Category Archives: Local Events

Fall In Destin Is Festival Season

It’s Fall in Destin! As the cooler weather arrives, it’s time to prepare for the Fall festivals in Destin!

It's Fall Festival Season In Destin

October 1st marks the beginning of Destin’s premiere fishing event of the year, The Destin Fishing Rodeo.

Throughout the month of October, the World’s Luckiest Fishing Village will play host to over 30,000 great fisherman as they compete to reel in the biggest game fish. Over $100,000 will be awarded in cash and prizes, and practically every game fish will be recognized. Wether you’re trolling inshore for king mackerel, offshore for marlin, or going deep for grouper, you will be eligible to win. Plus, every Saturday in October is Shark Saturday, and the largest shark will win a cash prize!

You don’t want to miss out on the rodeo action and weigh-in fun! The rodeo is free for all anglers fishing aboard a registered vessel, like the Destination, so make your reservations now to participate in the most popular tournament on the Gulf Coast! The weigh-ins are open to the public, and held every day in October, from 10AM to 7PM, on the harbor boardwalk near AJs.

Fall in Destin always begins with the Destin Seafood Festival. It’s a local tradition.

This year, the 37th Annual Destin Seafood Festival will officially begin on Friday, October 4th at four o’clock, and will run throughout the weekend, showcasing some of the best seafood Destin has to offer.

Destin’s seafood festival tradition began in 1978, founded by the Charter Boat Association’s Women’s Auxiliary as a fundraiser for the local fisherman, and a way to attract visitors to the area. Thirty-seven years later the Destin Charter Boat Association carries on the tradition, and the festival has grown into a huge celebration of Destin’s rich marine heritage.

Over sixty-thousand people are expected to attend this year, for the most amazing local seafood, live music, fireworks, arts, crafts, and all around family fun.

The weekend of October 16-19, is one of the South’s most celebrated festivals, The 39th Annual Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival, in the neighboring town of Niceville.

Back in the days when the small town of Niceville was a nice little fishing village known as Boggy Bayou, local fisherman relied substantially on mullet, and poled flat-bottomed skiffs on the bay at night, listened for the jumping fish, and cast their nets. The mullet was then salted and preserved in fish barrels, and sold or traded to farmers from Florida and Alabama for vegetables.

This family friendly festival celebrating the mullet, and old Boggy Bayou traditions, was named one of the top 12 food festivals in the nation, and boasts three days of jam-packed fun with a large selection of food, including mullet, unique handmade arts and crafts, fun amusement rides and games, and top-notch musical entertainment.

Kick back and relax in between bites, and watch your favorite college football team aboard the Destination, via Direct TV!

A Great Fishing Season in Destin!

So far, It has been a great fishing season in Destin!

Fishing Season in Destin

We have had a lot of great catches, and we’ve made a lot of great memories, too. Another great fishing season in Destin with Charter Boat Destination.

Gag Grouper Fishing Season in Destin

Gag grouper typically weigh up to twenty-five pounds; the largest gag grouper on record weighed in at eighty-six pounds, and was caught near Destin. Gag grouper inhabit rocky bottoms, reefs and drop-off walls in deep water, are fun to catch, and are very tasty.

Fun fact: grouper are born as females but can later become male.

Amberjack Fishing Season in Destin

Amberjack are deep water fiesty fish; they fight hard, and are a prized trophy for any angler. A mature Amberjack typically weighs between sixty and eighty pounds, while a trophy-sized amberjack can weigh over one hundred pounds.

Offshore trolling also heats up in August for Whaoo, blackfin tuna, sailfish and king mackerel!

It’s never too early to make your reservations for October’s month long fishing rodeo!

October is perhaps the best season of the year to fish in Destin; the weather cools off a bit, the humidity is lower, and the water temperatures still linger around eighty degrees. Plus, you can keep up with your favorite college football team while you’re at sea, with our Direct TV.

If you’d like to participate in the Destin Fishing Rodeo, or you would like to book the Charter Boat Destination for any other time, give me a call at (850) 259-3778, or click here. We will make sure you experience the thrill of Destin’s deep sea fishing scene.

Tight lines,

Capt. Stan

Destin Florida Red Snapper Season

Destin Florida Red Snapper Season

Red Snapper Season in Destin, Florida is forty-four days Long This Summer!

The big news in Destin, Florida this summer is our Federal Red Snapper Season, which will begin June 1st, and run through July 14th, will be forty-four days long this year, compared to just nine days long last year.

That should make for some incredible fishing trips, with great catches!

Red snapper is a popular, early-maturing, long-lived reef fish that are broadly distributed in the Gulf of Mexico. They can live to be fifty-seven, and are typically found in deep waters. The average Red Snapper grows to be about twenty-five pounds, with the largest Red Snapper caught in Destin, Florida, weighing in at 46 pounds.

Snapper season has a strong economic impact for many coastal communities throughout Florida, including Destin.

Destin, Florida offers some of the world’s best deep sea fishing. Anglers of all skill levels travel to the Emerald Coast hoping to snag a prized catch. For Destin, Florida Anglers, the most prized catch is the coveted Red Snapper. These fish are fun to catch, wonderful to eat, and have become the focus of many of the Charter Boat Destination’s fishing trips.

We offer a variety of family friendly private charters, ranging from as few as four hours to as many as twenty-four hours, and we can carry up to twenty-three passengers.

If you plan to be in Destin, Florida this summer, give us a call (850) 259-3778, to reserve your spot or click here to book online with us today.

Destin Florida Cobia Tournament

Anglers get ready, the 18th Annual Destin Florida Cobia Tournament  kicks off in March!

Destin Florida Cobia Tournament

This year the Destin Florida Cobia Tournament is full of GREAT cash prizes and SUPER prize packs on Super Saturdays!

The charter boat fishing in Destin, Florida really picks up in March with the Destin Florida Cobia Tournament, and the beginning of the annual spring run of Cobia. Each year these big fish migrate through Destin, Florida’s coastal waters towards their spawning areas near the Mississippi Delta.

And every year the Cobia migration is highly anticipated by Destin Florida’s Anglers because Cobia can weigh up to one hundred forty pounds, with many fish weighing-in between fifty and ninety pounds! In fact, it’s not uncommon to fight a Cobia for 45 minutes to an hour!

In Destin, Cobia fishing is done by sight. From a tower aboard the Charter Boat Destination. From the tower we can spot an individual Cobia, or small schools of Cobia, swimming just under the surface of the emerald green Gulf waters, off the Destin, Florida coast. After we spot the Cobia, we maneuver the Destination so our Anglers can cast a bait in front of the slow moving fish.

Participating in the Destin Florida Cobia Tournament aboard the Charter Boat Destination, watching the surface action, and angling Cobia, is one of the most exciting fishing charters that Destin, Florida has to offer.

The 18th Annual Destin Florida Cobia Tournament is right around the corner, and we are booking charters 7 days a week. Give us a call today at (850) 259-3778, or fill out our contact form, to book your charter fishing trip for your Destin, Florida vacation.

Destin Florida Cobia Fishing

Destin Florida Charter Boat Destination

A Thankful November

A Thankful November

King Mackerel

King Mackerel

As we celebrate this November week of thankfulness, we are mindful of so much. We are thankful for our loved ones, a measure of health, and the liberties we possess as Americans, among other things. Here in Destin, we are also thankful for several mild, sixty-degree-sunny weather days sprinkled throughout our winter months, despite the unseasonably cold temperatures gripping the rest of our country.

During November we were catching amberjack, grouper, king mackerel, mahi, amberines, and black and vermillion snapper. Catching an amberjack is quite a satisfying feeling, because they always put up a big fight.

An Amberjack Angler

An Amberjack Angler

As Thanksgiving gives way to the Christmas Season, you don’t want to miss Santa’s grand entrance to the Destin Harbor, the Holiday on the Harbor ARTwalk, and of course, my favorite, the 28th Annual Destin Boat Parade through the Harbor, on December 14th.

Remember, we run charters during the winter months in Destin, so be sure to give us a call when you get tired of Turkey leftovers.

May this Thanksgiving be a great blessing to you all.

Cheers,

Capt. Stan


Destin Florida Charter Boat Destination

To contact Capt. Stan, call 850.259.3778 or click here to fill out our contact form.
210 Highway 98 East, Destin FL
The Destination is 1/2 mile east of the Destin bridge, behind Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant.

Charter Boat Destination:  https://www.charterboatdestination.com/
2014 Article: A Thankful November


The 66th Annual Destin Fishing Rodeo

 

The 66th Annual Destin Fishing Rodeo

The 66th Annual Destin Fishing Rodeo kicks off today, in The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village!

Destin Fishing Rodeo

The 66th Annual Destin Fishing Rodeo

Destin will play host to over 30,000 fishermen throughout October, as they compete to bring in the biggest game fish. Over $100,000 will be awarded in cash and prizes, and practically every game fish will be recognized. So whether you’re trolling inshore for king mackerel, offshore for marlin, or going deep for grouper, you’ll be eligible to win. And every Saturday in October is Shark Saturday, so the largest shark will win a cash prize!

October in Destin is packed with Rodeo events, including the Rodeo Run 5k, the Rootin Tootin Round-up (for kids 12 and under), and the family-friendly Kids FallFest at AJs, on the harbor boardwalk. Visit the Destin Fishing Rodeo website for a detailed listing of Rodeo rules and events, so you don’t miss out.

Contact the Charter Boat Destination to Book Your Fishing Trip

The Fishing Rodeo is open everyday for the entire month of October, so join us aboard the Destination! It’s FREE to all anglers who fish aboard a registered boat (like ours), and there is a $25 fee for anglers (15yrs and older), fishing off a pier, bridge or jetty. The weigh-ins are open to the public, and held everyday in October, from 10AM to 7PM, on the harbor boardwalk near AJs.

If you want to compete in the ultimate saltwater fishing tournament call me today, and book your October charter!

Best of luck,
Capt. Stan

The 2014 Destin Seafood Festival

The 2014 Destin Seafood Festival

Destin Fishing Rodeo

The 2014 Destin Seafood Festival

Fall in Destin always begins with the Destin Seafood Festival. It’s a local tradition. This year, the 36th Annual Destin Seafood Festival will officially begin on Friday, October 3rd, at four o’clock, and it will run throughout the weekend, showcasing some of the best seafood Destin has to offer.

Destin’s seafood festival tradition began in 1978, founded by the Charter Boat Association’s Women’s Auxiliary as a fundraiser for the local fisherman, and a way to attract visitors to the area. Thirty- six years later the Destin Charter Boat Association carries on the tradition, and the festival has grown into a huge celebration of Destin’s rich marine heritage. This year, over sixty-thousand people are expected to attend for the most amazing seafood, live music, fireworks, arts, crafts, and all around family fun.

Destin Harbor

After a few location changes through the years, the Destin Seafood Festival found it’s home along the harbor boardwalk, beside the fishing fleet, and right at the heart of Destin’s Annual Fishing Rodeo activity. So while you’re enjoying the seafood festival this weekend, be sure to join in the excitement, and watch the Rodeo weigh-ins on the boardwalk, near AJs.

Admission to the seafood festival is free, however donations will be accepted at the soda and beer tents, and also at the Fisherman’s Raffle tent. Parking is sparse, so be prepared to walk a lot, or plan to take a shuttle from Lively Cinema 10, in downtown Destin.  You can find more information about the 36th Annual Destin Seafood Festival here.

Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.

See you there,
Capt. Stan