We booked through Bravo Zulu charters and were able to communicate what to expect with Rene leading up to the visit. He conacted me several times to ensure all questions were answered prior to departure. Rene was also accomodating with our kids on their first trip (14, 6 and 3 years old) and helped teach them the tricks of fishing the rocks. Not only did my family and I get a great fishing experience and catch a ton of sheepshead, a couple catfish, a small shark and a huge red drum, but we also got a history overview of the area as we drove around. I would recommend Rene to anyone looking for a fishing experience in the Jettys of Galveston Island!

Weather wasn’t the greatest for fishing. Capt. Rene gave us a heads up before we arrived. We appreciated his honesty. Little windy and a solar eclipse we took a chance. I liked the safety instructions he gave us as we headed out. Fishing was slow but he kept trying to find some monsters. He moved around and tried different bait and rigs. With about an hour left he connected with a school of monster bull reds. We tagged out. My teens smiles and laughter were priceless. Also, he’s a great teacher. He would give fishing tips to my kids and work with them. Look forward to another trip.

First and foremost, huge thanks to the Captain…Rene! The day before the booking he called me to make sure he had an idea of what we wanted to do. I left it up to his discretion and he said sharks have been biting lately, but ran through some other options. I once again said it doesn’t matter. What mattered the most to me was spending time with my family, baking under the sun. The joy I have in my heart to see my two sons smiling made this trip priceless. The day of the trip came early and Captain Rene was waiting for us. We all hopped on the boat and he started with a boat orientation and safety briefing, then we were off. There’s just something about crushing off from the marina and allowing the breeze to run across the body that makes time stand still. We made it to the first stop which was in attempt to catch some bait for the bigger fish and to get a feel for the rod and reels. Captain Rene put some squid on and we were instantly getting bites. However, it wasn’t by the right fish as they had smaller mouths. We didn’t stay long and decided to move on to the next location to try and grab some bait again and see if we could get something bigger too. In no time we caught a few bait fish for the live well and then went cold. It was at this moment that my admiration for fishermen grew a ton. Captain Rene called a buddy to see how he was doing. Unaware at the time we made a move towards the other Captain to do a bait trade. This was quite the moving moment to witness as they were helping each other out to get to the same end state, fish on for their customers. Let me pause for a second to say that when booking a charter there aren’t any guarantees. The boat captain leans heavily on their years of experience and network to get you on fish, but they don’t control where the fish are in the water. Sometimes it might not work out. Back to the action, or at least about to be. The bait trade happened and Captain Rene’s buddy said bonnetheads were biting and he pointed in a direction. Captain Rene leaned the throttle, the boat leaned back and in no time we were cruising to the next destination. Within minutes we were settled. Captain Rene started baiting and casting the big lines, three of them I believe. Immediately after the lines were casted he asked if we like music and we said yes. However, the music we were going to listen to was the lines getting tight because we had a fish on! It was amazing to see Captain Rene multitask all the reels, hook the fish, pass to my son, move the other reels so we weren’t getting tangled. Goodness, it was like watching a conductor of an orchestra as everything was in synch. He talked my son through his battle with what felt like going toe to toe with Jaws. Time stood still as I watched and recorded the sheer pain and pleasure my son was going through to catch his first shark. Captain Rene was there the whole time coaching him. Finally, we had a fish in the boat. The next part was a bit hilarious as Captain Rene went to grapple with the beast. I couldn’t help but yell Live Action just like TurtleMan does when jumping into danger. Captain Rene was able to jump on the shark and maneuver it to get the hook out. He then once again coached my son on how to hold it for a picture. No sooner than after we put the shark up we got another. Now it was my youngest turn. It was a great experience, an exhausting one to add. We caught 4 bonnetheads back to back and with a little time left we hit one more spot in hopes of getting on a redfish. We caught another type of shark and threw it back. Time was up so we went back to the dock and Captain Rene filleted all of our fish and bagged them. Overall, 5 star experience and highly recommend!

Reminder:
-Take water
-Take sunscreen (liquid not spray)
-Have fun!
-Tip the Captain! They work hard to give you the best experience possible.

Captain Rene is very professional it was a tough morning of fishing we hit several areas and could see that all the other boats weren’t having much luck either but Captain Rene kept watching, seeking intel, and changing up location and tactics until BOOM we were on FISH. He did a great job explaining each approach and what to expect. What was most important to us was his character he is full of life and spirit. He carries himself as a Christian man so very respectful and clean speech unlike some of the others you find around the docks 😂. We know without a doubt God sent us to this Captain for his knowledge and passion to put us in the best possible situation and to have the best experience for our money. Thank you Captain for a life changing adventure.