Explore the beautiful waters of Panama City Beach and Shell Island by joining Fishwhacker Charters on this exclusive adventure. Captain Don Rice personally invites you on an epic battle against some of the biggest fish you’ve ever seen!

Your charter will take place on a 24’ Tidewater center console, powered by a 350 HP Yamaha engine, and equipped with a fishfinder, GPS, and wireless trolling motor. The boat also comes with Humminbird Electronics and a Bluetooth sound system, so you can play your favorite tunes while fishing. The Tidewater fits up to 4 guests and 3 to 4 people can fish at the same time.

Once you hit your destination, you can expect lots of action with lines screaming everywhere, fish flying in every direction, and water splashing all over the place. The captain calls these wild encounters “controlled chaos.” Even the most experienced anglers have a tough time dealing with some of these big trophy fish!

Capt. Don will either take you trolling, drifting, or bottom fishing, depending on what you prefer. He also offers fly fishing trips as long as you bring your own fly gear and let him know in advance. Otherwise, you’ll mainly be using light tackle with top-of-the-line Penn and Shimano rods and reels.

For your offshore excursions, you’ll go up to 9 miles from the coast to chase species such as Kingfish, Mahi Mahi, Amberjack, and Vermilion Snapper. On nearshore and inshore trips, you’ll be drifting or bottom fishing over beautiful wrecks and reefs in search of Black Grouper, Spanish Mackerel, and Cobia.

If you’re looking for an action-packed day of fishing in sunny Panama City Beach, then look no further. Fishwhacker Charters is the perfect day trip for your friends or family and kids are more than welcome to join, as well. Your fishing license will already be taken care of for you, so just bring a hat, sunglasses, and some sunscreen and join Capt. Don on an unforgettable adventure!



Select date to see available trips and rates:

  • Private trip
    Half Day Trip
    FREE Cancellation 3 days notice
    4 Hour Trip, starts at 7:00 AM
    US $600
    Join Fishwhacker Charters on a wild adventure and battle some epic fish like Tarpon, King Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, and many more! Go up to 9 miles offshore to fight your big-game pelagics, or drift over some beautiful reefs to target bottom fish like Grouper. Departure time can be flexible depending on customers' needs and preferences. Please note that each additional hour costs $150 (for the whole group).
There are 3 people looking at this charter.

FAQs about Fishwhacker Charters

Fishwhacker Charters offers the following trip to customers:
  • US $600 per group, additional US $50 per person after 2 guests - Half Day Trip (4 hours)

When you book a trip with Fishwhacker Charters, you can expect the following amenities onboard:
  • GPS
  • Fishfinder
  • Live Bait Well 2 of them.
  • Refrigerator
  • Wireless Trolling Motor
  • Radar

Trips booked with Fishwhacker Charters include:
  • Rods, reels & tackle (Shimano & Penn.)
  • Live Bait (For reef/wreck trips. Pilchards caught on the way.)
  • Lures
  • Fishing License

Fishwhacker Charters offers the following types of fishing:
  • Nearshore Fishing
  • Offshore Fishing (Up to 9 miles.)
  • Reef Fishing
  • Wreck Fishing

Fishwhacker Charters offers the following fishing techniques:
  • Light Tackle
  • Bottom Fishing
  • Trolling
  • Fly Fishing (Customers need to bring their own fly rods.)
  • Drift Fishing

Top targeted fish species with Fishwhacker Charters include:
  • Amberjack
  • Cobia
  • Dolphin (Mahi Mahi)
  • Grouper (Black)
  • King Mackerel (Kingfish)
  • Redfish
  • Snapper (Red)
  • Snapper (Vermilion)
  • Spanish Mackerel
  • Speckled Trout
  • Tarpon

Meet the Captain

Don Rice
Panama City, Florida, United States
ID & license verified
67 Customer reviews
Response time within an hour
Member since March 2019
Captain Don Rice grew up in Panama City Beach, Florida, where he’s been fishing since the early age of 12. Fast forward to 45 years later, and his passion for being out on the water is stronger than ever. Capt. Don finally decided to start guiding his own trips about 3 years ago, and to no surprise, has fallen in love with the job. His goal is not only to get you some fish but to show you a good time as well. It won’t take long for you to see why he loves the sport so much!

About this listing

Targeted species

Amberjack Amberjack
Cobia Cobia
Dolphin (Mahi Mahi) Dolphin (Mahi Mahi)
Grouper (Black) Black Grouper

Boat specs

Tidewater (Center console) originally built in 2015. Powered by a 300HP Yamaha engine, with a maximum cruising speed of 43 knots.

Length
24 ft
Capacity
4 persons

Types of fishing

Nearshore Fishing
Offshore Fishing
Up to 9 miles.
Reef Fishing
Wreck Fishing

Fishing techniques

Light Tackle
Bottom Fishing
Trolling
Fly Fishing
Customers need to bring their own fly rods.
Drift Fishing

Amenities

GPS
Fishfinder
Live Bait Well
2 of them.
Refrigerator
Wireless Trolling Motor
Radar

Trip includes

Rods, reels & tackle
Shimano & Penn.
Live Bait
For reef/wreck trips. Pilchards caught on the way.
Lures
Fishing License

Cancellation policy

Free cancellation up to 3 days prior to trip

You can cancel or modify your booking up to 3 days before the trip date, free of charge. If you cancel or modify your booking later, or fail to show up, you'll forfeit 100% of what you've paid.

Listing policies

Pickup not included
Transfer to/from departure site is not included in trip rates.
Child Friendly
Min. age is discussed with parents prior to trip.
You Keep Catch
You keep whatever is in season & w/in legal size.
Catch and Release Allowed

Payment

Book with 10% deposit, pay rest to captain

When the captain confirms your trip, FishingBooker charges your credit card a 10% deposit to guarantee your reservation.

The remaining balance is to be paid directly to the charter operator on or prior to your trip date in one of the following payment methods:

Cash
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
When paying the remaining balance with a credit card, an additional 3.5% charge will apply.

Panama City Fishing Calendar

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Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.7 / 5
out of 5 stars from 67 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.7 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (54)
Half day trip fishing for Jacks
Half day trip fishing for Jacks
Fishing with Don
+51
Angler rating
57
3
2
3
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
88%
Friendly captain
95%
Recommend this charter
90%
Appropriate for children
92%
Satisfied with the boat
98%
Caught fish
78%
Sort by:
Featured  
Showing:
5 of 67 reviews
Brandon W.
Greer, SC
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half day trip fishing for Jacks

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip on August 1, 2023
Had a great time on the 4 hour trip. Hooked up on quite a few jacks, only got 3 to the boat as dolphins were taking some but...
Brandon W. recommends Fishwhacker Charters
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  Don Rice Captain replied

Kyle B.
Decatur, GA
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half day with Captain Don

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip on June 8, 2022
Had yet another great day with Captain Don! We tried to get on some grouper and he got us hooked up tight away (first drop)...
Kyle B. recommends Fishwhacker Charters
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  Don Rice Captain replied

Kyle B.
Decatur, GA
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half day with Caprain Don

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip on June 7, 2022
Couldn’t have asked for a better time and experience! Everyone caught fish. Some amberjacks beat us up but we came home with...
Kyle B. recommends Fishwhacker Charters
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  Don Rice Captain replied

Jordan J.
Fort Myers, Florida
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Half day trip with Captain Don

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip on July 26, 2022
We had a great time with Captain Don.  He was encouraging (it was tough reeling those fish in) and so much fun.  He took...
Jordan J. recommends Fishwhacker Charters
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  Don Rice Captain replied

Wilbur O.
Goshen, KY
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Morning trip with Captain Don

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip on April 30, 2022
We originally booked for a Saturday morning off shore trip, but due to weather, Captain Don asked if we could do Sunday morning...
Wilbur O. recommends Fishwhacker Charters
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  Don Rice Captain replied