---
title: "This Gulf Coast Captain Customized His Boat and Gear So He Could Guide Disabled Anglers"
description: "Mississippi charter captain Dana Sanders was inspired by his son, who has cerebral palsy and loves to fish from Sander's custom boat."
date: "2025-08-06"
modified: "2025-08-06"
authors:
  - name: "Bob McNally"
    job_title: "Contributor"
    link: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/authors/bob-mcnally/"
url: "https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/mississippi-captain-disabled-fishing-charters/"
categories:
  - "Fishing"
  - "Saltwater Fishing"
tags:
  - "News"
---

# This Gulf Coast Captain Customized His Boat and Gear So He Could Guide Disabled Anglers

![A disabled angler and his family out on a fishing boat in the Gulf.](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/mississippi_captain-disabled_fishing_charters_1.jpg>)
*Dana Sanders and his son Jason, who suffers from cerebral palsy; Dana, Jason, and Adrian Sanders spending time in their Carolina Skiff, which was customized to make room for Jason's wheelchair.  Photo/s courtesy Dana Sanders*

Dana Sanders was an environmental consultant for most of his working life. But after retiring two years ago, the 58-year-old Mississippi resident started guiding anglers on [inshore fishing trips](<https://www.facebook.com/p/Whats-Next-Fishing-Charters-61566016058662/>) from his one-of-a-kind, 18-foot Carolina Skiff. The specially modified boat is wide and stable, and it’s part of the inspiration for his newest venture: offering charter trips for disabled anglers.

“I named that boat ‘Jason’s Joy’ after my 20-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy,” Sanders tells *Outdoor Life*.

Sanders says that he and his wife Adrian had always fished the rich waters around their home in Pascagoula, targeting redfish, seatrout, flounder, and other inshore species. They wanted to bring their son out on the water, too, so Sanders had someone modify the 18-foot boat to make room for Jason’s wheelchair.

![A Carolina Skiff that was customized for anglers in wheelchairs.](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/mississippi_captain-disabled_fishing_charters_2.jpg>)
*With its offset center console and wide-open bow, Sanders' boat has been customized for anglers in wheelchairs. Photo courtesy Dana Sanders*

“He loves it,” Sanders says. “Fishing is his real joy.”

The custom boat has been perfect for Jason’s needs. And after seeing the happiness that fishing from a boat has brought his son, Sanders realized there were others like Jason who just needed a way to get out there. His goal now is to provide those opportunities.

**Read Next:** [Nights Were the Only Time My Dad Had Time to Himself. He Took Me Fishing Anyway](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/bass-fishing-summer-nights/>)

Sanders says he’s bought an additional wheelchair for his boat, along with a battery-operated electric reel, and he plans to start offering disabled fishing charters in October. The half-day charters will run $500 and include up to three people. He’s already booked some trips, and he’s even had people donate their own money to pay someone else’s way.

“It’s really amazing how many have stepped up wanting to help others in need,” he says. “There are so many good-natured people out there who know that fishing is an all-encompassing outdoor passion that’s enjoyed by everyone.”

![A disabled angler fishing off the Mississippi coast.](<https://www.outdoorlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/mississippi_captain-disabled_fishing_charters_3.jpg>)
*"Fishing is his real joy," Sanders says of his 20-year-old son Jason. Photo courtesy Dana Sanders*

Sanders’ new business model will also fill an important void for him his wife. He and Adrian used to be the local directors of [Hope Outdoors](<https://www.hopeoutdoors.org/>), a volunteer group that specializes in taking people hunting and fishing who are disabled or terminally ill. He says they found that work fulfilling, but that the local program was shut down during the Covid pandemic and had never recovered.

“That customized Carolina Skiff is a way to get \[these folks\] on the water,” Sanders says. “I just want to be that vessel for them to enjoy fishing the way we do.”

## Author
Bob McNally has been an outdoor writer since shortly after the earth’s crust cooled. He has written 12 outdoor books, more than 5,000 outdoor magazine stories (including many for Outdoor Life) and more newspaper outdoor columns and features than there are hairs on a grizzly bear.