Most “Perdido Key” charters are really Orange Beach boats with good SEO. Tradition is the exception — Capt. Miles Howell runs his operation from Perdido Key Drive itself, on the Florida side. He also publishes monthly fishing reports on his own site, which is our favorite kind of credential — a guide who tells you what’s actually biting before he takes your money.
The trips
Three federally permitted boats cover the spread: private inshore trips for redfish, speckled trout, flounder, and sheepshead in the calm stuff; inshore trips of 2–4 hours, bay-boat offshore runs of 5–6 hours, and 4- to 12-hour deep-sea trips on the federally permitted boats for snapper, grouper, triggerfish, king mackerel, and cobia. Shared deep-sea charters run $160 a head for 6 hours and $200 for 8 (kids 12 and under $100 / $140) — the sane option for a couple or solo angler who doesn’t want to underwrite a whole boat.
Good to know
The inshore trips are the quiet strength: protected water, shorter runs, no seasickness gamble — the right first charter for kids or anyone unsure about the open Gulf. Federal red snapper season opens June 1; read his latest report before you pick a date, since he’s already told you what to expect.
