I’ve fished Lake Erie for most of my 59 years. But this was my first trip with Captain John. Our experience couldn’t have been better.

Captain John’s boat is clean and gave us plenty of room. Our wives appreciated having a cabin below to get out of the wind and cold…. we fished mid October so that morning was a bit breezy and cold getting out to our spot.  And having a bathroom put the wives at ease. They were so concerned there wouldn’t be a bathroom!

Captain John had radio contact, talking with several other charter captains. And they all shared Intel on where the fish were hitting. John never hesitated moving us to better fishing spots anytime the fishing slowed. He really put in the effort! And we all caught fish… plenty of fish.

Our wives really appreciated his willingness to bait their hooks… we were too busy fishing. His humor was spot on busting my son’s chops when he dangled a fish over the side, and watched it drop back in the lake. He asked him if he knew what he did wrong so he could course correct. Then told him it was “pretty much everything”“, “admiring his catch” before he could answer…. too funny!

Great stories, hard working, total attentiveness in constantly helping us and the wives… doesn’t get any better than Captain John in our opinion.

See ya for a trip this coming spring!

First things first: we knew this was going to be an amazing experience when our captain called us and said, “Hey, the fishing hasn’t been great because the water is too warm, would you like to reschedule for a time when you can limit out?”

DUDE! Most captains would be glad to take your money and drive you around for 8 hours while you catch nothing. That Captain John is more concerned about your experience, that you catch as many as you can, and have a great time, rather than just making his fee for the day? We’re never going fishing with anyone else. While we knew that we may not limit out, after the Spring and Summer of “EVERYTHING IS CANCELLED!” (Thanks, COVID-19!), we decided to take a shot at it and give the kids their first experience fishing on a boat, cause the idea of one more fun/ cool thing being cancelled just sucked.

We showed up with 4 kids- 14, 13, 10 and 10, And me- none of whom have ever fished on a boat before, or used live bait, and the kids were super comfortable with him right away. Our “oldest youngest” wanted to invite him to his birthday party in a few weeks! (btw, ask about his fiancées cakes, they’re amazing!), and the kids talked about how they can’t wait to come back and fish with Captain John again after we left

John worked his tail off finding what little fish there were, helping us understand how to fish for perch, chatting about the science and the ecology of the lake and the fish, answering EVERY QUESTION the kids had (and there were a lot of them!), helped my sons work on Boy Scout Fishing Merit Badge stuff (he was a Boy Scout in addition to serving in the Navy), and helped us track 6 poles. He and the other captains were trading spots and counts all day, and while no one was limiting out (or even really catching anything at all), I’m sure we were having the best time if anyone else out on the water today, and we STILL brought home enough perch for an awesome dinner tonight and to freeze for another time- like I said, he worked his butt off finding what few fish there were!

If you’re choosing between captains and charters, do yourself a favor and go out with Captain John. He’s been doing this for 25 years, has earned recognition from The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, his boat is clean and well maintained, and he’s a great teacher if you’re new to fishing or have kids yours introducing to the sport (and still want to do some fishing yourself!) We can’t wait until we can come back again when the fishing report is good and fish with him again!

The conditions were less than perfect. Heat humidity and little to no wind. The wind we did get was out of the NE. The captain made no bones about the poor conditions but worked his butt off to put us on fish. We left with one shy of a 6 person limit. There were few boats on the water which was a tell tail sign that the fishing was not great but he had a plan and stuck to it and filled our coolers. This was a lat minute trip due to another charter canceling on our group and we had no reference to go off of. The boat and equipment were very good and well maintained. He was very descriptive in technique and tackle options to get the job done. For a last minute fishing trip in less than perfect conditions it far exceeded our expectations. I will be looking to book with him again and would not hesitate to recommend this service to anyone. Have been on several over the years that haven’t produced a limit of fish and either drove around chasing the bite and eating up precious time. JT had a plan and stuck to it, his experience as a captain showed. It was also cool to spend the 4th of July with a veteran on the water. He has a great personality and sense of humor which made it even better. Thanks again for the great trip and a bunch of good laughs and memories.

Get ready to learn, laugh and catch fish!! First time customers and definitely will not be our last trip. John was great the boat was phenomenal and I can say we honestly caught fish throughout the entire trip from our first cast till the last. Highly recommend for anyone from a 1st timer to an experienced fisherman. Just remember “what you did wrong” EVERYTHING!! Best line of the charter and I’ll be stealing it. Was a wonderful Saturday on the water and we will be continuing the party with our fish fry today. Thanks so much!

Great time was had by all. The weather was a little sketchy, mid 60’s and windy, so captain gave us the option to reschedule, but we decided to go for it. He told us the the fishing might not be that great, but we all love to fish so we went for it. The afternoon was a lot of fun.WE caught 5 decent keepers and many junk fish (catfish, sheephead, white perch), but it always fun to catch anything. I would recommend if you are looking for a great time on the lake with a knowledgeable captain, good friends and a love of fishing!