One day on a real charter boat, on the days school is out. Bull reds in October, sheepshead and black drum in the winter. No experience needed — and the easiest way to find out if your camper wants a whole week next summer.
A school's-out day
Same boats, same captains, same rhythm as summer day camp — packed into one day. This is what an October bull-red day looks like.
7:30Drop-off at Beach Marine and check-in aboard the Kokomo, our 55-foot head boat. Sunscreen, life jacket fit, and the plan for the day: which water, which captain, what we're after.
Coast Guard life jacket rules on every boat.
Sometimes we buy it, sometimes we cast-net it, sometimes we catch it on rod and reel. Either way the campers learn what the fish are eating and why.
Every camper gets a turn with the net.
Four campers, a licensed charter captain and a counselor per boat. The captain reads the tide and picks the water — in October that usually means the channels near the jetties, where the bull reds are.
The captains call it at the dock.
Three hours of real fishing on real boats. In the fall it's bull redfish, trout and flounder; in the winter, sheepshead, black drum and slot reds. Everyone gets rod time.
The part they'll talk about at dinner.
12:15Boats in, catch on the table. Species ID, slot limits, how to handle a fish. Bagged lunches on the dock while the captains reset.
Bring the lunch — we don't provide it on the one-day camps.
Knot practice, rigging a rod, casting drills, and dock fishing off the marina. Rainy afternoon? This is where we go.
The same skills the summer campers learn, in a day.
Pick-up at the dock. Keeper fish are filleted at the cleaning table and go home with your camper if you want them — bring a cooler in the car. Photos and a recap land in your inbox that evening.
Late pick-up until 6 PM: $30 — add it at checkout or in your parent account.
The six dates
The dates follow the school calendar, not the fishing forecast — but the school year happens to line up with the best inshore fishing we get. October is bull-red season; winter is sheepshead and black drum.
Sat · Oct 3
The first of three October dates. The bull reds stack up along the channels at the mouth of the river — the biggest fish most campers have ever seen. All released; they're the breeders.
Mon · Oct 12
A school holiday and peak bull-red season. Heavy tackle, big bait, and a captain who knows where they hold on the tide.
Sat · Oct 24
The last bull-red date of the fall. Reds along the channels, flounder starting to move, and the first cool mornings of the year.
Wed · Nov 11
Fall fishing at its best: trout and slot reds in the creeks, flounder on the drop-offs, sheepshead starting on the pilings.
Mon · Jan 18
Winter water is clear and calm. Sheepshead and black drum on the structure, slot reds in the deep creek bends. Dress warm; the fishing is good.
Mon · Feb 15
The sheepshead are on the jetties and the big black drum are in the river. The last one-day camp before summer registration — a good day to decide.
Weather decides the water each morning; the captains make the call at 7 AM and you get a text. If a whole day can't run, you choose a refund or a transfer to another date.
Who's on the boat
Our standard boat: a U.S. Coast Guard licensed charter captain and a CPR-certified counselor, with up to four campers.
Every boat carries the life jackets the Coast Guard requires, and we follow every Coast Guard life jacket rule.
Lightning within 10 miles, wind or seas over the limit — we don't go. You get a text, and your choice of a refund or another date.
The one-day camps run on the same charter boats with the same captains as summer. Meet them →
What happens to the fish
Bull redfish are over the Florida slot and they're the breeders, so every one of them is measured, photographed and released — and the campers learn why.
Slot fish and the day's other keepers are filleted at the cleaning table and sent home with your camper if you want them. Bring a cooler in the car.
The details
No camp shirt on the one-day camps — those are summer only.
Late pick-up: $30 until 6 PM. Add it at checkout or in your parent account any time before the day.
2026–27 dates
$250 per camper, paid in full — no deposit and no balance. Full refund up to 14 days before the date; inside 14 days, a refund if your spot fills. If we cancel for weather, you choose a refund or a transfer to another date.
Your side of the day
School's-out camp questions
It's the best one. One day, home by 3:00, no overnight, no week-long commitment. Most families use it to find out whether their camper wants a full week of summer day camp — and most of them do.
No. The counselors and captains teach from the cast net up. What matters more is that they're comfortable on a boat for a few hours.
A redfish over 27 inches — often 15 to 30 pounds. In October they gather along the channels at the mouth of the St. Johns, and a 10-year-old can catch one on the right tackle. They're the breeders, so every one goes back.
Bull reds are released, always. Slot fish and other keepers are filleted at the dock and sent home with your camper if you'd like them — bring a cooler.
Rain alone doesn't stop us. Lightning, high wind or rough seas do — the captains make the call by 7 AM and you get a text. If we cancel the day, you choose a refund or a transfer to another date.
Not on the one-day camps — send a bagged lunch, snacks and a water bottle. Summer day camp is the same; overnight camp includes meals.
Yes — tell us at registration ("who are they coming to camp with") and we group them. One camper per registration; add the second as a second item.
Full refund up to 14 days before the date. Inside 14 days, a refund if your spot fills. Weather cancellations are always refunded or moved.
Not sure which camp?
You're here
Ages 7–15 · one day · $250
Single days when school is out. The easiest way to find out if your camper loves this.
Day camp
Ages 7–15 · Mon–Fri 7:30–3:00 · $1,099
Inshore, and offshore on the calm days. Home every night. The place to start.
Explore day camp →Sleep-away
Ages 9–15 · Sun–Fri · $2,499
Dorms at Jacksonville University, the 55-foot head boat, a dedicated offshore day.
Explore overnight →Big water
Ages 9–16 · Mon–Thu · $1,599
Two 6-hour and two 8-hour charters. Campers keep their fish.
Explore advanced →School's out
Thirty spots per date, four campers to a boat, and they fill. Registration is open now.
See the dates