Booked trip 2 weeks in advance for a 1/2 day morning trip for 4 ppl. Nearly caught (and would have released anyway) 1 striped marlin (roughly about 80#) and a couple of ground fish (a red snapper and jothead porgy, both about 1 lb).
ARRIVAL
We arrived at Playa Herradura at around 6:45 AM and had trouble finding parking as there was an event and many people were already there. We had to pay for parking at a nearby restaurant.
Once we got to the beach, we were promptly met by one of the brothers and paid the remaining balance for the trip in USD. The captain and deckhand was already onboard getting things ready. A transfer boat brought us out to the fishing boat which was moored a short distance from the beach.
SAFETY
We promptly left once onboard. No safety protocols were given and we were not told about any lifejackets, if it didn’t appear that they had any onboard. I had brought and wore my own lifejacket just in case this happened and glad that I did.
BOAT
The boat is in decent condition and we found it roomy. I liked that it was shaded by the tuna tower deck which kept us from being roasted by the sun. Sandwiches and drinks were provided but bring additional beer if you plan to drink more (only a six pack was included).
The boat was able to cruise at around 21 mph out to the fishing grounds in mild seas (4’ every 11s). We traveled southwest for about 12 miles and was in about 290’ of water. The water surface temp was ~81 degrees. I know this because I had brought my own GPS and portable fishfinder. From what I could tell, there were zero electronics on the boat despite both listed in the ad (not even a simple depth gauge).
BAIT & TACKLE
The captain drove from the tower the entire time and did not interact with us at all. Once we started moving, the deckhand immediately began to rig up ballywhoo bait (previously frozen from tray) on a hook w/ an egg sinker and used a coper wire to wrap the tip of the ballywhoo in place. He had only brought 2 packs, so about 20 baits in total. Despite our requests in advance for live bait, which we would have had gladly paid extra for, none was provided. Instead, they suggested to take time from our trip to try to catch some bait which we said “no, let’s go catch some real fish”.
I brought my own dorado/marlin/tuna trolling lures and asked the deckhand to rig those up instead. From what I could tell, they did not have any viable trolling lures onboard and were planning to only troll the rigged ballywhoo w/ egg-sinker combo. What trolling lures they did have were old and faded, and had dull rusty hooks which I would have refused to use.
GEAR
They had 5 stout trolling rods with med-heavy action conventional reels loaded with ~80# mono plus five 6’ medium action rods with spinning reels. All gear looked pretty worn but useable. However, when we hooked up with the stripped marlin, I quickly discovered that the reel was not bolted onto the rod and it kept rocking around as I was battling it out with the fish (see video and look closely at how the reel was moving around as I reeled). This made it difficult to reel and added to the fatigue as I was fighting the fish. A simple and inexpensive reel clamp could has easily prevented this and in my option, a must for going after big game.
There was no fighting chair or even a fighting belt onboard- I brought my own belt and gloves and so very glad that I did as I can’t imagine fighting a large game without either.
CREW
As mentioned, the captain barely interacted with us. He did not tell us where we were going, what we were fishing for, or even what has been biting. The deckhand did interact with us but minimally. He did adequately speak English, enough for me to understand but not really enough to carry on a conversation.
SUMMARY
Overall, a 3/5. Boat is OK but gear was inadequate for big game. I would only recommend for small game (ground or rock fish) or bring your own gear (lures, belt, gloves) if after big game. Fine for whale watching.
Booked trip 2 weeks in advance for a 1/2 day morning trip for 4 ppl. Nearly caught (and would have released anyway) 1 striped...
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