Quick Details
4 Hour Private Charter
Trolling Only • Price covers 8 people. Add 10% per additional person (up to 18 people)
$ 1,200
6 Hour Private Charter
Bottom Fishing • Price covers 8 people. Add 10% per additional person (up to 18 people)
$ 1,750
8 Hour Private Charter
Bottom Fishing • Price covers 8 people. Add 10% per additional person (up to 18 people)
$ 2,400
12 Hour Private Charter
Bottom Fishing • Price covers 8 people. Add 10% per additional person (up to 18 people)
$ 3,500
Cruise aboard Fairwater II on a fishing charter in Orange Beach!
Hello Everyone, I’m Captain Tom. I have been fishing in the Orange Beach, Gulf Shores area all of my life. From the back bays to the blue water I have done it all as a fishing guide. I have always really enjoyed taking people and putting them on the fish. I get asked the question all the time “how long have you been doing this”? For me thats an easy one, as long as I can remember.
Come discover the thrill and adventure that deep sea fishing on the abundant waters of the gulf has to offer. Go on a fishing charter on the Alabama Gulf Coast with our professional fishing team. With a lifetime of fishing experience, and thousands of private reefs on your side, you’re almost guaranteed a great catch. We specialize in customer service and a good time for your family and friends.
A relaxing Gulf Shores Vacation is not complete without deep sea fishing trip in Orange Beach fishing charters. With over 30 years of fishing experience, I have two charter boats that are located at ZEKES landing marina in Orange Beach, Alabama. We offer any type of Gulf Shores fishing but we specialize in family and friend groups and private charters. When you book your charter make sure you fish with someone that has the experience you expect. My family has been in the Charter fishing business since 1979 right here in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Everything needed for a guaranteed good time is provided. That includes, bait, tackle, rods and reels, and fishing licenses, all on the charter of your choice. Our informative and helpful agents in the charter office will provide departure and return times for your charter. Food and beverages are not provided by the boat. However, our Dock Store does carry drinks and sandwiches along with other snack items.
- Please do not bring glass bottles on your charter!
- Costs not included in the initial charter price are fish cleaning (30 cents per pound), customary deckhand tip (18%-20% of the charter) and a fuel surcharge on certain trips.
- Rubber-soled shoes are beneficial for fishing.
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- Microwave
- Bathroom/Shower
- 1 Head
- Green Egg Grill
- 6 Bunks
- A/C Cabin
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Prices are subject to change without notice! These prices are private charter rates – for per person walk on rates, please contact the charter office.
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Captains Name: Tom Ard
Meet your Captain Tom Ard, a true Orange Beach native and a 5 boat owner at Zekes landing Marina, with over 40 years of offshore fishing experience.
The love for fishing started at a very young age for Tom, fishing farm ponds and rivers around his house for bass and bream, or catching speckled trout and red fish off the family dock on Wolf Bay. This all transitioned to offshore fishing when his father, Captain Gloyice Ard had a custom built charter boat, a Buskins, completed 1980, the “Bollweevil” which is still in service here at Zekes.
Tom grew up deck handing on the Bollweevil and ran his first real charter at 18 years old. He inherited the vessel after his dad passed away.
After graduating from UWF with a degree in criminal justice, Tom married the love of his life Kim, in 1997. They purchased the Fairwater II in 1998. Since then he’s charter fished, raised a family (son Garrett is working on his Masters degree at Mississippi State) and cared for the boat, trying to make her a better boat each and every year. Along the way they purchased the Water Dog, a 34 ft crusader, and continued fishing on the Bollweevil. In 2019 he and business partner Captain Brett Russell added the SouthWind and the TradeWinds in 2022. Captain Brett started his fishing career at just 16 years old working with us during the summer.
Training young men into captains has been one of Tom’s strengths, along with having a fishing team that feels like a family. We all work together and help each other with the boats and in fishing which gives the whole fleet an advantage.
One of Tom’s passions has been finding older boats and making them look new again with a strong knowledge about engines, generators, and very importantly electronics that keep you safe and help catch fish. This has been his hobby inside his fishing career.
In his 50s now, Tom still has a passion for hunting,and fishing, going on adventures with his family (which includes his two Labrador retrievers) and boats. Tom also runs a 64 ft Viking sports fisher for his lifelong friend, fishing marlin tournaments, traveling on vacations just to hunt and fish, and still loves a good boat ride on an impressive craft.
And lastly he really loves to watch the joy and excitement catching fish brings to his clients and friends who still come back to fish year after year.