kind of list lets a captain move from spot to spot until the fish are biting. Hook'em Up also holds a federal permit to fish the for-hire red snapper season.
Hook'em Up's bottom fishing trips start at six hours and can run as long as multi-day trips. Bottom fishing is a good choice if you:
- Want fish to take home for dinner
- Like steady action, with lots of bites
- Are fishing with kids or first-timers
Trolling: kings, mahi and the big run
Trolling means pulling baits and lures behind a moving boat. It targets fast-swimming fish like king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, cobia, mahi, wahoo and tuna. Instead of feeling small bites, you wait for a rod to bend over and the line to start screaming off the reel.
Hook'em Up runs trolling trips as short as four hours, and longer blue water big game trips that head far offshore for marlin, sailfish, tuna and wahoo. Trolling is a good choice if you:
- Want a shot at a big, fast fish
- Don't mind some waiting between bites
- Love the excitement of a long fight
Can I do both?
Yes. Many captains offer combo trips that troll on the way out and bottom fish on the reefs. Hook'em Up offers combo trips with a six-hour minimum, so you get a bit of both.
How to choose
If you're not sure, tell your captain what matters most to you: fish for dinner, a trophy photo or a fun day for the kids. A good captain will match the trip to your group. Read our deep sea fishing guide and red snapper guide for more, then browse Hook'em Up's trips or meet their captains.