Howdy!

I am taking some guys down to Bolivar Peninsula for a bachelor party fishing trip. There are 6 of us (well, really 14, but only 6-8 of us really want to fish that bad ($$), and I know 6 is the general max on boats down there), and we're planning on fishing a charter out of Galveston.

One of the guys presented another option, though. His dad has a boat, which we can use (I'm assuming a bay boat of some kind--I'm not an expert). One of the guys on the trip jumped on that option and said it would be stupid to pay for a charter if we have this free boat.

Now, the guy with the boat is out of the country right now, and I cannot ask him how proficient he and his family are at catching fish (/getting on fish). But I'm trying to determine which option is truly the best bet.

I want to provide the groom with a fun saltwater fishing experience. I mean, it doesn't have to be perfect. We don't have the budget to do some big deep-sea trip. But if we're looking to do a 4-7 hour trip that runs us $100-$150 per person, is it worth it to book one of the charters out of Galveston? Or is my friend right that fishing from our own boat "for free" or fishing from the shore would be a better bet, if we're concerned about money? (The guy wouldn't charge us; we'd just have to buy our bait/any necessary tackle. None of us have saltwater gear, so I don't know what we'd need.)

(We initially considered a party boat, so that everyone could go, and for fairly cheap, but that idea fell through. The benefit of the personal boat/shorefishing is that we get to generally stay together as a party, but I think putting the groom on some good fishing is the overall priority. So we're okay with a smaller group going out on a "more" expensive boat, at the aforementioned cost target.)

So, what's the better bet? Free boat? Or pay for a charter?

Thanks for your input, and if I sound like a noob, I am. I'm a pond-hopper, not a saltwater guy.

You cannot fish 6-8 guys on a single bay boat. You need 2 boats at a minimum. Most charters will not take more than 3 people per boat unless you're going offshore.

Pay a guide, they do all the dirty work and know the water and patterns at that time. It will be $$ well spent.

DVM

With snapper season closed, your offshore options are going to be limited to kingfish and shark without doing an extended trip.

As for going the self guided route (I assume you mean in the bay), it might be a good choice if you want to ride around and drink beer unless someone in the party has experience fishing Galveston Bay. Also, as said above, it is unlikely the boat would handle as many people as you are talking about. One option would be to use multiple guides. Many times a guide has other guides they routinely work with to accommodate larger parties. If going this route, I think the $150 is probably a little light.

There is a lot of bay that holds almost no worthwhile fish at all. Chances are you would be in it. Pay some dough and get a guide.

We like to say there is a fine line between fishing and a long ass boat ride.