We were down late June of 2024. Joel was a very easy-going fella. He has modern electronics and he knows how to use them. His boat is clean and well equipped for what he is doing. His rod/reels are in good shape and ready to go. He does need to update his listing on this site. His boat is now sporting twin Yamaha 300s. It’s a sharp looking boat. Our party was two adults, a 15 year old and two 11 year old youth. The goal for our trip was for the kids to get to experience this type of luxury. Joel was very accommodating. We went out about 18 miles and when he said to “drop ‘em”, I don’t think it was 15 seconds and we had a fish on. The seas went from 1ft to 2-4’ with some 5’ waves scattered in so it got pretty rough (weather man missed it again). Three of the five of us weren’t feeling all that great and Joel said “I’ll stay as long as you want, or we can go back and try in-shore where it is a little calmer.” The only thing that I would change about our trip is the one thing that no man can change…. the sea. Captain put us on the fish, I can’t emphasize that enough. Another thing that left a good impression was Joel’s patience with our question laden adolescent kids. When we got back into calmer waters and he had the opportunity, he took the time to answer any question the kids would ask(boat, equipment, rigging, etc) not short answers either, actually explaining in a way that the kids could learn. If you’re on the fence, just go ahead and book the charter. Show up with your own drinks (not sodas either, water and maybe some gatorade-you need to stay hydrated) some snacks and some sunscreen. Joel has the rest. It is best to show up 5-10 minutes early (that goes for any charter.) Once our trip was over, I hated to leave. I felt like I made a friend. I anticipate that you will get that same vibe too. Great experience.

Cap’n Joel was careful to communicate with us leading up to the trip and was willing to push out a bit further than normal to be sure we found them. Caught our limit on white snapper, learned how to filet them out and now we’re prepping for a fish dinner!  How else do you define a successful fishing trip?!  Would love to go again, but preferably when the season and time available would allow us to go out farther for something bigger than white snapper!  Great trip for my wife and I and made some great memories with our two teenage sons!

Captain Joel is great. 5 stars for communication prior to the trip. The weather was a concern and Joel kept us informed.  The boat was great for our family trip. Gear and bait were top notch. Joel was very patient with our kids. Despite difficult weather, Joel made every effort to get us to the right fishing spots.  At the end, he prepped our catch for eating. Would highly recommend this charter.

This trip was absolutely amazing. Captain Joel was extremely well prepared and knowledgeable on the area and where to find red snapper and grouper. He made sure we caught fish and that was his only concern. We ended up going out much farther than originally planned but once he found the fish we had our limit of snapper within an hour of locating them. I took my young son and Captain Joel made sure to interact and let him have fun the entire trip. I would absolutely recommend him for any fishing trip.

Have been on many fishing charters and this one was the best!  Captain Joel provides an excellent boat with updated equipment. The boat is clean and very comfortable to fish from. He is very knowledgeable about the local waters and was able to put us on fish very quickly. Would highly recommend fishing with him in Panacea!!