Inshore fishing keeps anglers’ business afloat
PENSACOLA (AP) – Big boats, deep water and red snapper.
Those three things have been a magic combination for generations of Gulf Coast charter fishermen, who made their living putting tourists on fish out where the emerald waters fade to blue.
But the rough seas of recession, gas prices and regulations have sent many charter operators scrambling for a way to weather the storm.
Many have shifted their focus to inshore waters, where they can run smaller boats and shorter trips at a fraction of the cost.
As the recession deepens, they may have found a way to keep their heads above water.
“There’s a better future in inshore guiding,” said Chris Phillips, co-owner of Hot Spots Bait and Tackle in Gulf Breeze.
Back in the late 1990s, Joe Madden, 64, would spend 170 days a year running deep-sea fishing trips in his 65-foot custom boat.
“It had twin diesels, and all the amenities: air conditioning, hot water, a full galley. It slept 14 people downstairs and 10 to 12 upstairs,” said Madden, a 33-year veteran of the charter industry.
But in 2002, he jumped ship.
“I saw the handwriting on the wall, and I decided to sell by boat, my business, everything,” Madden said.
Madden said he was devastated by increasing fuel costs, which add up quickly on a boat that consumes 1,300 gallons of diesel every five days. New regulations further compounded the problem, increasing the cost of permits, lowering bag limits and shortening red snapper seasons.
Last year, citing concerns of overfishing, the National Marine Fisheries Service shortened the offshore red snapper season to two months in federal waters.
“The price of everything went up, and the number of fish you could catch went down,” Madden said.
Trips along inshore bayous and bays are helping many captains pay the bills.
Inshore guides generally carry up to four clients at a time on smaller, 20-25 foot bay boats, said Paul Redman, president of the Pensacola Charter Boat Association.
The smaller groups bring in less money per trip – $400 to $500, compared to $1,500 to $3,000 for an deep-sea trip – but the expenses are lower.
Redman said inshore charter fishermen now outnumber offshore operators 3-to-1 in northwest Florida.
“It’s exploded,” Redman said.
Inshore charter fisherman Wes Rozier, 47, said he usually spends less than $20 per trip on fuel, and he avoids slip fees by storing the boat on a trailer in his garage and towing it to meet customers for fishing trips.
By fishing for several species of fish – including speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, flounder and pompano – inshore fishermen can run trips year-round, Rozier said.
“The only two days I don’t fish are Easter and Christmas,” Rozier said.
Rozier said he has noticed the increase of inshore guides in recent years. In the 1990s, he said, about six inshore guides shared the water between Pensacola and Navarre, but now there are more than 35.
Phillips of Hot Spots Bait and Tackle said another benefit of inshore fishing is less expensive prices for customers, who are also feeling the effects of the economy.
Hot Spots only offers inshore charter trips, and Phillips said that when potential customers call to compare his services to offshore trips, he gives it to them straight.
“I don’t try to veer them one way or the other,” Phillips said. “I just explain what offshore is and what inshore is. Then you tell them it’s $400 versus $1,400, and they become very interested in inshore.”