About Your Trip

Climb aboard Captain Matthew's sportfisher for an action-packed close offshore adventure! After launching from the dock, you will ride out of Destin Pass and start our fishing trip. For these 4-6 hour trips you can travel up to 15 miles offshore. The beauty of Destin however is that the deep water is easily accessible within that distance. So even on a half or 3/4 day adventure like this one you can still hook into some ... Read More

About Your Guide

17 Years of Experience

Captain Matthew has a love of fishing that started at a young age and has continued to grow over the years. After years of learning the craft of fishing and working his way up the ranks, he was able to reach a lifelong goal of purchasing his own charter company. Captain Matthew is local and knows the gulf waters extremely well. A father of three, he loves having his wife and kids on board when he can.

His love of fishing started as a young ... Read More boy fishing the banks of Choctawhatchee Bay. At the age of 11, he talked my parents into buying him his first boat, a 14' John Boat. It didn’t have a trailer or motor, but that was okay; he had his boat. He and his friends built a trailer out of pine trees they had cut down and used old bike tires for wheels. It was about a mile to the boat ramp, so it wasn’t always easy getting there. Captain Matthew estimates they musty have paddled over 100 miles around Choctawhatchee Bay that summer. He knew then that he wanted to fish every day he was able!

Three years later, at the age of 14, he landed his first job as a Second Mate on a charter boat on the Destin Harbor. Over the next 6 years he worked his way up to First Mate and had earned his 100 Ton Masters Captain’s License. The summer he turned 20 something magical happened, he caught his first blue marlin! It was the most magnificent fish he had ever seen. At that very moment he wanted to spend every day he was on the water chasing these beautiful fish.

He was able to get a job on a private yacht and spent the next five years traveling the world fishing for blue marlin. He was lucky enough to fish places such as Costa Rica, Mexico, The Bahamas, St. Thomas, and Bermuda to name a few. During this time he met his wife and they had their first son. The traveling and chasing blue marlins took a distant second to spending time with his new family, so back to Destin he came!

Once he was back home, he began taking the skills he had learned on his journeys to these blue marlin hot spots and putting them to good use. He was able to accumulate over 1.5 million dollars in tournament winnings in the Gulf of Mexico. His biggest win was in 2009, breaking the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic record with a 716 pound Blue Marlin. He continues to compete to this day, using his skills and enjoying every minute of the chase for the big fish!

Fast forwarding to 2019, he continues to live the fisherman’s dream. He now has three beautiful children, two boys and one girl. He has the boat of his dreams and the pleasure of spreading his love and passion of fishing, with not only his children but children and adults from all across the world. He smiles every time he remembers that summer as a young boy when he and his friends were pulling his boat over a mile, on a homemade trailer with their bikes to the water. He never could have imagined what he could accomplish from his love and passion for fishing. To this day he is still that young boy every time he is on the water!

Start Location

Margaritaville Destin, Harbor Boulevard, Destin, FL, USA

About Your Boat

Boat Type: Sportfisher
Boat Manufacturer: G&S
Year Built: 1984
Boat Length: 48
Engine Manufacturer: Fiat
Total Horsepower: 1200
Number of Engines: 2
Additional Amenities: Air Conditioning, GPS, Fishfinder, Fighting Chair, Toilet, Flybridge, Live Bait Well, Outriggers, Ice Box

Amenities and Information

Water Type

Deep Sea

Skill Levels

Advanced, Beginner, Intermediate

Tackle

All rods, reels, and tackle are included.

Fish Cleaning

This guide will clean your catch for you.

Beer

Feel free to enjoy responsibly, but please no glass.

Boat Restroom

Available

Air Conditioning

This boat has air conditioning.

Live Bait

Yes, Included

Weather

You will get a refund if the trip is canceled due to weather.

Federal Permit

This boat is federally permitted to go deep offshore.

Species

Amberjack, Blackfin Tuna, Bonito, Gag Grouper, Kingfish, Mahi Mahi, Red Grouper, Red Snapper, Spanish Mackerel, Wahoo

Techniques

Bottom Fishing, Deep Dropping, Heavy Tackle Fishing, Jigging, Trolling

Packing / Extras

Everything you'll need for your trip: Weather Appropriate Gear, Snacks and Drinks, Sun Protection. Rods, reels, tackle, bait, fishing licenses included.
Where to Buy a Fishing License: No license needed for this trip.

Things to Keep in Mind

Payment & Tipping: We use a cashless autopay system. We'll send you a boarding pass, and on the day of the trip, your guide will scan your boarding pass to automatically transfer the remaining balance. The only cash needed is to tip your guide (we recommend 20%).
Cancellation/Refund Policy: The deposit for this trip is non-refundable (but if the weather is too bad to go out, you will still receive a refund).

Pricing & Availability

To check pricing, please select a trip date, duration, group size and start time.

3 people are looking at this trip

Have questions? Call us at 833-227-8246

Reviews

Jason G.

Fishing

Came in from Vegas to do some local fishing. Absolutely superb boat and crew! These guys work hard and treated us really well! Found a couple of sharks and a lot of amazing mackerel and Mingo snapper. Highly recommend!!!

Steve L.

Fishing

We did a 6 hour trip and caught fish the entire time. Excellent crew that worked extremely hard to make this a great experience. The boat was fantastic and well worth the price. We will definitely go through them on our next charter

Amy M.

Fishing

We had a fabulous time with Capt Matt and Christian this morning! They were great with our whole group, especially our 13yo whom this was his first trip. We are already planning our next one! Thanks Capt Matt and Christian!

Eslie K.

Fishing

Captain Matt and Christian were really nice guys. They put us on fish at every stop! The boat was neat and clean and Christian (deck hand) was very attentive to our needs. The dolphins were a slight problem, but Captain Matt kept working for us and we had a great ...Read More

Ashley F.

Fishing

I decided to pay a little more for this one than I normally do and I’m so glad that I did! These guys are legit. Before leaving the dock they asked us what we wanted to go after. My son and I had always wanted to fight a shark, so ...Read More

Chris J.

Fishing

Booked a 3pm trip for 4 hours. We will definitely book with these guys again. Fun staff who helped us out today. Started out trolling and then went to fish for a shark. After 10 minutes of fishing, we hooked on to one. Lost it after about 3 minutes and ...Read More

Nathan R.

Fishing

We will definitely book with these guys again. On the weekends Matt has his kids Adrian and Cameran work it with him and they made the trip for us! Those boys baited the hooks and had the fish off in no time. They were so polite and personable, they were ...Read More

Andrew M.

Fishing

It was a great dy of fishing. Took my wife and daughter with me. Captain Matt and the crew were great he made sure we caught a variety of different fish and I caught a lot of keepers too.

First Time Booking with Us?

Captain Experiences is the home of over 1000 Damn Good fishing and hunting guides. Our mission is to unlock the outdoors for everyone, and we want to help you get out there through our no-hassle online booking experience and our team of outdoors experts.

We vet our guides to make sure they are the best of the best. We want guides who not only put you on 'em, but show you a great time, keep you safe, and give you a memorable experience with your group.

Once you've paid your deposit at checkout, we'll send you a boarding pass. Just show your guide your boarding pass on the day of the trip, they'll scan it, the remaining balance will transfer automatically, and you'll be all set to get out there. Just make sure you bring a cash tip for the guide!

In the case of inclement weather, our guides will make the call and we'll work with you to reschedule your trip or issue a full refund. Your safety is our top concern.

Once you book the trip, we will connect you directly with the guide to go over any additional details. In the meantime, our location specialists are always available to answer your questions via email, text, chat, or call!