About Your Guide

Profile photo of Captain Experiences guide John Holman

John Holman

Certified Damn Good Guide
Independent Guide 14 years of exp.
Talkative
Instructional
Laid-back
Beginner Oriented
Comfortable
Quality
Fishing out of Panama City, and Panama city Beach FL, Captain John will make sure you have an enjoyable day on the water. No matter how experienced you are, you’ll find a worthy opponent around these fisheries. Come chase Spanish Mackerel and Shark, or go after Snapper, Grouper, Amberjack, and Mahi.

Captain John has been fishing for 35 years and has been taking people fishing forever. He is local to the area and loves seeing his customers get their dream catch. Your safety onboard is Captain John’s top priority and he will also work to turn your fishing trip into a lasting memory. You will decide how you want to spend the day on the water but the captain will help out with any questions about techniques and species available.

You will be fishing from a 28’ Cape Horn center console powered by twin 300 HP Yamaha engines. She features navigational electronics and has room for up to six anglers. The boat features a live bait well, has a large ice box, carries Penn gear, as well as one electric...

About Your Guide

Profile photo of Captain Experiences guide John Holman

John Holman

Certified Damn Good Guide
Independent Guide 14 years of exp.
Fishing out of Panama City, and Panama city Beach FL, Captain John will make sure you have an enjoyable day on the water. No matter how experienced you are, you’ll find a worthy opponent around these fisheries. Come chase Spanish Mackerel and Shark, or go after Snapper, Grouper, Amberjack, and Mahi.

Captain John has been fishing for 35 years and has been taking people fishing forever. He is local to the area and loves seeing his customers get their dream catch. Your safety onboard is Captain John’s top priority and he will also work to turn your fishing trip into a lasting memory. You will decide how you want to spend the day on the water but the captain will help out with any questions about techniques and species available.

You will be fishing from a 28’ Cape Horn center console powered by twin 300 HP Yamaha engines. She features navigational electronics and has room for up to six anglers. The boat features a live bait well, has a large ice box, carries Penn gear, as well as one electric
reel for the elderly or anglers with disabilities when requested.

Fishing trips with Capt. John will see you fishing inshore and offshore. You can choose to explore inshore fisheries or head into the bay slow trolling for Mackerel, or bottom fishing for Snapper and Grouper.

You can purchase live bait on board. Catch cleaning may be available, but you best talk to the captain about it. Trips normally leave out of Bayside Marina on Panama City Beach, but pickups at other areas may be arranged. The captain also runs specials throughout the year, so please check back.

We can accommodate anglers of any level of fishing experience. You can use all types of bait and fishing styles to get the best chance for the best catch. Capt. John will work to make you happy and give you a trip of a lifetime. Hope you come back again to go after a bigger one! Fishing it's what we do.

Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?
125lb Amberjack or 14ft shark
If you were cooking for all your friends what would you cook?
Steak
Whats your favorite band?
Penn
Whats your favorite movie?
Dune

Rapid Fire Guide Q & A

What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?
125lb Amberjack or 14ft shark
If you were cooking for all your friends what would you cook?
Steak
Whats your favorite band?
Penn
Whats your favorite movie?
Dune
Whats your drink of choice?
Lime Gatorade
What was your last halloween costume?
Hulk
What do you want for Christmas this year?
A happy family.
How did you get started guiding?
Love of fishing and pleasing people
What makes you different from other guides?
We care about the customers and we want them to do well. Its not about the money it's about the experience.

REEL Viking Charters Trips

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Recent Reviews of REEL Viking Charters

4.8
based on 16 reviews

Jeremy

Verified Review

Gulf was a little cold for the shark bite, but the spanish mackerel were jumping all over! Captain John was great at communicating his plans leading up to the trip and made it his mission to make sure we caught plenty of fish and more importantly have fun! Would definitely book with Captain John again, and hope to again when we make it back to Florida!

Jeremy

Verified Review

Gulf was a little cold for the shark bite, but the spanish mackerel were jumping all over! Captain John was great at communicating his plans leading up to the trip and made it his mission to make sure we caught plenty of fish and more importantly have fun! Would definitely book with Captain John again, and hope to again when we make it back to Florida!

Angela

Verified Review

Captain John was the absolute BEST and the guys had the most memorable day fishing with him! They are already planning to do another day out with Captain John.

Angela

Verified Review

Captain John was the absolute BEST and the guys had the most memorable day fishing with him! They are already planning to do another day out with Captain John.
Response from John:
Thank you'll can't wait to do it again

Response from John:

Thank you'll can't wait to do it again

Jeremy

Verified Review

On August 1st. My 15 year old son and I went out with Captain John John on a 3 hour shark trip. We caught 9 sharks and multiple other fish. We had a great time. Captain John John works hard and knows what he’s doing. He was very safety conscious and I would absolutely recommend him. Hopefully we will be able to catch up with him on our next trip.

Jeremy

Verified Review

On August 1st. My 15 year old son and I went out with Captain John John on a 3 hour shark trip. We caught 9 sharks and multiple other fish. We had a great time. Captain John John works hard and knows what he’s doing. He was very safety conscious and I would absolutely recommend him. Hopefully we will be able to catch up with him on our next trip.

Jacqueline

Verified Review

Captain John John and deck hand Drew were awesome. It was exactly what my son and I were looking for.

Jacqueline

Verified Review

Captain John John and deck hand Drew were awesome. It was exactly what my son and I were looking for.

Michael

Verified Review

I had an amazing time with captain John and his deck hand. They were very knowledgeable. I caught a hammerhead, shark and three smaller sharks. Definitely would recommend them. Very cool experience.

Michael

Verified Review

I had an amazing time with captain John and his deck hand. They were very knowledgeable. I caught a hammerhead, shark and three smaller sharks. Definitely would recommend them. Very cool experience.

Potential Target Species

Color-coded seasonality below is based on the current month (April).
View Full Species Seasonality Chart »
  • Almaco Jack
  • Amberjack
  • Barracuda
  • Black Drum
  • Black Grouper
  • Black Seabass
  • Blackfin Tuna
  • Blacktip Shark
  • Blue Shark
  • Bonito
  • Bonnethead Shark
  • Bull Shark
  • Cero Mackerel
  • Cobia
  • Cubera Snapper
  • Gag Grouper
  • Goliath Grouper
  • Grunt
  • Hammerhead Shark
  • Hogfish
  • Kingfish
  • Lane Snapper
  • Lemon Shark
  • Mahi Mahi
  • Mako Shark
  • Mangrove Snapper
  • Mutton Snapper
  • Nurse Shark
  • Perch
  • Red Grouper
  • Red Snapper
  • Redfish
  • Scamp Grouper
  • Scup
  • Skipjack Tuna
  • Spanish Mackerel
  • Speckled Trout
  • Strawberry Grouper
  • Tiger Shark
  • Triggerfish
  • Vermillion Snapper
  • Wahoo
  • Warsaw Grouper
  • Yellowtail Snapper
  • Get it while it's HOT!
  • This species is in play.
  • You might get lucky (as long as things are in-season).
  • Couldn't tell ya! (no data)

Techniques

Artificial Lure Fishing
Bottom Fishing
Cut Bait Fishing
Deep Dropping
Drift Fishing
Heavy Tackle Fishing
Jigging
Light Tackle Fishing
Live Bait Fishing
Topwater Fishing
Trolling

Types of Fishing

Deep Sea
Inshore
Nearshore

REEL Viking Charters Photo Gallery

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Panama City Inshore
February 1st, 2024
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Chasin’ Tails 6 Hour Trip
January 10th, 2025
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Best 10 hrs on the water
December 4th, 2023
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Panama City Shark Spectacular
October 28th, 2024
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Best 10 hrs on the water
May 4th, 2023
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8hr PC Bottom Fishing and MORE
April 19th, 2022
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Chasin’ Tails 6 Hour Trip
February 7th, 2023
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Panama City Shark Spectacular
February 7th, 2023
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12 hr Extended Deep Sea Trip
March 25th, 2022
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Panama City Inshore
February 1st, 2024
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5hr fun run
January 10th, 2025
Panama City Beach, Florida
Panama City Inshore
February 1st, 2024
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8hr PC Bottom Fishing and MORE
April 19th, 2022
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