El Capitano’s Offshore is a clean, capable private pick in Madeira Beach, a fast 32 foot SeaVee run by owner-operator Captain Chad Hickman out of John’s Pass. It posts a full offshore rate card from a half day to a 15 hour deep drop trip, fishes the Gulf reefs and wrecks for the bottom spread, and holds a perfect rating. It ranks in the middle of the private field, with a smaller review base the main thing keeping it from climbing higher.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.3 El Capitano’s is a strong choice and the sixth ranked operation in Madeira Beach, a solid private pick for a group that wants a fast boat and a clearly posted price. It sits just behind Figured It Out and ahead of Bent Charters. Book it for a grouper and snapper day or a deep drop run. The honest limit is the depth of its record: the rating is perfect, but on a smaller base than the leaders, so the score rests on a clean rather than a deep sample. Compare the field on the Madeira Beach ranking.
The boat
The boat is a 32 foot SeaVee center console with twin 350 horsepower Mercury outboards, built in 2007, that cruises at 45 knots, for up to 6 anglers. It is a fast, capable offshore boat that reaches the ground quickly and has the range for the long deep drop trips. As an open center console a 15 hour deep drop day is an exposed one, but the SeaVee hull is a proven offshore platform and a good match for the John’s Pass reefs and the longer runs.
The fishing and what you target
Captain Hickman fishes the Gulf reefs and wrecks for red grouper, mangrove snapper, amberjack, hogfish, and kingfish, with blackfin tuna and mahi mahi on the longer runs and red snapper in season. Gag grouper is open only a short window in 2026 and amberjack is closed for the season, so red grouper, hogfish, and snapper carry most trips. The full slate of trip lengths, out to a 15 hour deep drop, covers everything from a quick half day to a serious offshore run.
Trips and prices
The rate card is posted in full on the FishingBooker listing: $950 for a 4 hour half day, $1,450 for a 6 hour three quarter day, $1,950 for a full day, $2,400 for 10 hours, $3,000 for 12 hours, and $3,800 for a 15 hour deep drop trip, for up to 6 anglers. The license, bait, and tackle are included, with a gratuity customary on top. The clear, complete posting is a genuine strength. Our cost guide sets those numbers against a walk-on seat.
The crew
Captain Chad Hickman owns and runs the boat, and the FishingBooker record, a perfect 5.0 across 24 reviews, is clean and positive. Reviewers credit a captain who puts anglers on fish and runs a well-kept boat. The honest note is volume: 24 reviews is a real but modest base, smaller than the busiest boats in the port, so track record is its lowest factor, scored on a clean but limited sample. Nothing recurring counts against the crew in the reviews we read.
Booking and what to know
Book through FishingBooker or the operator’s site. Bring food and drinks and a cooler for your fillets, since it is an open boat. The license is covered and the catch is cleaned. The deep drop trip is worth asking about for the long-range bottom fishing, and the red snapper trips are seasonal.
How we scored it
El Capitano’s scores 7.3: a fast capable offshore boat with a full, clearly posted rate card, marked down on track record for a smaller review base. Boat, value, and a clean record are even strengths. See how we scored this boat and compare it with the rest of the Madeira Beach boats.