From the start of our trip out of the water Captain John and his deck hand Rick kept us at work pulling in the fish. Within 30 minutes of getting out on the water we stopped at a spot and quickly began pulling in some live bait for us to take out to catch much bigger fish. Every single spot we stopped in we caught fish thanks to the captains knowledge. Each time we pulled in fish the captain and his deck hand were keeping our hooks set with bait and were swapping up tactics and teaching us step by step what to try to keep us catching fish. At one spot in particular as soon as our bait would hit the sea floor it was time to reel in the next fish. My friends and myself were worried about not catching much before our trip started, but within only a few minutes of casting in to the water we were very excited to be pulling in fish like we did. We had an absolute blast and we will definitely be planning future trips again with Johnny Wahoo Charters and most definitely recommend if you’re looking for a trip with great value and fun that this is the one to choose!

Our trip with Captain John Carleton was absolutely amazing!!!
Capt. John is the epitome of the perfect charter captain. Experienced, knowledgeable and accommodating, he asked great questions about what we wanted to catch and what kind of experience we wanted… then he put us on the fish and kept us on the fish the entire trip. We caught A LOT of fish!
My husband is an experienced angler, and although I enjoy fishing, motion sickness can keep me on the sidelines. Capt. John accommodated us both! He went above and beyond to ensure we had the perfect trip. Leaving Gulf Breeze, we headed into Pensacola Bay and out into the Gulf. (The narrated tour of our surroundings and some history of the area was an added bonus.) We were blessed with perfect weather and stayed within about 15 miles of shore… see ya, motion sickness!
We kept our limit of mingo snapper (honoring my request for something tasty to cook up later). We also caught an abundance of triggerfish and kept one of those to eat too! In addition, we landed some beautiful red snapper - talk about a fun fight! - and gladly released them to swim another day since their season wasn’t open yet.
Capt. John was absolutely incredible. Each time we moved to a new spot, he previewed what to expect to catch there. When he told us to put our lines out, we almost always had fish on the very first cast - and they were the exact fish we anticipated. With the clear water, you could see your fish well before you landed it, adding a cool visual component to the tug on your line. (I should mention we do have polarized sunglasses.)
The boat is beautiful, clean and well-equipped. Powerful twin motors quickly got us to our desired destination, and his new spot-lock trolling motor kept us on the fish once we got there. The hardtop over the center console provided unexpected and much appreciated shade for me the entire morning.
Capt John also did a great job matching our tackle to the fish - keeping the fight fun without using anything so light that the fish got away.
And although most anglers won’t appreciate this, I’m throwing it in for the kids and nature lovers: DOLPHINS! (Not mahi - although we saw some of those too - but dolphins.) We had about 4 of them hanging out with us for a while, and in the crystal clear water, we enjoyed watching them playing underwater right beside the boat, turning to eye our fish and flipping their tails in disappointment when they realized it was a triggerfish they didn’t want. We captured the most amazing video of these magnificent creatures!
All in all, we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. The water, camaraderie, and of course the FISHING made for the perfect adventure - one we will definitely be back to repeat! If you’re looking for a great fishing experience near Pensacola/Destin, book a charter with Johnny Wahoo. We hope you have as much fun as we did!

Capt. John did a great job, forecast called for 2’ seas and we had to adjust as the seas built.  We were on fish nearly constantly and had a blast.  Best trigger fish bite I have experienced and the biggest Mingo snapper was boated.  I will absolutely be back for another crack at those tile fish.  Great trip, great mate, good equipment and overall, an excellent experience.

Captain John was very prepared, had plenty and a variety of baits before we left the dock. He had good equipment and explained to us his plan before we left.
  He put us on fish the very first stop and kept all our hooks baited, he tried several different baits and hooking techniques until he found what they were hitting. We brought home some very tasty red snapper. Great personality and he worked very hard to make our trip fun and successful.. I highly recommend Captain John.