Salty Confusion Charters is a serious bottom-fishing pick in Madeira Beach, a 36 foot offshore boat run by Captain Bob Poteshman, who has fished these waters full time for more than 35 years. The boat is a commercial-build Seahawk with an enclosed, air conditioned cabin and the diesel range for long offshore trips, the prices are posted, and the record across the booking platform is deep and strongly rated. It ranks high among the private boats on the strength of the captain and the long-range reach, with an older workboat hull the main thing it gives up to the newer center consoles.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.6 Salty Confusion is a strong choice and the third ranked operation in Madeira Beach, the pick for a group that wants a real long-range bottom-fishing day with an experienced captain. It sits just behind GotOne Charters and ahead of Top Knotch. Book it for a 10, 13, or 18 hour offshore run at red snapper and grouper, on a boat built for the distance. The honest limit is the boat: a 36 foot commercial Seahawk is a capable, comfortable workboat rather than a plush sportfisher. Compare the field on the Madeira Beach ranking.
The boat
The Salty Confusion II is a 36 foot Seahawk, a commercial-build offshore charter boat with twin Yanmar diesels and an enclosed, heated and air conditioned cabin and a marine head, for up to 6 anglers. The cabin and the diesel power are the point: they make the long 13 and 18 hour runs to deeper ground realistic and comfortable. It is not a flashy boat, and that workboat character is why boat and equipment is its lowest factor, but it is exactly the right tool for the long offshore bottom trips it specializes in.
The fishing and what you target
Captain Bob fishes the Gulf reefs and wrecks for the bottom spread: red, vermilion, and mangrove snapper, gag grouper, amberjack, black sea bass, triggerfish, and kingfish. The short trips work the nearer ground, while the 10, 13, and 18 hour trips run well offshore, up to about 50 miles, for red snapper in season and bigger grouper. Gag grouper is open only a short window in 2026 and amberjack is closed for the season, so red and vermilion snapper and red grouper carry most trips. The long-range reach is the real draw.
Trips and prices
The rates are posted on the FishingBooker listing: $895 for a 4 hour half day, $995 for 5 hours, $1,275 for a 7 hour captain’s choice trip, $1,495 for a 10 hour mixed bag, $1,849 for a 13 hour offshore red snapper trip, and $2,949 for an 18 hour ultra long range trip, all for the whole boat. The license, live bait, tackle, and cleaning are included, with free cancellation up to 30 days out. There is a small price difference between the operator’s site and the booking listing, so confirm the rate for your trip. Our cost guide sets those numbers in context.
The crew
Captain Bob Poteshman has run charters full time for more than 35 years, with first mate Shane on deck, and the FishingBooker record, 4.8 across roughly 50 reviews, is deep and consistent. Reviewers credit a captain who works hard and relocates to put anglers on fish, a well-kept boat, and a family-friendly trip, with the listing’s own breakdown showing nearly every trip reporting fish. The experience and the steady record are what carry the captain-and-crew score. Nothing recurring counts against the crew in the reviews we read.
Booking and what to know
Book through FishingBooker or by phone, with free cancellation up to 30 days out. Bring food and drinks for the long trips and a cooler for your fillets. The license is covered and the catch is cleaned. The long-range trips are the reason to book this boat, so match the trip length to the season, and book the summer red snapper trips ahead.
How we scored it
Salty Confusion scores 7.6: an experienced 35 year captain, long-range offshore reach, and posted prices on a deep, strongly rated record, marked down on boat and equipment for an older commercial workboat hull. Captain and crew and trips and access are its strengths. See how we scored this boat and compare it with the rest of the Madeira Beach field.