Here is why I will not book this trip again:
1. Boat is not big enough for 4 people + guide to safely fish
——- twenty three foot flat bottom with very shallow sides, and narrow passages to the front
——- 2 seats on a cooler in the front and 2 seats on the console for 5 people on the boat
2. Captain does not consider the safety of his passengers when on the water
——-Drives too fast over rough water
——-Got the boat airborne multiple times
——-Took water over the front of the boat (speared) in 3’-4’ waves multiple times
——-Does not make sure his passengers are secure before moving the boat
——-Did not even mention life jackets at any point in the trip
3. He only allows one person to fish when there are 4 people on the boat
4. He fishes while you watch, then let’s you reel in when he catches something
5. He does not listen to his passengers’ requests
My experience:
While heading out to shark fish, we found a school of redfish and crevalles. Captain threw out light tackle and immediately caught a large crevalle. Handed me the reel and the fight with the fish was on. 40 minutes into the fight, the captain realized that a current had pulled us into 3’-4’ waves, which were now coming over the back of the boat, and the back of the boat was almost under water. While I was still on the back of the boat trying to reel in the fish, he put it in gear and started to move, which almost caused me to go off the back.
I started to walk to the front of the boat, still holding the rod, and he put the boat in gear and started to move again. I still did not have a chance to grab anything for support. This time, while he was moving, a wave hit the side of the boat and knocked me off into the water. According to his depth finder we were in about 40’ of water; we had 3-4’ waves, and there was a strong current pulling the boat. I was able to quickly swim back to the boat. As my brothers were helping me into the boat, the captain asked, “Where’s my rod!?” Nevermind that one of your passengers is in the water.
I chose to save my life instead of his rod, so the rod and the fish were lost. Because I didn’t want to ruin a trip with brothers and my wife, we chose to stay out and continue to fish. Captain threw out another lure and caught another crevalle, which we were able to get into the boat. We took pics of our catch and threw it back. He said we needed that fish because he owed a fish to a guy that loaned him one. 1. You should have been paying attention to your passengers when the fish was on the boat. 2. It’s not my responsibility to pay your debt.
After that, he threw shark bait in the water and we sat for 3 hours waiting for a shark to bite. We were not able to fish for anything else because he didn’t want any other lines in the water. I asked if we could just go find more reds or crevalles just so we could catch something, so he reeled in the shark bait and moved the boat back into the rough water, where he threw the shark bait back out. After he realized it was getting dangerous again, and we requested to leave, he took us back into the marina.
At the marina, he asked us to pay the for the rod/reel HE LOST. Because we are good people, we gave him some money. I have no ill will toward the captain, but I will not book another trip with him.
Here is why I will not book this trip again:
1. Boat is not big enough for 4 people + guide to safely fish——-...