If I were going deep sea fishing in the Gulf, I would use one of the charter services working out of John's Pass in the St. Petersburg area.
One of the most well known, for decades, is Hubbard's Marina at John's Pass. They have been a family owned business since 1928. In addition to fishing, they have a restaurant, shopping, and party boat trips. (Sunset cruise, dolphin watching, etc.)
When I was a teenager I used to listen to Capt. Hubbard on the radio when he gave his daily fishing report of the success that his charter boats had, and what kind of fish they caught.
Information about their rates can be found at
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