Reel Coquina is an owner-run St Petersburg deep sea fishing operation, a 29 foot center console that Captain Pablo Koch-Schick has run since founding the charter in 2015. The boat is well kept and rigged with good gear, the captain is multilingual and draws a strong, if small, review trail, and the trips reach the Gulf reefs for grouper, snapper, and hogfish with jigging and night runs on offer. It lands in the mixed band for two honest reasons: the boat caps at four anglers, smaller than the rest of the port, and the posted price adds fuel on top, so the real cost runs well above the headline.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 6.8 Reel Coquina is a mixed pick and the fifth ranked boat in St Petersburg: book it with caveats. The case for it is the captain and the rig, an experienced owner-operator on a clean, well equipped boat with a genuine 5 star trail and some variety the bigger boats do not run, like vertical jigging and night trips. The caveats are size and price. Four anglers is a tight cap for a group, and the fuel-on-top pricing makes the cost hard to read before you book and pushes it above the base rate. Book it for a couple or a small group that wants an owner-run boat and a hands-on captain. For a larger party or a clearer all-in price, the St Petersburg ranking has better fits.
The boat
Reel Coquina runs the Orion 29, a 29 foot center console powered by Suzuki 300 four strokes and licensed for up to 4 anglers. It is well kept and carries good electronics and tackle, and reviewers consistently describe it as clean and well equipped. The honest limits are size and shelter. At 29 feet with a four-angler cap it is the smallest boat we rank in the port, so it is a tighter ride in a chop than the 35 and 39 foot boats, and as an open console it offers no cabin on a long day. For a couple or a small group on the reefs, it is a comfortable, capable fit.
The fishing and what you target
Reel Coquina fishes the Gulf reefs and hard bottom off St Petersburg, targeting red and gag grouper, red snapper in season, hogfish, mangrove snapper, African pompano, and tuna. Captain Pablo runs standard bottom fishing along with vertical jigging and night trips, which is more variety than most boats in the port offer, and matches the trip to the season. Red grouper is the year round mainstay, gag is tightly limited in 2026, and red snapper is the summer prize when the federal season is open. Confirm the current reef seasons and limits with Florida FWC and NOAA before a season specific trip.
Trips and prices
Reel Coquina sells by the whole boat for up to 4 anglers, private only. The posted base rate is $1,300 for a 6 hour half day and $2,000 for a 10 hour full day, but this is where the score turns: fuel is added on top, typically about $500 on the half day and $1,000 on the full day, and a 20 percent cash tip is customary. That means a full day lands near $3,000 once fuel and tip are on, well above the $2,000 you first see, which is why value and transparency is its weakest factor even though the base rate is posted. Rods, tackle, and the license are included. Our cost guide helps you read a base rate against the all-in total.
The crew
Captain Pablo Koch-Schick owns and runs the boat, grew up fishing in South Africa, and is fluent in English, German, and Spanish, which makes him a strong fit for visiting anglers. The sentiment across TripAdvisor and Google is genuinely positive, with reviewers describing a knowledgeable, fun captain who puts people on fish on a well kept boat. The honest limit is volume. The review base is small, in keeping with a single owner-run boat running since 2015, so the quality reads high but the record is thin rather than deep, and a thin base is harder to judge for consistency across seasons.
Booking and what to know
Book direct through the operator’s site. The boat leaves from the Maximo area of St Petersburg near the Sunshine Skyway. Bring food and water, dress for sun and spray on the open boat, and take motion sickness medication for the longer runs. Ask for the expected fuel charge up front so the all-in price is clear before you commit, given the fuel-on-top model, and have a cash tip ready. No license is needed, since the boat covers it.
How we scored it
Reel Coquina scores 6.8: an experienced, multilingual owner-operator on a clean, well geared boat with a strong but small review trail, marked down on value and transparency for the fuel-on-top pricing and on boat and equipment for the four-angler cap and the smaller hull. Captain and crew is its strongest factor; value is where it slips. See how we scored this boat, and compare it against the rest of the St Petersburg boats.