Salty Goat Fishing Company is the most versatile of the small private boats in Jacksonville, a single captain operation that runs the full spread from bull reds in the river to wahoo on the bluewater. Captain Andrew Washeck, known as Drew, has about 18 years on this water and fishes a fast twin engine center console, and the boat carries a spotless rating across its reviews. For an angler who wants one boat that can do an inshore morning or a long offshore day, it covers more ground than most.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.7 Salty Goat is a strong choice and ranks fourth in Jacksonville, a capable, well reviewed owner run boat. It sits just behind Set ‘Em Up, which has a newer boat and a deeper review pool, and ahead of the Majesty party boat. The honest limits are two. The review record, while spotless, is moderate in volume next to the deepest records in the port, so it is strong rather than deep. And the menu is wide, from inshore to bluewater, which is a strength but asks you to be clear about which trip you are booking so the boat and the day match. For the deepest records, Sea Dancer Charters and Team Buck Rogers lead the field. The full ranking is on the Jacksonville page.
The boat
The Salty Goat is a 26 foot SeaVee center console, built in 2004 and running twin 200 horsepower Evinrude outboards with a top cruising speed near 55 knots. A SeaVee is a genuine offshore hull, and the twin engines and the speed give it real range and a margin of safety the single engine boats lack, so it reaches the bluewater on the 10 hour trips. It is still a 26 foot center console, an open boat that is faster and more capable than its size suggests but tighter and wetter than a larger boat on a long, rough day. For a small group that wants one boat to cover inshore through offshore, it is well chosen.
The fishing and what you target
The menu is the widest of the small boats here, and the target list follows it. Closer in there are bull redfish and sheepshead; on the bottom, snapper, grouper, and vermilion snapper; and offshore toward the bluewater, king mackerel, cobia, blackfin tuna, and wahoo, with a dedicated live bait wahoo trip on the schedule. Black sea bass and the bottom fish carry the closer ground much of the year. Atlantic red snapper are abundant off Jacksonville but the federal season is very short and was closed by a court order for 2026, so confirm the status with NOAA Fisheries before you plan around them, and shallow water grouper, including gag and red, are closed January 1 to April 30 each year.
Trips and prices
Salty Goat prices by the trip, all whole boat for up to 4 anglers: an inshore or nearshore run is $600 for 4 hours or $900 for 6, an inshore to offshore day is $1,200 for 8 hours, a bluewater day is $2,000 for 10 hours, and a dedicated live bait wahoo trip is $2,200 for 10 hours. Rods, reels, lures, and the license are included, and a customary crew tip is extra. The rates are posted and fair, and the spread of trip types is the appeal, but it means you should confirm exactly which trip you want when you book so the price and the plan line up. Our cost guide sets the tiers side by side.
The crew
Captain Andrew runs every trip himself, with about 18 years on the water and a calm, patient style that reviewers single out. The sentiment is uniformly positive across the boat’s reviews, describing a captain who works to put anglers on fish and keeps the day easy for mixed groups. The record is strong and clean, held back only by volume: with a moderate number of reviews it is a solid record rather than the deep one the busiest boats in the port have built, which is what keeps the track record score a step below the leaders.
Booking and what to know
Book direct or through FishingBooker, and be specific about the trip you want, since the menu runs from inshore to bluewater. Confirm the trip length, the target, and the rate with Captain Andrew so the boat and the day match the season. The boat runs out of the Mayport area on the Jacksonville inlet. Bring food, drinks, sunscreen, and a cooler with ice; the boat covers the rods, reels, lures, and license.
How we scored it
Salty Goat scores 7.7: a versatile, owner run boat that covers inshore to bluewater on a fast twin engine center console with a spotless record, held below the leaders by a small boat and a moderate review volume rather than any weakness in the fishing. Captain and crew is its strongest factor. See how we scored this boat and the Jacksonville ranking for the field.