Captain
Eric Nelson

Member since March 2020 Panama City Beach, United States
Background
I have fished the waters of the Florida Panhandle for 40+ years from St. Marks to Destin. My father started me fly fishing for Bream and Bass on the lakes around Tallahassee, Florida as a young child and I have been obsessed with fishing and being on the water ever since. I have fished extensively both offshore and inshore off the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend areas, as well as the east coast of central Florida. I moved to Panama City Beach to pursue my passion of chasing Redfish and Speckled Trout on the shallow flats with light tackle as well as fishing for Tarpon and other critters along the beaches in the summer. I really love fishing, guiding and enjoying the beauty and solitude of a day on the water, which is why I obtained my Captain's license and began running charters.
Techniques
After years of bottom fishing for grouper and snapper and trolling for dolphin and wahoo, I have changed my focus to fishing the bays and flats for Redfish and Speckled Trout almost exclusively. I enjoy the peace and quiet of poling across shallow flats sight fishing and taking in the beauty of nature. I fish primarily with artificial lures as it provides a more challenging (and therefore rewarding) experience than soaking live bait. I fish topwater plugs a great del as they cover a lot of water, provide for exciting strikes and often produce better quality fish. I will also throw spoons, jigs, swim baits, suspending hard baits, etc. as conditions warrant. I use both fly and spinning tackle - based upon client preference and weather conditions I also guide for Tarpon during the months of June and July when the migration along the beach is peaking in this area.

Hey, I'm Captain Eric Nelson

Panama City Beach, United States
Background
I have fished the waters of the Florida Panhandle for 40+ years from St. Marks to Destin. My father started me fly fishing for Bream and Bass on the lakes around Tallahassee, Florida as a young child and I have been obsessed with fishing and being on the water ever since. I have fished extensively both offshore and inshore off the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend areas, as well as the east coast of central Florida. I moved to Panama City Beach to pursue my passion of chasing Redfish and Speckled Trout on the shallow flats with light tackle as well as fishing for Tarpon and other critters along the beaches in the summer. I really love fishing, guiding and enjoying the beauty and solitude of a day on the water, which is why I obtained my Captain's license and began running charters.
Techniques
After years of bottom fishing for grouper and snapper and trolling for dolphin and wahoo, I have changed my focus to fishing the bays and flats for Redfish and Speckled Trout almost exclusively. I enjoy the peace and quiet of poling across shallow flats sight fishing and taking in the beauty of nature. I fish primarily with artificial lures as it provides a more challenging (and therefore rewarding) experience than soaking live bait. I fish topwater plugs a great del as they cover a lot of water, provide for exciting strikes and often produce better quality fish. I will also throw spoons, jigs, swim baits, suspending hard baits, etc. as conditions warrant. I use both fly and spinning tackle - based upon client preference and weather conditions I also guide for Tarpon during the months of June and July when the migration along the beach is peaking in this area.
Anglers Choice
Verified

My Charter Listing

Excellent
5.0 / 5
(161 reviews)
Angler's choice
Panama City Beach
 3 bookings in the past week.
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $400

Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
5.0 / 5
out of 5 stars from 161 reviews
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (177)
Great time.
Great time.
We had a great time
+174
Angler rating
156
5
0
0
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
96%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
100%
Appropriate for children
94%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Caught fish
96%
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5 of 161 reviews
Andrew R.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Awesome Trip

VERIFIED   NEW  5 Hour Inshore Flats Fishing - A.M. on June 30, 2026
Captain Eric was a blast to fish with. He worked hard putting us on fish. Tough conditions but he never stopped until we found...
Andrew R. recommends Hurricane Charters
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Grant B.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Would recommend to anyone

VERIFIED   NEW  5 Hour Inshore Flats Fishing - A.M. on July 3, 2026
caught lots of trout had an absolute blast captain Eric was a very nice and down to earth guy that truly wants to put his clients...
Grant B. recommends Hurricane Charters
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Everett W.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great time.

VERIFIED   NEW  3 Hour Inshore Fishing - Late A.M. on July 8, 2026
My son and I had a blast.ย  The captain made sure that we were on the fish and really helped my son.
Everett W. recommends Hurricane Charters
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Clint C.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great trip

VERIFIED   NEW  3 Hour Inshore Fishing - Early A.M. on July 23, 2026
great experience! lots of fun and got to catch some nice fish!
Clint C. recommends Hurricane Charters
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Jonathan J.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Excellent Trip!

VERIFIED   3 Hour Inshore Fishing - Early A.M. on June 16, 2026
You will catch fish! Captain Eric was great, we caught fish from the time we started until the time we left. We had a great...
Jonathan J. recommends Hurricane Charters
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