My son was TDY in Panama City and I was temporarily working 70 miles away so we decided to spend Father's Day weekend 2011 together in Panama City. What better to do than go deep sea fishing? I looked at sites on the Web and decided Jubilee sounded like a good deal. This was only my second time fishing on a group boat but I knew what to expect. The nice lady who took my reservation was so friendly and helpful (Sandy, I think) and she gave us a military discount so we got an 8 hour trip for $60.00 apiece. What a bargain! Yeah, there was a long time to get to the fishing spots but this was my 26 Year old son's first ride on a big boat so the ride itself was half the fun. We saw dolphins and ships and every kind of boat. This was a pretty mid-June day and it was warm out but the cabin was airconditioned and we had a good ride.
There was snacks and drinks available at the small snack bar for reasonable prices on board but Sandy had said we could bring a small cooler so we had plenty of cool drinks.
The fishing itself was great! On the way out, the crew taught us how to use the fishing equipment and how to minimize tangles. Each person was assigned a fishing spot so it was luck of the draw, we were in the stern, great position! Not much to it, drop your bait, reel up a little and haul up the fish when you feel a bump. Everyone caught fish, some more and bigger than others but a good time was had by all. We had a couple of run-ins with Dolphins, they grab your fish and break your line in a heartbeat! There were some tangles but the crew were experts at getting things cleared up in a hurry. I felt like that was the shortest 8 hours with the most fun packed into it that I have ever spent! What a great day!
One helpful tip, buy some small bait fish, the crew provided us with cut bait but the best catches seems to come when using cigar fish and squid. Anyway, we ended up with about 25 pounds of mostly Snapper and paid to have them cleaned next door for 60 cents a pound I think. We had fish on the Barbie back at the hotel and shared with about 10 other guests. Plus I had 4 big packages to take back home.
This was a great trip, all the crew were fantastic and we very much enjoyed everything about the trip. Bring sunblock, hat, a light weight long sleeve shirt, sunglasses and wear old clothes and shoes, you will get fish juice on anything you wear. I think the snack bar sold old towels for wipimg your hands, they came in handy. Bring some cash for snacks and drinks and get ready for lots of fun!