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.
Why local knowledge matters on a charter
On the Gulf, much of the fishing happens on structure you can't see from the surface: natural reefs, sunken ships and artificial reefs scattered across the bottom. A captain who has fished the same waters for decades knows which spots hold fish in which season, and when it's time to move.
That's the biggest advantage of booking with a captain who grew up on the water. You're not paying for a boat ride to a public reef everyone else is fishing. You're paying for years of notes, GPS numbers and instinct.
Building their own fishing spots
Kelley Girl takes that a step further. The family builds its own artificial reefs, which they call "fish hotels." They tow the reefs offshore, sink them, and log each one by GPS. Over time, those reefs grow into habitat for snapper, grouper, triggerfish and amberjack, and they give the crew private spots to fish.
Two boats, private trips
Kelley Girl runs two boats, the Lady Kelley and the Kelley Girl, and each one can carry up to 20 people. You can see the boats here. Every trip is private, so your group has the boat to itself, and trips are customized to what you want to catch.
Trip options include:
- 4-hour trips, a good fit for families and first-timers
- 6-hour and 8-hour trips that reach deeper reefs
- 10- to 12-hour trips for anglers who want to go far offshore
- Bottom fishing for snapper, grouper and triggerfish
- Trolling for king mackerel, mahi and more
- Shark fishing, with catch and release encouraged
A meaningful trip of a different kind
Kelley Girl also offers cremation and burial at sea trips for families who want to say goodbye on the Gulf. The crew takes the boat away from other traffic so the family can hold the kind of ceremony they choose. It's a service that fits a family that has spent its whole life on these waters.
Planning your trip
If you're new to charter fishing, start with our first charter guide and deep sea fishing guide. When you're ready, meet the Kelley Girl captains and crew or contact Kelley Girl Charters to plan your day on the water.